Sustainable poly-aquaculture systems based on seaweeds (macroalgae) are tested, in which algal growth is integrated with fish farms, in conjunction with different enterprises (SME's), so that the environmental impact and the costs of fish farms in Europe are reduced. In other sites, seaweed cultures will be used to purify waste waters from domestic sewage works and eutrophicated inshore coastal waters. The project is innovative in the following respects:

(1) High-value seaweed species not used before in poly-aquaculture will be grown as sources of cosmetics, pharmaceutical and fine chemicals, and as fish feed.

(2) Seaweed production will be improved by controlling daylength to induce year-round growth, avoiding unwanted sporulation, seeding somatic cells, and  the use of new tank and raceway designs.

(3) Health assays will be developed for the farmed seaweeds, together with tests for the antibiotic activity of seaweeds against fish-pathogenic bacteria.

Project Coordinator:

Prof. Dr. Klaus Lüning
Stiftung Alfred-Wegener-Institut
Wattenmeerstation Sylt
Hafenstr. 43; D-25992 List / Sylt, Germany

Last updated, 22/04/2005