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Green Aquaculture Intensification in Europe

Project description

Setting promising precedent for the future of sustainable aquaculture

The EU faces a pressing challenge: how to intensify aquaculture production sustainably while complying with strict regulations. The EU-funded GAIN project aims to address this transdisciplinary problem. GAIN seeks to support the ecological intensification of aquaculture in Europe by increasing production and competitiveness while ensuring compliance with EU regulations on food safety and the environment. This requires integrating scientific and technical innovations, implementing new policies and overcoming social constraints. By successfully achieving eco-intensification, GAIN promises an array of benefits, including more and improved aquatic products, job creation and a reduced trade imbalance by decreasing imports. With its holistic approach, GAIN paves the way for a sustainable and prosperous future for European aquaculture.

Objective

GAIN is designed to support the ecological intensification of aquaculture in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA), with the dual objectives of increasing production and competitiveness of the industry, while ensuring sustainability and compliance with EU regulations on food safety and environment. Eco-intensification of European aquaculture is a transdisciplinary challenge that requires the integration of scientific and technical innovations, new policies and economic instruments, as well as the mitigation of social constraints. Successful eco-intensification of aquaculture will provide more and better aquatic products, more jobs, and improve trade balance by reducing imports.
GAIN, besides looking at innovative ways of integrating cultured species, will seek integration with other sectors, in order to promote the implementation of the principles of circular economy in Aquaculture. The GAIN Consortium includes a wide range of complementary expertise and a well blended mix of research institutes and industrial partners, which will ensure the achievement of the following specific objectives:

(i) Develop and optimize sustainable feeds, without increasing the pressure on land and fish stocks;
(ii) Add value to cultivation, by means of innovative processes, which turn both by-products and side-streams into valuable secondary materials, thus increasing profits and minimizing the environmental footprint;
(ii) Improve the management of finfish and shellfish farms, in terms of FCR, fish welfare and reduction of wastes, through the use of sensors, biomarkers, Big Data, IoT (Internet of Things) and predictive mathematical models;
(iv) Support integrated policies and address current barriers to the implementation of the principles of circular economy in aquatic production.

Call for proposal

H2020-SFS-2016-2017

See other projects for this call

Sub call

H2020-SFS-2017-2

Coordinator

UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Net EU contribution
€ 695 328,75
Address
DORSODURO 3246
30123 Venezia
Italy

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Region
Nord-Est Veneto Venezia
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 765 953,75

Participants (20)