Abstract
There has been significant interest in the development of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) in Europe. Much of this interest has come from academia and regulators, and while elements within the European aquaculture industry have expressed an interest, to date, the adoption of the concept has been limited. Part of the attraction for regulators and academics is the ecological/economic win/win that is associated with eco-innovation solutions. However, if we are to understand why there has been limited uptake of IMTA in Europe, perhaps it is necessary to look at the issue in terms of trade-offs for the individual farmer or company. Using this viewpoint, we investigate the balance of trade-offs for the individual farmer or company to diversify from a traditional fin-fish production business into an IMTA system. In doing so, we reveal that the bal- ance of trade-offs is currently not sufficiently positive to motivate the large-scale uptake of IMTA in Europe, and we contrast this against the situation in Asia where the balance of trade-offs gives better support for the adoption and practice of IMTA. By better understanding the trade-offs for the individual, it is possible to better understand the conditions that will promote the development of IMTA in Europe.
Highlights
Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) is both conceptually a simple idea and highly appealing to regulators: the waste products from one food production process is acquired and assimilated by other organisms and converted into valuable products
If IMTA is to be adopted by an individual farmer, the trade-offs will have to provide a net benefit or, to paraphrase Sowell (Sowell 1995), ‘What must the finfish sacrifice in order to achieve the benefits of IMTA?’ There are plenty of examples of where other industries have seen this balance of trade-offs as positive and have developed new environmental standards that have increased productivity and reduced environmental damage (Porter & Van der Linde 1995, Florida 1996)
The question rises how the trade-offs are weighed to determine if there is a positive balance to the adoption of IMTA by society
Summary
Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) is both conceptually a simple idea and highly appealing to regulators: the waste products from one food production process (in this case, fin-fish production) is acquired and assimilated by other organisms and converted into valuable products. Instead of thinking of IMTA as a solution and wondering why there is no industry adoption of the technology, we consider the trade-offs between the benefits and costs of adopting IMTA at the level of an existing fin-fish farmer or company. Applying this analysis to regions where IMTA is more common, we can try to understand what needs to shift in that balance of trade-offs to foster the adoption of IMTA in Europe. For the sake of this thought experiment, we will assume the scenario of an existing European (including Norway) fin-fish farmer wishing to develop a simple system of IMTA consisting of fish, mussels, and seaweed in a temperate openwater system
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