Introduction

The goal of ProRMAS is to develop recirculating multi-trophic aquaponic systems (RMAS) as an innovative food production system that will close the cycle, produce the highest quality protein, and maximize water and nutrient use efficiency. Shrimp will be cultivated as the high-value food; polychaetes will be produced as an alternative to fishmeal in feeds, while recovering nutrients and reducing organic wastes via remineralization. The halophyte plants and the macroalgae can absorb dissolved nutrients and will be used in the feed and also for human consumption, due to their nutritional and nutraceutical properties. In RMAS plant production, the need for fertilizer is minimized and the plant growth is optimized. Finally, any organic solid residue remaining in the system will be valorized as bio-fertilizers in testing on soil and soil-less vegetables species, reducing waste and nutrient loss to zero. This way, the ProRMAS system will use otherwise unusable saline water resources to produce high-value protein in a closed nutrient cycle.

Background

Seafood currently supplies approximately 17% of animal protein and about 7% of total protein. Aquaculture will supply 60% of global seafood by 2030. Euryhaline aquatic species, including shrimps, are the most economically important species in worldwide aquaculture. In Europe, the production of Penaeus vannamei in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems is a growing industry. However, the nutrients in the dissolved and solid waste have so far remained unused, representing inefficiency and cost for the system. A possible solution is the development of recirculating multi-trophic aquaponic systems (RMAS) where aquatic species, filter feeders and plants are grown in a fully circular system in saline water.