NSERC Canadian integrated multi-trophic aquaculture network (CIMTAN) for the development of responsible aquaculture

Aquaculture production, which already supplies over 40% of the seafood consumed worldwide, has increasedrapidly over the last few decades, making it the fastest growing global food production sector; however, thereare concerns regarding environmental, economic and social impacts associated with aquaculture. An innovativesolution for the environmental sustainability, economic stability and societal acceptability of aquaculture isintegrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA). IMTA combines the cultivation of fed species (e.g. finfish) withorganic extractive species (e.g. shellfish) and inorganic extractive species (e.g. seaweed) for a balancedecosystem management approach, considering site specificity, operational limits, and food safety regulations.The proposed Canadian IMTA Network (CIMTAN) focuses on developing a key network of researchers fromacross Canada to further develop IMTA approaches to strategically enhance economically sustainableproduction systems. The ultimate goal of CIMTAN is to develop systems, adopted by its industrial partners, toefficiently mitigate organic and inorganic enrichment of fed aquaculture operations by actively recapturing thismaterial to turn it into the production of extractive crops, hence transforming associated environmental andsocio-economic issues into benefits for not only the industrial partners, but also for all Canadians.CIMTAN will undertake an inter-disciplinary approach including a strong HQP training component to generatenew knowledge on alternative aquacultured species based on their biomitigative functions and economic value.CIMTAN will go beyond addressing natural science and/or engineering questions, and will addresssocio-economic and regulatory governance components, required for the full development of the sector.CIMTAN will create the conditions for increased economic opportunities in rural/coastal regions, includingFirst Nations communities, providing sustainable, quality seafood to Canadians, concomitant with increasedsocietal acceptance of the aquaculture sector and public policy development for improved governmentdecision-making.