ECASA - An Ecosystem Approach for Sustainable Aquaculture - is an EU funded Framework 6 RTD project. The project is coordinated at SAMS and has 16 research partners from 13 EU member states.

The marine aquaculture industry provides vital econimic and societal benefits to vulnerable coastal communities throughout the european region. In recent years the industry has been expanding and developing rapidly. Aquaculture activities can, however, cause changes to the ecosystem which may impact sensative habitats and species. Changes through chemical, organic and nutrient discharge into coastal waters have been well documented but other impacts include the transfer of pathogens, parasites and diseases from culture stock as well as the genetic interaction between wild and cultured populations.

Both regulators and industry are aiming towards sustainable development by creating wealth while protecting the environment by efficient use of resources and energy. Validated tools and methods are required for assessing assimilative capacity and for predicting ecosystem effects in an environment forced by economic and climatic variability.

Our objectives are to:

• Identify quantitative and qualitative indicators of the effects of aquaculture on the environment and vice-versa, and to assess their applicability
• Assess and develop operational tools, including models, to establish and describe the relationship between environmental conditions and aquaculture activities over a range of ecosystems and aquaculture production systems.
• Develop effective environmental impact assessment and site selection methods for coastal area management.

To fulfil these objectives we are:

• identifying indicators of the main drivers of ecosystem change both affecting and caused by aquaculture
• assessing these indicators using existing datasets considering each in the context of appropriate site selection criteria
• developing a range of tools that encapsulate best understanding of fundamental marine processes at a wide range of scales testing these in a wide variety of field locations across Europe
• selecting the final “toolpack” of models and indicators for assessment of aquaculture-environment interactions.

The latest ECASA newsletter can be viewed here
For more information please visit the ECASA website.