ASTRAL Legacy Booklet

Consumption of seafood has grown twice as fast as the human population since the 1960s (OECD), resulting in global fishing capture reaching its maximum capacity. Aquaculture has often been the go-to source for supplementing wild capture. However, the sector, particularly in the context of intensive production, has been identified as creating a myriad of issues, such as anoxic zones, reduction in water quality, destruction of habitat, effects of antibiotic use, and so on. Controversy has also developed over the quality of aquaculture products and the threats that the sector faces from external factors such as climate change and disease. Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) is becoming an increasingly promising alternative as it has the potential to offer new alternatives and innovative solutions that avoid many of these issues. By integrating species and systems that can naturally complement and feed off one another, many challenges relating to waste management and water quality, for example, can be mitigated.