Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)

In 2021, NOAA provided funds for the development of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) in the Gulf of Mexico with guidance that the project will culture native species of finfish, bivalve mollusks, and macroalgae and focus on research, training, and education and should involve students, fishermen, and farmers. The project shall also endeavor to inform the industry, regulators and the public on IMTA methods and systems, and how profitable aquaculture can be conducted in an environmentally and ecologically balanced manner, specifically in warm water environments. In the fall of 2021, the GSMFC Aquaculture Program distributed an RFP and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) was selected for the demonstration project which would highlight the potential benefits of IMTAs in the region.

IMTAs integrate the culture of fish, mollusks and macro-algae to promote economic and environmental sustainability by converting byproducts and uneaten feed from the fish into harvestable products, reducing eutrophication, and increasing seafood products and economic diversity. The University of New Hampshire developed and successfully tested an IMTA raft in 2015 that led to a next-generation IMTA offshore platform know known as the AquaFort. This project will attempt to build on the success of the AquaFort in New England and will grow and harvest multiple seafood species, train a workforce, and provide outreach to the public while testing this system in the Gulf of Mexico using local species. The DISL project will be multiyear with a first-year award of $1.78M to identify a site and acquire necessary permits and begin the hatchery work needed to stock the platform once approval is obtained. Once permits are in place, work will begin to deploy the gear and organisms into the system. Research conducted will explore the potential for this system in our waters. The close proximity to shore will allow for a number of interested parties to visit the site and learn about IMTAs.