Laymans Report Summary of project scope and objectives Description of the techniques/methodology implemented and the results achieved

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1 Laymans Report Summary of project scope and objectives Today, marine aquaculture provides a large proportion of the total landings of fish and seafood. However, aquaculture can cause serious ecological consequences, as it contributes to overfishing of the oceans, over-fertilized waters and damage of valuable coastal habitats. Since 2000, the company CRM (Coastal Research & management, Kiel, Germany) is actively engaged in aquaculture in the Baltic region. By farming of seaweed and shells CRM is pursuing an environmentally neutral way of aquaculture, which requires no additional feeding and thus does not contribute to over-fishing or eutrophication. Within our marketing efforts we felt a strong interest in algae which were certified as Bio products. However the previous EU regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 on organic farming did not encompass products from aquaculture. That changed in 2009 as the new council regulation (EC) No. 834/2007 on organic production came into force, which includes aquaculture products and specifies the requirements for bio-certification. For the staff of CRM, it was an important concern to adapt this relatively general regulation to the specific conditions of the German North and Baltic Sea coast. In addition, we wanted to carry on the awareness of sustainable use of living marine resources into the public and moreover to create a discussion platform for all persons dealing with marine aquaculture in a professional way. This project we called "ECOSMA" - Ecological Certification of Products from Sustainable Marine Aquaculture. Supported by the state government of Schleswig-Holstein and the Investment Bank, we submitted a project proposal to the Life+ Programme of the EU is, asking for financial support to pursue the following aims: 1. Support production and marketing of organic mariculture products 2. Reduce the impact on the marine environment and improve water quality 3. Improve attention and awareness for sustainable aquaculture 4. Create transparency for consumers 5. Support a viable process for certification of sustainably produced aquaculture products 6. Perform training and knowledge transfer, together with scientists, certification bodies, producers, retailers and consumers The project was approved in the course of 2008 and began simultaneous to the EU Organic Regulation 834/ in January Within the ECOSMA project we are networking with partners from Denmark, France and Poland. The immediate study area of the project is the German coast of the North and Baltic Seas. Description of the techniques/methodology implemented and the results achieved The Project was organised in 5 work packages: 1. Project management and reporting 2. Public Relation and Dissemination of Results 3. Aquaculture and Environment 4. Eco-Labelling and Market 5. Training 1 10

2 While the first work package is merely internal and administrative, the second work package was considerably more visible: A number of lectures and presentations were given, for example as as part of the Radost (Regional Aaptations for the German Baltic Sea Coast) conferences in Rostock and Berlin, in Büsum at the lecture series "News from the sea", in May 2010 the Federal Environmental Agency in Dessau, in April 2011 on the "Seaweed Conference" in Copenhagen in May 2010 in the Meeting of Experts aquaculture the Institute for World Economics in Kiel. The project was also presented in project flyers and brochures, which were exposed and delivered at various maritime occasions. The most effective public action was certainly our "TAK" - day on the quay - named after the Tiessenkai, the location of the CRM office. On 7 th of June 2009 the first TAK - Day was held along quay of Kiel Holtenau. Body and soul of visitors could be fed by marine delicacies while transporting the ideas of sustainability in aquacultur. Despite unfavorable weather conditions about 3,000 visitors enjoyed the maritime character of the street festival. Invitation Poster Tiessenkai, Kiel, traditional sailing ships Tiessenkai, Kiel, Lighthouse In the premises of CRM an exhibition on sustainable aquaculture was presented, which was followed by the audience by discussions with the employees of CRM. The presentations by Dr. Peter Krost (ECOSMA - Ecological certification of aquaculture products) and Gesine Behrens (Fish on the table - but which one?) also met a very interested audience and were repeated several times. 2 10

3 Presentation Mrs. Gesine Behrens Visit of Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, P.H. Carstensen Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Peter Harry Carstensen, also visited the TAK, discussed aquaculture and enjoyed marine delicacies produced in the Kiel Fjord. A special highlight of the maritime street party was the opening of the lighthouse by the Water and Shipping Office (Wasser und Schifffahrtsamt) Kiel Holtenau. In the hall of the lighthouse, staff of WSA presented plans of the upcoming expansion projects of Kiel Canal, while visitors enjoyed a spectacular view from the top of the lighthouse. Holtenau Lighthouse A view from the lighthouse This street festival was initially planned as a unique event, but due to the overwhelming public response we repeated this event every year during the lifetime of the ECOSMA project. 3 10

4 And even after the end of the project this event will maintained, operated jointly by the owner of the "skipper café", the Lighthouse-Foundation, Kiel, and CRM, which will continue to provide issues of sustainability and aquaculture. This is an example of the so-called "Afterlife Communication Plan", also part of the second work package. Behind it is the reasonable idea, not to terminate the activities with expiry of the project, but to create permanent structures. Another important element of this plan is the continuation of a panel of experts that was established as part of the fifth work package: the Regional Committee. This group included individuals from fisheries research institutes (University of Kiel, GMA Büsum, von Thünen Institute, Ahrensburg), politics and government (Ministry of Environment of Schleswig-Holstein, the foremost fishing authority) and certification bodies (ABC-Cert). Meetings of this expert group were held to a total of 9 different topics during the project duration: Criteria for product quality and safety, environmental quality, social standards and animal welfare How useful is the exclusion of circulation systems in the organic regulation? Organic certification for products from open aquaculture facilities; emissions from fish farms and their limits Nutrient emissions in aquaculture: What are the limit for "organic" production? Animal welfare: approaches, collaborations, research needs, research funding opportunities Lecture by Dr. George Staaks, Berlin: "The FischFIT Monitor - A potential new tool for health management in aquaculture" The relationship between fish health and fish welfare (Dr. Thetmeyer, GEOMAR, Kiel) Schleswig-Holstein marketing initiative for marine aquaculture Aquaculture: evidence for customer acceptance of bio-fish and regional marketing Final Meeting: Sustainable aquaculture - status and outlook The work of the Regional Committee is further supported by the recently formed Association of Aquaculture ( and by the Competence Network Aquaculture Schleswig Holstein. Through our partners in Regional Committee (Prof. C. Schulz, GMA Büsum and University of Kiel, Prof. Dr. von Thünen Institute, Ahrensburg, Dr. Staaks, Berlin, Dr. Thetmeyer, GEOMAR Kiel, Dr. Momme, Ministry of Environment Kiel etc. the impetus of this project will be carried forward and developed. Experience and skills of ECOSMA are still open to everyone. The most important medium is the internet page which presents important maritime events and news and allows to navigate to related materials and information. 4 10

5 Homepage: The 3 rd work package was to establish fundamentals of marine biology in relation to marine aquaculture and provide information and documents. A large number of documents was created, for example on the legal framework, the spatial nature and suitability of the North Sea and Baltic Sea for aquaculture, measurement methods, site selection and many more. The main contents of this work package have been summarized in the "Guidelines for the sustainable marine aquaculture. This guide contains a total of 64 pages and offers a practical introduction to building an ecologically-sustainable marine aquaculture. It is intended for aquaculturists already operating a plant, as well as for aquaculture pioneers and investors who are planning a new facility. 5 10

6 Titelpage of aquaculture guide Page 1 of aquaculture guide In the context of the fourth work package "eco-certification and market " a list of all eco-labels in the field of fish and seafood which can presently be found in Germany has been compiled. During the TAK events an educational game to the topic buying behaviour and consumption patterns in relation to fish and seafood was presented. On the same occasions a lecture entitled "Fish on the table - but which?" was held that showed the differences between conventional and sustainable aquaculture and educated about the variety of different eco-labels on the market. A further important aspect of the project was qualification and further training for those interested in marine aquaculture (work package 5). For this purpose a two-stage training program was developed and implemented. Due to the number of applications each part of the training was repeated. The first part of training includes the following topics, which is presented by CRM staff and external speakers: Lecture: Marine Biological principles relating to marine aquaculture Lecture: relevance and analysis of hydrographic and marine biological parameters Lecture: Aquaculture in closed circulation systems Lecture: Environmental regulations and certification Lecture: Marine Aquaculture in the light of law and nature conservation Seminar: Developing a project plan for marine aquaculture Lecture: Eco-Labels Seminar: What requirements do consumers and producers have towards labels and certificates? 6 10

7 Lecture: Current market situation and economic potential of natural products: state analysis, trends, visions Lecture: towards environmentally neutral aquaculture; Extractive vs. Fed aquaculture Lecture: Case Studies Lecture: Prevention of Environmental Risks: eutrophication, introduction of fuel, "Escapees" / Genetic mixing, diseases, invasive species Lecture: Communication; ICZM considerations and network structures The second part of the training program is designed more seminarian. Emphasis was placed on independent work, from brainstorming on anticipated target species to marketing opportunities. It includes the following topics: Mission: Develop a sustainable marine aquaculture operation Development of potential business ideas Introduction: feasibility phase Selection of business ideas and assessment of feasibility Core Question 1: Can appropriate areas be identified? Core Question 2: Which target species match the given conditions and pre requisites? Core Question 3: Is there an economic perspective? Project Planning and Preparation Site selection from search to application and contract Implementation and operation phase Concluding Discussion - Feed back Important information on issues of sustainability in aquaculture has been compiled and provided to the public by the ECOSMA project. The website ( ) offers a wealth of information, many documents can be accessed from there. A community of interest for marketing of organic mariculture products will strengthen production and marketing of sustainable aquaculture. The continuation of the project contents after completion of the project was an integral consideration of the project from its beginning. The themes of the Regional Committee can be found in the program of the Association of Aquaculture again. The TAK - day at the quay will be continued in cooperation with a local café and the Lighthouse-Foundation, Kiel, awareness of consumers for products from sustainable aquaculture will thus continue. A particularly notable result of this project is the textbook Leitfaden für die nachhaltige marine Aquakultur, which will help to set up and operate a sustainable marine aquaculture. We are confident that we have managed through the ECOSMA project, to put a stronger focus to sustainability in consumption and eating habits of consumers and to support regional marketing of aquaculture products; by the Internet site, the scientific committee and the "TAK" this could be put on a permanent base. And we hope that ECOSMA through its combination of competence and transparency can serve as a model for other regions within the EU. 7 10

8 Process map of algae production (CRM 2011): contains all attributable processes from cradle-to-gate. On the bottom a simplified process map of mussel production (at the same site) is shown. 8 10

9 Environmental Benefits CO 2 emission of a best practice example has been identified and carbon footprint of each process and sub-process of cultivation of seaweed and the production of a seaweed extract has been performed. The resulting data serve as a basis for future CO 2 -reduction measures. As far as the authors know, this CO 2 balancing is the first one following the brand new procedures after GHG Product Protocol. ECOSMA regionally implements primary principles of EU aims in aquaculture, e.g. such as those formulated in the EU-publication Towards a sustainable aquaculture in Europe. Furthermore, ECOSMA directly adopt the Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007, while aiming in biasing the needs of stakeholders, producers and consumers in best practice examples. ECOSMA... Helps the sector by better spatial planning in coastal areas Revisited EC regulation No. 834/2007 and checked it against eco- validity (is it really ecological? Is it really economically feasible?) Assists in finding rational criteria for a sustainable production on a regional scale by maintaining its environmentally-friendly production methods and at the same time high standards of animal health and welfare as well as consumer protection. Improves governance and information on aquaculture. Cost-benefit discussion on the results, and Long-term sustainability ECOSMA strengthens the awareness about transparent and environmentally friendly use of coastal resources. Through its dissemination activities, ECOSMA makes environmental problems and/or solutions highly visible. Also, best practice procedures, such as the CO 2 balancing in the ECOSMA project will release spin-off effects in other aquaculture areas. With the findings and experiences made by ECOSMA, the beneficiary's prerequisites for after project activities increases significantly, e.g. initiating further own sustainable mariculture projects and assisting others in establishing similar projects, e.g. by offering training courses and consulting. Another long-term benefit will be the indirect advantageous marketing effect of the CO2-balance procedure, while offering aquaculture products. ECOSMA's activities lead to more communication between the aquaculture actors, i.e. giving rise to the Bundesverband Aquakultur, which is just initiated and funded national society of aquaculture, supported strongly by the impulse of ECOSMA s Regional Committee. Transferability of project results The results of ECOSMA are highly replicable and transferable, because deliverables have been compiled in such a manner, that they can serve as guidelines or blueprint not only for the specific ecological and economic conditions in the region of ECOSMA's focus. The transferability of the findings from ECOSMA is readable in and deducible in several documents, which are available publicly via Internet. The benefit of ECOSMA for stakeholders and drivers in aquaculture is the allocation of general and specific information on sustainable aquaculture. This information is of direct practical value, because it comprises details and hints for ecological, economical and administrative operation of an aquaculture business. 9 10

10 Innovation and demonstration value ECOSMA clearly demonstrates the possibility to sustainably cultivate and produce organisms in a sensitive and - at the same time multiply-used (marine) environment. ECOSMA focuses on principles and methods of a ecologically and economically successful establishment and management of a sustainable mariculture. ECOSMA has been conducted to be a neutral decision finding instrument, which is strictly geared to science-based information. While following this aim, ECOSMA has worked out principles of a sustainable mariculture and demonstrated technically and economically feasible ways of establishing sustainable aquaculture businesses. Regionally, the ECOSMA project fosters two important issues 1 related to the European aquaculture sector: the involvement of stakeholders in the identification of trends and mapping sustainability indicators to measure progress towards a sustainable mariculture. the provision of science-based information to stakeholders, policy, adminstration and consumers, through their representative associations in Northern Germany. Main long term indicator is the number of sustainably driven mariculture facilities/businesses in Northern Germany (and Denmark) 1 as stated by Joe Borg, the former European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, in the foreword of the brochure Towards Sustainable Aquaculture in Europe published by the European Aquaculture Society as a result of CONSENSUS, a Multi-stakeholder Platform for Sustainable Aquaculture 10 10