Partners from all around the Baltic Sea met on the 7th-9th of November 2023 at the University of Rostock to celebrate the start of AquaLoop – Aquaculture forum towards the development of circular economy practices, a new promising INTERREG South Baltic project.
With the objective to develop, promote, and support the concept of circular aquaculture in the South Baltic region for the green transition, with a focus on nutrient loop containment with by-products production towards responsible consumption, AquaLoop is ready for action.
The project is an initiative of seven partners from Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Denmark and Sweden. It aims to develop practices that foster sustainable aquaculture waste management, increase the innovation potential of farms implementing circular economy solutions tested in the project, popularize aquaculture products and raise awareness and access to knowledge related to sustainable aquaculture to stimulate the blue and green economy in the South Baltic region.
The objective of the project will be met by cooperation in regional pilots, training and support activities:
- PilotLoops: pilots targeting new methods of utilizing aquaculture waste, such as: TARAS – Testing Algae Applications in Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) to improve aquaculture circularity potential in the SB region, led by the University of Gdańsk (PL), NEMATIC – Increasing the nutrient efficiency of commercial aquaculture through increased application of circular economy concepts, led by the University of Rostock (DE), FISHVISA – Development of the Fish-Shrimp-Vegetables integrated system of aquaponics to showcase the potential of circular economy principles in RAS led by the Klaipeda University (LT)
- TrainingLoop – Circular aquaculture training pool – providing jointly developed curricula and manuals for study programs for school kids, students, and young professionals and cross-border trainings and awareness raising activities.
- SupportLoop: offer of support for SMEs based on the results of the pilots, including demonstrations, feasibility studies, protocols, and dedicated training for professionals in circular systems in aquaculture.
A wide range of activities focused on fostering circular aquaculture with innovation and side streams is associated with a wide target group, including: open public, school youth, students, PhDs, alumni, and professionals, SMEs including farmers, fish-farmers and aquaculture enterprises, aquatic animal breeders, bioeconomy SMEs, fish feed enterprises, farmers and fish-farmers associations, local and regional authorities, policy makers. and media.
We hope for three promising years of the circular ideas carried out through pilots and beyond!
Stay tuned!
AquaLoop Team
In a nutshell
Priority 2: Sustainable South Baltic
Programme Measure 2.3: Supporting a circular and more resource efficient development
Thematic scope: Support to environmentally-friendly production processes and resource efficiency in SMEs
Duration: 2023-09-01 – 2026-08-31
Value of the project
Total budget: 1 673 348 €
ERDF co-financing: 1 338 678 €
Own contribution: 334 670 €
Partners
University of Rostock (DE) – Lead Partner
University of Gdańsk (PL)
Klaipeda University (LT)
Gulburgsund Municipality (DK)
Fish Market Development Association (PL)
Scandinavian Aquasystems AB (SE)
VKST (DK)
Associated partners
Polish Trout Breeder Association (PL)
Danish Aquaculture (DK)
Nutrition and Food Part of Bioenergie Lüchow GmbH & Co. KG (DE)
Aquafarm Lübesse GmbH & Co. KG (DE)
Förde Garnelen GmbH (DE)
Association Klaipeda Region (LT)
Active Youth (LT)
Association Modern Aquaculture (LT)