Sustainable development of blue mussel production (113421)

The project aims to develop knowledge and technology that can document the sustainability of low-trophic mussel aquaculture. Sustainable aquaculture can be defined as cost-effective production of aquatic organisms that maintain a harmonious and continuous interaction with ecosystems and local communities. In BUMUS, sustainability will be documented in relation to production carrying capacity at the level of the production area, the ecological carrying capacity by demonstrating biodiversity impact around the facilities and the social carrying capacity by documenting the visual impact. This will provide a knowledge base that can be included in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture's development of a new approach to the management of location permits for mussel aquaculture and thus a basis for lifting a current moratorium on new permits for blue mussel aquaculture either as breeding facilities in the water column or on the bottom in the form of on-bottom cultivation. This will also provide opportunities for the production of sustainable marine LTA products with a very low climate footprint and very high and healthy food value to be increased in accordance with the market and the objectives of the Danish aquaculture strategy.

The project  consists of four different types of activities: 

a) Modeling on the scale of production areas/water bodies of the carrying capacity of the areas for aquaculture  of mussels, which will be carried out by DTU Aqua in collaboration with DHI A/S as external consultant. 

b) Concrete documentation of biodiversity on different types of aquaculture of blue mussels (on the bottom, in the water column as longlines or tube+net systems) in various areas of the western part of the Limfjord. This activities will be carried out by DTU Aqua in collaboration with local farmers. 

c) Development of technology and documentation for reducing the visual impact associated with farming in the water column. Technology for visualizing the impact of breeding facilities in the water column will be developed by Aalborg University, while DTU Aqua in collaboration with Blå Biomasse will develop methods for submerging tube+net systems. 

d) Communication of results to different end-users. The dissimination will be carried out as a cooperation between knowledge institutions, business partners, trade associations and interest organisations.

Funding

The project is co-funded by the European Union through the Danish Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme (EMFAF).

Research area: Coastal Ecology

Research area: Aquaculture
Research area: Ecosystem based Marine Management
Research area: Marine Habitats