The growth of the shellfish sector in EU is nearly stagnant due to the increasing global competition and the saturation of the areas protected from swell where intensive farming is viable. OpenMode is launched by two companies to go beyond the resilient platforms tested in previous works, proposing floating connectable modules for intensive farming in open waters. Its main objective is to prove their capacity to bridge the sector gaps farming on four full-scale demonstrators in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and North Sea Basins. The fifth demonstrator aims to prove the capacity to transfer this affordable technology to other blue growth sectors.
The platform redesign towards portable and versatile modules will consider their interaction with the swell and the response of different connection systems. The integration of remote sensors to control water, weather and structural parameters will assure the surveillance, reduce operating costs and explain through big data analysis which factors affect the harvest growth rates.
Eight 140 m2 modules will be produced and floated in Spain, Denmark, Croatia and Montenegro, where local farmers will share them harvesting molluscs or macroalgae. They will learn through trainings how to use it to avoid predation, achieve more phytoplankton or scale-up compensation measures, sharing their user experience with the designers and other farmers. This will allow completing the market study and Life Cycle Assessment. Colloquiums and events will raise awareness of this sustainable farming and promote synergies with other EU programs. The project success will activate intense farming in high-potential unexploited areas, and become an efficient tool to combat eutrophication in North and Baltic sea. Sharing the modules during the project can grow into a cooperative business model for the farmers with fewer resources. Finally, the versatility and cost reduction reached will let it to be adapted for other blue growth sectors.
Pieces of first module in a 40’ container
9 modules floated (the conectable module is formed by two 20 x 13.5 m, equivalent to four 12 x 12 m modules).
The maximum length of a side in floating platforms reached by the project is 40 meters.
Since the starting of the project, OpenMode has cooperated or established relations with 31 different stakeholders of which 16 can be considered relevant.
Since its official launch in December 2019, the project’s website has received 1871 visits.
Title: Spaniere besøger Kerteminde havn med en gigantisk muslingeplatform. Media: KJERTEMINDE AVIS Author: Rikke Mohr Jørgensen Date: 24 August 2021 Link: https://kjavis.dk/spaniere-besoeger-kerteminde-havn-med-en-gigantisk-muslingeplatform/
The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency of the European Comission (CINEA) includes the OpenMode project in their featured projects.
The #OpenModeTester4 is having a real impact in Montenegrian Aquaculture. We are thankful to their testers, Luka Milosevic and the Institute of Marine Biology of Kotor for showing this technology to the montenegrian citizens.
via @YouTube
We are happy to see installed these 2 modules in #Denmark: #OpenModeTester6 in the #BalticSea and #OpenModeTester2 in #NorthSea
More info in: https://bit.ly/3mT4vyx
Welcome to provide feedback using each hashtags.
This week we've been working with our Galician colleagues & RDC to test 2 new platforms. These will be used to grow low trophic aquaculture (mussels/oysters/seaweed) in Denmark, using a design based on traditional wooden Spanish rafts (Batea). Excited to see how they perform!🤩
📢 Installation of the #OpenModeTester2 which is #submersible to avoid winter ice.
2 prototypes were developed this summer for testing in Denmark 🇩🇰 manufactured by our project partner @Preffor_Formex
More info: https://bit.ly/3knJHwk
#BlueEconomy
#EUfunded #EMFF @cinea_eu
The deployement of the #OpenModeTester6 has been a piece of cake!!
First #FormexModule in the #BalticSea
More information in: https://bit.ly/3jcJblh
