ShellPlant
Bivalve molluscs such as Oysters and scallops represent 20 percent of the global aquaculture output with a turnover of almost £3 billion, bringing employment in rural coastal areas. Recently however, the European share of an expanding seafood market is shrinking while the global market is expanding.
This is largely due to the continuous market price reduction for farmed product, brought about by lower cost imports from competitors in Asia and South America. The majority of European production is from natural populations although increasingly stocks are approaching or have exceeded maximum sustainable yields. Stock enhancement through the capture and relaying of natural seed in both extensive and intensive forms of culture is common practice worldwide but the reliability of natural recruitment can never be guaranteed, and conflicts over the use of the coastal zone are becoming ever more pressing.
Shellplant intends to develop a closed production system for bivalves in an innovative rack system, an algae photo bioreactor and a feeding and water exchange system with intelligent controls. CSAR’s role will involve optimisation of growth of microalgae, the primary source of nutrition for bivalves
Visit the project website for further information at ShellPlant |
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