Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) in Sanggou Bay, China

Abstract

Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) involves the farming of species from different trophic positions or nutritional levels in the same system. In China, IMTA has been practiced for many decades, with dozens of species farmed in close proximity to each other at the scale of whole coastal bays. Articles in this Theme Section present results from the MoST-China Project on ‘Sustainability of Marine Ecosystem Production under Multi-stressors and Adaptive Management’ (2011-2015). This project sought to understand the interactions between biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem function in the IMTA system of Sanggou Bay, China, which produces a total of >240000 t of seafood each year from >30 species in approximately 100 km2 of production space. Results include measurements of carbon, nitrogen flow and trophic relationships among cultured species; impacts of IMTA on benthic nutrient fluxes, reduced inorganic sulfur in sediments, distribution of dissolved inorganic selenium, and nutrient cycling; distribution and seasonal variation of picoplankton; and a model for kelp growth. Combined, the articles enable a complex understanding of the dynamics between IMTA and the environment in one of the most important coastal aquaculture production systems in the world.