Project Summary
In the last decade aquaculture of sea bass and gilthead sea bream has experienced a period of exponential growth in the Mediterranean region, however little detailed information is available on the environmental impacts of this industry. In general, it has been assumed that these will, at least qualitatively, follow the pattern established in northern latitudes. Environmental assessment strategies, developed and proven in northern European cage farms, underpin effective regulations in those areas. However the application of such strategies to Mediterranean coastal cage farms would be inappropriate without modification and adaptation to the ecological particularities of the Mediterranean Sea. In addition to differences in the species cultured, the climate, the current regime, and the level of eutrophication, differences in the composition and diversity of fauna and flora between the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea must be addressed.
The development of an appropriate and effective impact assessment and monitoring system for cage farms is essential in order to ensure the sustainable development of aquaculture in Mediterranean coastal areas, whilst taking into consideration other aspects of an integrated management of the coastal zone, including tourism, fishery and environmental protection.
In order to address these various concerns MERAMED aims to develop and establish a model based control system for the environmental monitoring of fish cage farms in the eastern Mediterranean. This will require the fulfilment of three major objectives:
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To undertake a review of procedures used in the regulation and monitoring of marine cage fish farms in Norway, Scotland and elsewhere to be used as the basis for creating an appropriate set of protocols, monitoring systems and techniques for the control of such farms in Mediterranean conditions
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To carry out a field research programme to provide appropriate data on the environmental impact of marine cage fish farms in a range of conditions in the eastern Mediterranean.
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To develop a predictive model to simulate the environmental response at Mediterranean sea cage farms to differing cage stocking levels and feeding regimes. This will be designed as a management tool for both the industry and regulatory authorities.
Successful fulfilment of these objectives will result
in the development of methods and strategies to assess the effects of the
interaction between the environment and aquaculture by determining the
influence of farm effluents on faunal distributions and on the
interactions between wild and farmed organisms.