Project
ULTFARMS - circUlar Low Trophic oFfshore Aquaculture in wind farms and Restoration of Marine Space
ULTFARMS aims to advance the current application of Low-Trophic Aquaculture (LTA) systems. This is aquaculture of organisms low in the food chain that get their food from the environment. With new technical and ecological innovations, production in dynamic offshore conditions is optimised and combined with Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs). ULTFARMS involves the whole chain including co-development and co-management by research and industry.
Six pilots are being implemented in six OWF sites in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. The Dutch pilot concerns mussel cultivation in the Borssele wind farm. The other pilots are taking place in Belgium (Belwind), Germany (FINO2 & FINO3) and Denmark (Anholt & Samsø) where seaweed and oysters will be cultivated in addition to mussels. Stakeholders from across the chain will be involved to deliver sustainable, low-carbon and safe products from design to sale. New nature-inclusive cultivation systems are being developed. Planning and operation of LTAs will make use of existing open databases and operational forecasting systems for integrated monitoring (including diseases and invasive species) and management (including supply and demand and risk analyses).