ULTFARMS aims to move beyond the current application of LTA systems with novel engineering, technical, ecological and biological processes to optimise production in harsh offshore conditions, low-salinities, and their integration within Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs). ULTFARMS will be delivered in 42 months by a consortium of 25 partners from 9 countries covering the whole value chain expertise for LTA production in OWFs. Co-development and co-management by research and industry realises novel designs and operations unique to offshore in six Low-Trophic Aquaculture Pilots (LTAPs) in as many OWF locations across the North and Baltic Seas; implemented in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. This approach involves stakeholders from across the value chains of OWF and LTA to ensure environmentally sound, low-carbon, and safe LTA products from design to commercialisation. New cultivation structures, grow-out systems, and both nature restoration and eco-friendly design measures are advanced through the proposed work. Drawing on existing open databases and operational forecasting systems, such as CMEMS and SeaDATANET, within integrated monitoring and management platforms, such as the HiSea service platform, the planning and operation of LTAs can be effectively supported via an enhanced technical service. ULTFARMS will offer services to aquaculture producers for monitoring and minimizing diseases and alien species, managing inputs, optimizing sustainable production and demand management including risk analysis. Furthermore, through the inclusion of 5 Associate Regions (ARs) throughout the lifetime of the project, lessons learnt and innovations developed will be shared through comprehensive communication and
dissemination activities and underpinned by the ARs active inclusions in work undertaken with partners throughout the project.
For this species campaign, we will look into the feasibility of monitoring the seaweed biomass on the offshore seaweed cultivation line, for future monitoring purposes. Monitoring devices is of key importance to both manage the crop via on-line systems making sure that the aquaculture structures remain intact and do not interfere or jeopardize OWF operation and to assess the environmental status of the production area. ULTFARMS will supplement the existing monitoring devices with self-sustained units, innovative monitoring techniques such as Multibeam echosounders to provide volume estimates of both bivalves and seaweed using bathymetric and water column data (Schimel et al., 2020). Experience in acquisition and processing protocols have been gained in the previous project as Coastbusters2.0 and UNITED are still necessary to implement in ULTFARMS.