The urgent need for more efficient use of marine area, and for European energy and food security, has highlighted the potential for multi-use, i.e. the use of area for more than one purpose. The recent expansion of offshore wind power has emphasized conflicts among different stakeholders. At the same time, aquaculture of low-trophic organisms, such as bivalves or seaweeds appears an attractive way to increase biomass production. Both activities contribute to urgent European needs, for energy and food security. Bivalves can feed on microalgae and particles, and seaweeds utilize nutrients, such as nitrates, phosphates and CO2 . In the OLAMUR project, we are developing initiatives for multi-use involving low-trophic aquaculture (LTA) in the Baltic and North Seas. Now, the project is expanding with five Associated regions across different European seas.
Low Trophic Aquaculture can improve water quality and ecosystem services. Furthermore, it is an attractive way to produce large quantities of biomass in an eco-friendly way, with low footprint, combined with potential for environmental mitigation of over-fertilization and excess carbon. It adds to a circular bioeconomy. At the same time, it contributes to improve Europe´s supply of biomass, thereby its food security.
The addition of Associated Regions (to the OLAMUR project, implies that five additional case studies will be added to the project. All contracts have now been signed, and the five regions are operational.
The Associated Regions , added to the project in February 2025, are operating in different European waters:
These projects in the Associated Regions are highly different with regards to TRL level. Common to them all is an emphasis on stakeholder mapping and analysis. Offshore wind are in place in some, but not all, Regions. Furthermore, the aquaculture activities are highly different, and the potential is different, due to variations in environmental and societal conditions. The Associated Regions will be integrated in OLAMUR project throughout the remaining life cycle of the project, and provide reports together with the main project and in collaboration with it.
An extensive Data Management Plan ensures transparent and standardized data capture from all parts of the project , as well as its interoperability towards European Marine data infrastructures (EMODnet and Copernicus Marine) for project data legacy (Scotto et al. 2023)
References
Maar M. et al. 2023. Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic
aquaculture can help achieve global sustainability goals
NATURE C OMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT | (2023) 4:447 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01116-6 |
Scotto B. et al. 2023 OLAMUR offshore low trophic aquaculture in multi-use scenario realisation Proceedings of the 10th EuroGOOS International Conference.
European Operational Oceanography for the ocean we want - Addressing the UN Ocean Decade challenges. 3-5 October 2023, Galway, Ireland.
Eparkhina, D., Nolan, J.E. (Eds). EuroGOOS . Brussels, Belgium. 2023.
DOI: htto://hdl.handle.net/10793/1883