Title: Carbon footprint and Aquaculture: Some Examples in Italy and in French Polynesia.
Dr. Doimi Mauro*,Dal Molin D.(**), and Gardan I(***).
(*)C.E.O. director, D&D Consulting s.a.s.,via Montenero 90, Mestre-Venice, Italy, maurdoim@tin.it www.ded-consulting.eu
(**) director, BIOS s.r.l. , Via Montegrappa 37/C, 36063 Marostica (VI), Italy, info@certbios.it –
www.certbios.it
(***) laboratory manager, Lecher s.r.l., Via Roma, 145, 30030 Salzano (Venezia) Italy, info@lecher.it –
www.lecher.it
Abstract
The carbon footprint credits can help sustainable aquaculture farms to get profit from the environmental
control in terms of carbon CO2 sink . Following this protocol , the main economical subject is the Carbon
footprint International Market. A first example is the Italian brackish lagoon fish farm called “Valle da Pesca”.
Here fish is kept wild and live in perfect balance inside the lagoon food chain. CO2 can be sunk by the
environment “Valle da Pesca” due to components like algae, plants and bottom mud . A remarkable quantity of
carbon credits can be generated and sold on the market and the money revenue can be used to maintain the
farm itself. An outstanding example is the atoll giant clam aquaculture in French Polynesia. These big clams
are farmed in bright sunshine thanks to the symbiotic zooxantella photosynthesis. No food is added to produce
fish meet. The clams need CO2 to get Calcium Carbonate and sink it in their shell. These clams get a big valve
weight and an important carbon sink can be obtained and certified. Green economy in aquaculture will be
presented and discussed.
Biography
Dr. Doimi Mauro is a marine biologist, he set up D&D Consulting Italy in 1984. This company is
multidisciplinary and works in different fields of marine research: marine aquaculture Consultant
(management); marine fish diseases Consultant; organic aquaculture Consultant; green economy CO2
trading market and Marine Active Compounds for cosmetics and Pharmaceutical purpose Consultant.
D&D labs are located in Venice-Italy and in a travelling unit in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. D&D planned
a system of integrated aquaculture for the production of many different species and products like: brackish
lagoon fish production, sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), gilthead bream (Sparus aurata), eel (Anguilla
anguilla), mullet (Mugil sp.), sturgeon (Acipenser sp.), sole fish (Soleus senegalensis), Bivalve Tapes
philippinarum seed, production and farming of giant clams (Tridacna sp.) to be used as food, for aquarium
purpose and as source of zooxantella microalgae as pigment for cosmetic raw market. Projects have been
developed in tropical areas: Mauritius, Red Sea, Nigeria and French Polynesia.
PRESENTATION (*)
It’s known that our industrial society, in the last years, has changed the atmosphere composition with an
unsustainable presence of CO2 that develops a greenhouse effect (GHG) and climate change. For this reason
many nations signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.
A Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was established as an economic tool for all countries promoting
the voluntary projects. CO2 reduction produce credits ( Certified Emissions Reductions - CER ) certified by
United Nations ( United Nations Framework Convention Climate Change - UNFCCC ).
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A very important tool now is the study of methods and technologies to promote and certificate CCS (CO2
Capture and Storage) . Our research shows how, in a sustainable and organic mode, aquaculture can make a
CCS and we call it “Blue Carbon” .
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We know that a lagoon aquaculture can give an important Carbon Sink. This is mainly due by the fact that
these ecosystem are strongly autotrophic and fix CO2 photo-synthetically as organic matter . The excess of
CO2 is respired back by biota, thus it is removed from the atmosphere by mangrove forests, salt-marshes and
sea grass meadows. It is buried in the sediments where it can remain stored over millenary time scales .
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Our study focused on two different areas: the first is a temperate area in a brackish Italian lagoon called
“Valle da Pesca”, and the second is a tropical atoll in French Polynesia. Both areas have developed a
sustainable aquaculture method that can generate “Blue Credits”.
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The Italian “Valle da Pesca” is a large closed lagoon area with a strong interannual variability in salinity, pH
and temperature.
In this brackish lagoon the production is high, like in shallow eutrophic lakes, as well as the mud
production .
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The Valle da Pesca employs a traditional aquaculture method that dates back to 14th century and uses the
different temperature conditions, due to the seasonal chance, for fish catching. In winter (cold water), the fish
remain stocked in a deep pond, in springtime a new juvenile population migrates from outside (cold water) to
inside (warm water). In summer the fish ongrowe inside due to the ecological food presence and no fish food
is given . In autumn the water inside cools and the fish migrate to the outside. During this migration fish is
captured by a traditional net (lavoriero) and sold on the local market. This product can be certified organic by
European regulation.
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The CO2 cycle is complex and begins from its capture in the water by atmosphere and photosynthesis due to
the macro-micro algae. The CO2 reacts with carbonate alkalinity in the brackish water and precipitates on the
bottom. The CO2 is captured by the mud due to the denitrification process and the chemical linkage with
cations and clay.
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Carbon footprint can be better obtained balancing natural-human emissions and the “valle da pesca” sink.
At the beginning the roadmap requires a correct identification of the area and of the sustainable farm
( Human Activity ). This can be obtained by locating it by satellite . We call “CELLE” the homogeneous
areas inside the property.
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In the “CELLE” we provide a complete chemical, physical water and mud analysis thanks to a chemical lab
with competence (example Lecher ITALY) .
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The “blue water” CO2 information, obtained in the ”Valle da pesca”, are added to other “land green”
information obtained by the use of allometric equations compiled by IPCC and published by ONU.
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Finally we prepare a CO2 flux diagram where we can easily identify the Carbon cycle and the relative
Footprint.
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There is another example of sustainable aquaculture in the Pacific Ocean - French Polynesia . In that area
there are tropical lagoons with high temperature, pH stable and the salinity has a light interannual variability
due to the rainy season .
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The water is oligotrophic but with a big biodiversity. Due to the stable temperature, salinity condition and
very clean water, animals with carbonate calcification like clams and coral are the favourite.
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A simple and sustainable aquaculture is the farming of « Pahua » (local tridacna name). These clams are part
of the culture and the food of the populations of the atolls. It permits subsistence to the populations. We
estimate an average year production of 10 tons for atoll . (range 20-4 tons).
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The local « Service de la Peche » (Fishing and Aquaculture Tahitian service) helps the people to carry out
pahua aquaculture. Like in the Venetian fish farm also this kind of aquaculture needs no food . Only
sunshine is necessary to favorite the symbiotic zooxantella microalgae . These are the “clam food” for
growing . We need to collect the juveniles from the sea, prepare a first stage growing area and finally let
them to ongrow inside the atoll. We need sunshine, clean marine tropical water to obtain human food .
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Tridacna clams play an important role in the global carbon cycle by using the zooxantella biomass inside the
mantle and by using the suspended particulate sediment. The CO2 is stocked inside the shell as carbonate.
For this reason the giant clams play an important role in the marine carbon capture and storage system.
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95-99% by Pahua shell weight, is constituted by Calcium Carbonate while the remaining 1-5% is constituted
by the organic matrix. People use the clam body for food and let the shell in the wild. We estimate tons of
shells in the Tuamotu farming atoll.
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During the giant clam life, the tissues extend over the outer margin of the shell giving supply, protection and
nutrients for the symbiotic algae. The bivalves directly or indirectly receive nutritional supplement from the
algae itself .
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The CO2 sink results from a classical photosynthetic equation to produce sugar and oxygen .
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Every human activity affects environment and climate change for Green House Gases emissions. The whole
of these emissions is known as the carbon footprint of the activity. The sustainable fish farm willing to
neutralize its GHG (Green House Gases) emissions must previously calculate the carbon footprint .
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The calculation must define the system limits in order to calculate GHG emissions and quantify the total of
emissions in CO2e through recognized national and international standards. One of the most important is the
VCS , CCBS that represent further 28%. This is implemented into the Italian agency BIOS protocol called B
Neutral .
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After the fish production, carbon footprint is calculated. It can be reduced through technical management and
eventually by purchasing Carbon Credits.
It is possible to act in a sustainable mode by reducing energy consumption (and waste) and preventing the
climate change.
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The International Agency Bios s.r.l., will validate the carbon footprint calculation and the emissions
reduction. The verification is accomplished taking into account a complete set of documents approving the
Bios standard that states the requirements necessary for the calculation of the emissions and their reduction.
An inspection takes place at the operator’s site in order to collect all the information and decide the
certificate adequacy. The process or fish product can finally be labeled as B CARBON NEUTRAL and use
the BIOS logo.
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The REGULATED carbon credits market is the "Emission Trading System" (ETS), one of the Kyoto
Protocol economic tools to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The EU ETS is to date the largest carbon
trading scheme established. The ETS exchanged 83% of all carbon credits in 2010 and represents the main
platform of carbon credits worldwide. The ETS is based on the cap and trade system, where the cap for
emissions is set individually for each installation as part of each country's national allocation plan (NAP).The
ETS market works in 30 countries, in addition to Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein and includes CO2
emissions of sectors like refineries, power plants, cement, paper. At the moment no aquaculture or
mariculture farm but we hope it in the future.
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The VOLUNTARY market rose by 34% in 2010, compared to 2009. By far and large although these
transactions, it represents less than 1 % of the volumes traded on global regulated markets. Voluntary
markets are altogether important because they introduce innovative mitigation projects such as credits from
Reduced Emissions. Moreover they increase companies awareness and responsibility and involve small and
medium aquaculture companies.
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In this example, a “Valle da Pesca”, sustainable and organic labeled fish farm, sells fish with an economical
back of 154.727,00 € plus about 200.000 € due to the CO2 credit market.
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We consider in the future the fish and mollusc production as a mean for carbon sequestration and new
product qualification (-CO2 label), to be alternative to the organic quality label. The sustainable fish farm
can be valorized and marketing protected by the other no sustainable fish farm production .
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Thanks for your attention