OS-AQUA

Open Sea Aquaculture in the Eastern Mediterranean

Summary

The OS-AQUA project aims to establish a road map for the improvement and future sustainable development of marine aquaculture in Cyprus and develop the Decision Support System (DSS) tools that will support decisions for maritime spatial planning (MSP) of Open Sea mariculture(OSM). This will be achieved through a design study and an implementation plan for open sea aquaculture infrastructure considering scientific, technical, legal, social and financial aspects that will allow significant improvement in the production of fish as well as minimize any negative impacts on the environment or marine space. It is a joint effort of prominent Cypriot partners representing the quadruple helix supported by a Foreign Research Organization.

Objectives

• Propose technical solutions for open sea aquaculture facilities.
• Creation of DSS for physical suitability and evaluation of marine environment (sea depth, currents, waves, winds) through extensive modelling that will allow zones to be mapped.
• Implement proposal for MSP and define Allocated Zones for Open Sea Aquaculture (AZAs).
• Predict fish performance as well as new production candidate species.
• Collect baseline, onsite environmental data and design a cost-effective environmental monitoring system to support OSM.
• Propose a legal framework for open sea aquaculture Areas/ Zones.
• Form a business plan for each of the two most promising aquaculture facility scenarios.

This three-year project will be implemented through seven work packages:

• WP 1: Project Management
• WP 2: Dissemination activities
• WP 3: Ecosystem and oceanographic modelling for site selection
• WP 4: Spatial Planning of Marine Aquaculture, WP 5: Design of off-shore mariculture station
• WP 6: Sustainable ongoing monitoring
• WP 7: Financial and Legal Frameworks. OS-AQUA is aligned with the Smart Specialisation Strategy for Cyprus (S3Cy), where aquaculture is an important part of primary agricultural production.

Partners

• Erevnitiko Idryma P.L .Limited – University of Nicosia Research Foundation (UNRF) (Coordinator), Cyprus
• Frederic Research Center, Cyprus
• Oceanography Center, UCY, Cyprus
• Hellenic Center for Marine Research, Greece
• Cyprus Subsea Consulting & Services, Cyprus
• T.C. Geomatic, Cyprus
• Dept. of Fisheries & Marine Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural development, and the Environment, Cyprus
• External Advisory Board, Public

Quadruple Helix Partnership

We have built a quadruple helix partnership that includes academic institutions, the industry, the government, and organizations representing stakeholders and the public.

Disclaimer

This Project is co-financed with 800 Thousand Euro by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation with grant number INTEGRATED/0918/0046.