III - A circular, zero-waste aquaculture economy
With the promise of a sustainable source of protein with low carbon footprint, the European Commission has put aquaculture at the heart of its European Green Deal(opens in new window). But delivering on this promise requires that the aquaculture sector manages its waste. For 1 million tonnes of annual produce, the industry produces a significant amount of waste – including nearly 490 000 tonnes of shells. The good news is that this is starting to change, thanks in no small part to EU-funded research and innovation projects, such as the eight highlighted in this chapter.
Wealth hidden in the dirt
Take for example SAFE. The project is developing circular economy-based solutions specifically designed to help reduce freshwater aquaculture’s environmental impact. One of those solutions involves reusing sludge as a substrate for producing alternative protein sources such as insects and worms. Another project finding sustainability in sludge is AQUAPHOENIX. Using circular economy principles, the project developed a unique way to transform fish waste into nutrient-rich material that can be used to produce renewable energy, fertilisers and feed.
One sector’s trash is another sector’s treasure
Also working to transform waste into new resources are the Terraforming LIFE and GREENLIFE4SEAS projects. The former is combining fish waste with livestock manure to create natural fertilisers and biogas, while the latter is turning sediment and shells into secondary raw materials for the building and construction industries. LIFE REFISH designed a biorefinery capable of converting marine by-products and discards into fish proteins, oils, gelatines and other products that can be used by the food, feed, cosmetic and agriculture sectors. Aquaculture also creates a substantial amount of plastic waste: the plastic nets and ropes used are often lost at sea or simply thrown away. Projects such as LIFE MUSCLES and BIOGEARS aim to change that not only by recycling discarded nets, but also by replacing plastic nets and ropes with biodegradable alternatives.
A new farm-to-fork value chain
While these projects focus on what to do with aquaculture waste, AWARE helps us to manage our own. The project is embedding aquaponic systems into urban wastewater treatment plants, bringing aquaculture from the sea to the city. The project aims to create a new farm-to-fork value chain that, when combined with the other solutions highlighted in this chapter, will transform aquaculture into a circular, sustainable and zero-waste industry.