A META-ANALYSIS OF INTEGRATED MULTI-TROPHIC AQUACULTURE: EXTRACTIVE SPECIES GROWTH RESPONSES & FUTURE INFORMATION NEEDS

Daniel Kerrigan & Coleen C. Suckling

School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey. LL59 5AB. UK

Email: coleen.suckling@bangor.ac.uk / coleen.suckling@cantab.net / danielkerrigan144@gmail.com

Released dissolved and particulate waste (inorganic and organic) from open water fish farming can cause harm to the surrounding marine environment. Means to reduce these impacts include the integration of commercial extractive species, a practice known as integrated multi-tropic aquaculture (IMTA). At present we are uncertain if the net growth of integrated extractive species is generally positive and at what spatial scales they can be grown from farm sites. Focussing on Western farming, an area with relatively low uptake of IMTA, we used basic meta-analysis techniques to assess these growth responses. Although limited data availability can give us some insights into the pattern of growth responses, these comparative approaches can highlight important future research needs. This talk includes discussion on the challenges encountered when making comparisons across the literature and describes future information needs to overcome them.