Aquaculture, which comprises the production process involving the cultivation or farming of aquatic organisms, has been increasing its global production in recent years in an attempt to meet the worldwide food demand, which is estimated to rise by 69% by 2050.
To achieve this objective, there are certain limitations to the expansion of current aquaculture production methods which, together with the increasing demand for the occupation of maritime and coastal marine space, make it clear that alternative approaches are needed if the aquaculture sector is to make a significant contribution to the global seafood supply.
In this context, increasing competition for space in coastal areas has become an issue requiring rapid action. As a result, there is both global and local motivation to identify synergies among different blue economy sectors and marine exploitation industries through multi-use configurations, as proposed by the European Commission, as well as through the occupation of more distant offshore areas deployed in more oceanic and hostile environments.
One of the approaches to establishing this paradigm shift in aquaculture production is the compatibility of maritime uses and activities within the same space, or through the sharing of elements or infrastructures for mutual benefit by means of economies of scale or shared synergies. Given the increase in offshore activities such as energy production, maritime transport, fishing, maritime and coastal tourism, and aquaculture, the concept of multi-use infrastructures emerges as a framework capable of combining multiple activities within the same area.
The exploitation of common characteristics between maritime activities, for example between offshore aquaculture and marine renewable energies, opens the possibility of sharing operations and maintenance (O&M) activities in order to reduce costs, optimize the use of marine space, and combine production within the same footprint.
The other approach focuses on scaling up aquaculture production while also improving aspects such as animal welfare and the environmental impact of facilities, through the development of marine aquaculture in exposed offshore locations. This activity is already being explored and deployed in several producing countries with a high level of commercial development.
For the future development of both approaches — offshore aquaculture and multipurpose systems — it is necessary to establish, in parallel, different elements and frameworks that align this deployment with the new frontier conditions posed by offshore or multi-use environments. These include appropriate Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) capable of integrating the interests of different activities, new governance models for offshore operations, and technological deployment to meet industrial requirements such as new infrastructures (larger and more robust), higher energy demands, remote monitoring of farming conditions, and new equipment such as feeding systems, support vessels like wellboats, among others.
In this regard, and aligned with these new aquaculture production approaches, CETECIMA, within the framework of the ACUICONECTA project, is preparing a state-of-the-art report on offshore and multipurpose aquaculture. The aim is to establish the current technological status, functional requirements, and opportunities arising from the potential deployment of this activity in the Macaronesian region. This assessment seeks to achieve these objectives through the study and review of existing case studies and the exploration of future trends in offshore and multipurpose aquaculture production.