DUNSTAFFNAGE MARINE LABORATORY OBAN ARGYLL PA37 1QA SCOTLAND T: (+44) (0)1631 559000

1. ECASA An Ecosystem Approach to Sustainable Aquaculture Project Coordinators: Dr Kenny Black and Ms Averil Wilson, SAMS. Website: http:// www.ecasa.org.uk Project Objectives Introduction To identify quantitative and qualitative indicators of the effects of aquaculture on the environment and vice-versa, and to assess their applicability. To develop operational tools, including models, to establish and describe the relationship between environmental conditions and aquaculture activities over a range of ecosystems and aquaculture production systems. To develop effective environmental impact assessment and site selection methods for coastal area management. These objectives will be achieved through integrated work packages ensuring a consistency of approach and compatibility of deliverables. ECASA is a Framework 6 RTD project with 16 research partners from 13 member states. It is the successor to several 4th and 5th Framework Programme projects which have helped to push forward our understanding of the effects of aquaculture on the environment, especially in the Mediterranean. Within Europe marine aquaculture brings societal benefits to coastal communities where traditional employment opportunities are declining. This expanding industry can cause changes in the marine ecosystem; these interactions can be minimised by effective site selection and matching the scale of aquaculture to the assimilative capacity of the ecosystem. Regulators and industry stakeholders are aiming towards sustainable development, requiring tested tools and methods for predicting ecosystem effects in an environment forced by economic and climatic variability. Work Packages Work Package 2:Identify and quantify the most relevant indicators of the interactions of aquaculture on ecosystems, including indicators of socio-economic Impacts of aquaculture and assess the interactions between aquaculture and other major users of the coastal zone. Work Package 3: Identify and quantify the main driving forces of ecosystem changes influencing the aquaculturesector, by assessing the role and importance of the different forcing factors and environmental variations affecting water quality, and developappropriate environmental indicators to monitortheimpact of anthropogenic factors on aquaculture. Work Package 4: Assess the applicability of selected indicators from WP2 and 3 and develop operational tools, especially models, to establish the functional relationship between the environment and aquaculture activities and the chosen indicators. The model set will include stand-alone tools, existing models and hybridisations of existing models. Work Package 5: Test and validate the tools from WP4 in order to include them in a methodology for Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and effective site selection. Suitable study sites will be selected and a series of field sampling campaigns will be carried out which will generate a database of information that will enable evaluation of the tools and indicators by means of appropriate predictive models Work Package Interaction. Salmon farm, Loch Creran, Argyll, Scotland. Project Summary • The ecosystem approach to the aquaculture sector will be addressed by: • Identifying quantitative indicators of the effects of aquaculture on ecosystems • through a process of expert working groups, workshops and meetings. • 2. Identifying indicators of the main drivers of ecosystem change affecting • aquaculture. • 3. Assessing both sets of indicators using existing datasets considering appropriate • selection criteria. • 4. Developing a range of tools, particularly models, that encapsulate best process • understanding. • 5. Testing these models and indicators in a variety of field locations across Europe • (~10) covering a wide spectrum of environment types and culture species. • 6. Using this data to test and select the final “tool-pack” of models and indicators, • including appropriate decision support tools to guide users to effective • implementation. Work Package 6: Dissemination. Interaction with industry and regulators will ensure the practical relevance of the work and that the user community achieves ownership of the project’s outputs. The “tool-pack” of indicators and models for effective environmental impact assessment and site selection will be demonstrated at an international conference and workshop in Spring 2008. For the first time this will bring together regulators and industry from across Europe to consider the best methods for ensuring the sustainable development of marine aquaculture. ECASA Partners AN EU FRAMEWORK 6 RTD PROJECT www.ecasa.org.uk Contact Details: Coordination Team Kenny.Black@sams.ac.uk Averil.Wilson@sams.ac.uk ECASA@sams.ac.uk DUNSTAFFNAGE MARINE LABORATORY OBAN ARGYLL PA37 1QA SCOTLAND T: (+44) (0)1631 559000 F: (+44) (0)1631 559001 E: info@sams.ac.uk W: http://www.sams.ac.uk ECASA is a pan European project involving 16 partners from 13 member states, with 50 scientists currently working on various aspects of the project. Delegates pictured above at the first ECASA meeting held at SAMS, Oban, Scotland in December 2004.