The polyculture of fish with other organisms at different levels of the food web (Integrated MultiTrophic Aquaculture, IMTA) is an eco-friendly alternative that has received increasing attention and promises considerable economic potential. The Remedia Life IMTA system, ongoing for five years in the “Maricoltura del Mar Grande” aquaculture plant (Southern Italy, Northern Ionian Sea), consists of fish cages producing Dicentrarchus labrax and Sparus aurata, to which an innovative set of bioremediating organisms such as sponges, polychaetes, bivalves and macroalgae have been associated. Among sponges, five species were reared: Aplysina aerophoba, Geodia cydonium, Hymeniacidon perlevis, Ircinia variabilis and Sarcotragus spinosulus. Specimens were cut into explants of similar size and monitored monthly to evaluate the rearing performance in terms of survival and growth rate. All sponge species showed a high survival rate (>82%) and a promising monthly growth rate, indicating their suitability for co-culturing in IMTA systems.
The Remedia Life Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture system: 5 years of sponge mariculture
Longo C;Trani R;Puthod P;Mercurio M;Nonnis Marzano C;Corriero G;Pierri C
2023-01-01
Abstract
The polyculture of fish with other organisms at different levels of the food web (Integrated MultiTrophic Aquaculture, IMTA) is an eco-friendly alternative that has received increasing attention and promises considerable economic potential. The Remedia Life IMTA system, ongoing for five years in the “Maricoltura del Mar Grande” aquaculture plant (Southern Italy, Northern Ionian Sea), consists of fish cages producing Dicentrarchus labrax and Sparus aurata, to which an innovative set of bioremediating organisms such as sponges, polychaetes, bivalves and macroalgae have been associated. Among sponges, five species were reared: Aplysina aerophoba, Geodia cydonium, Hymeniacidon perlevis, Ircinia variabilis and Sarcotragus spinosulus. Specimens were cut into explants of similar size and monitored monthly to evaluate the rearing performance in terms of survival and growth rate. All sponge species showed a high survival rate (>82%) and a promising monthly growth rate, indicating their suitability for co-culturing in IMTA systems.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
