Terms of Reference

Review of Integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) in Southwest New Brunswick

Regional Peer Review - Maritimes Region

October 3-5, 2012
Saint Andrews, New Brunswick

Chairperson: Tana Worcester

Context

Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) is an approach to aquaculture in which the by-products (e.g., wastes) from one aquatic species are “recycled” or used to become inputs (fertilizers, food) for another so that the entire aquaculture operation becomes more socially acceptable, economically profitable, and environmentally sustainable (Barrington et al.; Chopin and Robinson 2004; Chopin et al. 2004; Reid et al. 2009; Robinson et al. 2011). The concept revolves around fed aquaculture (e.g., Atlantic salmon) in potential combination with inorganic extractive (e.g., seaweed) and organic extractive (e.g., shellfish, deposit feeders) aquaculture to create more complex systems.  In this way, all the cultivation components have an economic value, as well as a key role in the environmental services and recycling processes of the engineered ecosystem.

Most of the IMTA development work in the Maritimes Region was completed in the Bliss Harbour and outer Back Bay area of Southwest New Brunswick (SWNB) on a limited scale. However, over the past few years, the number of requests for conversion of traditional salmon sites to IMTA operations has been increasing, and this has led to some concerns from commercial fisheries on possible environmental impacts such as impacts to coastal benthic habitats and phytoplankton depletion.

Although the concept of IMTA has the potential to improve environmental performance, this has yet to be formally reviewed and assessed in the context of Canadian regulatory management requirements. Currently, there are no environmental monitoring programs that take into account specifics for IMTA (e.g., mussel waste, spawning, kelp culture-rope effects on water flow). Provincial environmental monitoring requirements focus solely on the benthic impact of salmon production. Comparison of environmental data prior to IMTA on any given site is complicated by variables such as past management measures, stocking and unrelated disease management practices. Differences in biological and physical variables between IMTA sites can also be significant.

Advice developed through this meeting will be used to help to consider the potential for sustainable expansion of IMTA on existing salmon aquaculture sites.

Objectives

The objectives of the meeting are to evaluate:

• What are the factors influencing the effects of IMTA? 
• Is there a net environmental benefit to the use of the IMTA concept on marine salmon culture, in that, does IMTA help reduce the benthic organic loading at an aquaculture site?
• Does the current scale of IMTA in Southwest New Brunswick reap any benefits? If not, at what operational scale (i.e., spatial scale), species mix, and with which biophysical attributes would be required to result in a net environmental benefit (e.g., a reduction in the rate of carbon deposition)?
• At what scale would IMTA have measureable impacts on other aspects of the ecosystem, such as on phytoplankton and on existing clam beaches?

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Proceedings
• Research Document(s)

Participation

• DFO Science
• DFO Fisheries and Aquaculture Management
• DFO Ecosystem Management
• Provincial representatives
• Aboriginal communities/organizations
• Aquaculture Industry
• Fishing Industry
• Academics
• Other invited experts

References

Barrington, K., Chopin, T. and Robinson, S. 2009. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) in marine temperate waters. In D. Soto (ed.). Integrated mariculture: a global review. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper. No. 529. Rome, FAO. pp. 7–46.

Chopin, T. and S.M.C. Robinson. 2004. Defining the appropriate regulatory and policy framework for the development of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture practices: Introduction to the workshop and positioning of the issues. Bull Aquacult. Assoc. Canada 104-3:4-10.

Chopin, T.,  Robinson, S.M.C., Sawhney, M., Bastarache, S., Belyea, E., Shea, R., Armstrong, W., Stewart, I., and Fitzgerald, P. 2004.  The AquaNet integrated multi-trophic aquaculture project: Rationale of the project and development of kelp cultivation as the inorganic extractive component of the system. Bull Aquacult. Assoc. Canada 104-3:11-18.

Reid, G.K., M. Liutkus, S.M.C. Robinson, T.R. Chopin, T. Blair, T. Lander, J. Mullen, F. Page, R.D. Moccia. 2009. A review of the biophysical properties of salmonid faeces: implications for aquaculture waste dispersal models and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture.  Aqua. Res. 40:257-273

Robinson, S.M.C., J.D. Martin, J.A. Cooper, T.R. Lander, G.K. Reid, F. Powell and R. Griffin. 2011. The role of three dimensional habitats in the establishment of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems. Bull. Aquacul. Assoc. Canada 109-2: 23-29.