Introduction
Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production system worldwide, having increased from 10 million tonnes in 1990 to 94.4 million tonnes in 2022 (FAO, 2024). While global aquaculture production continues to grow rapidly, the EU freshwater aquaculture sector has largely stagnated over the past two decades (Guillen et al., 2025). This sector faces significant challenges including feed costs, environmental concerns such as nutrient loading and resource use in addition to inefficient waste management practices that fail to capitalize on circular economy opportunities. The SmartAqua4FuturE (SAFE) project aims to reverse the declining trend in European freshwater aquaculture through novel circular economy approaches to waste stream valorisation. Central to this initiative is the development of a comprehensive environmental sustainability assessment framework that can evaluate the environmental performance of different freshwater aquaculture systems (FWAS) and SAFE innovations. The project will evaluate the environmental performance of a number of approaches that can reduce the impacts of aquaculture – these include novel ingredients for feed production, approaches to aquaculture operation and methods for enabling valorisation of aquaculture waste. This abstract presents the work developed towards the advancement of a standardised methodological framework for conducting Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of FWAS, with particular emphasis on integrating biodiversity elements. By developing these novel approaches, this work will contribute to the development of an LCI framework that can be extensively adopted by scientific organisations, industry and aquaculture operators. The boundaries of the analysis for these approaches are also presented.
Methods
System boundaries were established for eight systems: carp polyculture in China, carp monoculture in Poland, flowthrough trout farming in Portugal, RAS/pond perch farming in Ireland, RAS salmonid farming in Denmark, and three SAFE innovations (mushroom cultivation, redworm meal production, and mealworm production). For each system, appropriate functional units were considered, such as kg of fish at the farm gate. The environmental sustainability assessment methodology follows ISO 14040/14044 standards for LCA and is aligned with EU Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) guidelines.
The assessment covers three main systems: 1) EU FWAS including extensive pond-based operations and intensive recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), 2) feed trials examining both conventional and novel feeds incorporating circular alternative ingredients and 3) SAFE innovations for waste stream valorisation. A structured data collection framework was developed to ensure methodological consistency and data quality. Primary data will be collected through tailored surveys targeting farm-level inputs (feed, energy, water, chemicals) and outputs (fish production, waste streams), while secondary data from scientific literature and databases will complement background processes. Several The pedigree matrix approach was incorporated to facilitate transparent assessment of data quality. Environmental impact categories selected for assessment include carbon footprint, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, freshwater consumption, land use requirements, and biotic resource use. Additionally, FWAS-specific indicators such as Fish In Fish Out (FIFO) ratio will be included to provide sector-relevant performance metrics. A novel aspect of the methodology is the integration of biodiversity indicators into the LCA framework through three complementary strategies: the Water Framework Directive (WFD) methodology, to assess impacts on water body ecological status; the integration of locally relevant species that could serve as context-specific bioindicators such as such as benthic macroinvertebrates and aquatic macrophytes, that reflect the unique ecological conditions of different aquatic ecosystems, through a structured self-reporting system for farmers to document species observed at their facilities; and lastly, the incorporation of land use metrics to assess effects of land use on water bodies health and aquatic biota.
Results and Discussion
The methodological framework presented establishes a foundation for comprehensive environmental sustainability assessment of freshwater aquaculture systems and innovations developed within the SAFE project. By adhering to standardized LCA protocols while adapting them to the specific challenges of aquaculture production, this framework enables meaningful comparison across different production systems and technologies. Preliminary work on integrating biodiversity indicators represents a significant advancement in addressing a fundamental gap in the environmental sustainability assessment of the aquaculture sector. The proposed approach combining WFD methodologies, bioindicator species monitoring, and land use metrics offers a more holistic evaluation of biodiversity impacts than the conventional LCA approaches, which typically focus solely on land use change.
The methodology developed will enable the evaluation of environmental performance and potential trade-offs associated with circular economy innovations in freshwater aquaculture. For instance, valorising aquaculture waste streams for novel feed ingredients might reduce dependence on marine-derived ingredients and lower the overall environmental footprint but could potentially introduce new challenges related to processing energy requirements or nutrient profiles.
Conclusion
The standardized methodology developed within the SAFE project provides a robust framework for assessing the sustainability of freshwater aquaculture systems and circular economy innovations. By integrating conventional LCA approaches with aquaculture-specific indicators and enhanced biodiversity assessment, this methodology addresses key gaps in sustainability evaluation for the sector. When fully implemented, this framework will inform evidence-based decisions regarding the environmental performance of different production systems and technologies, ultimately supporting the European freshwater aquaculture sector’s transition toward more sustainable and circular production methods. The approach developed has broader applications beyond the SAFE project and could contribute to standardizing environmental sustainability assessment methodologies for the global aquaculture sector.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101084549 (SmartAqua4FuturE project).
References
FAO (2024) ‘FishStat: Global aquaculture production 1950-2022’. FAO. Available at: www.fao.org/fishery/en/statistics/software/fishstatj (Accessed: 29 March 2024).
Guillen, J. et al. (2025) ‘What is happening to the European Union aquaculture production? Investigating its stagnation and sustainability’, Aquaculture, 596, p. 741793. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.741793.