Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.0
2.4
Journals
Fishes
Special Issues
Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)
share announcement

Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Aquaculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2026 | Viewed by 4765

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Patricia Moraes-Valenti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Aquaculture Center, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
Interests: fish; aquaculture production systems; shrimp farming; sustainable aquaculture
Prof. Dr. Wagner C. Valenti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Aquaculture Center, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
Interests: sustainability; SDGs; bioeconomy; circular economy; aquaculture production systems; nutrient budget
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aquaculture plays an incredibly important role in fulfilling the needs of our growing population. However, to truly embrace sustainability, we need to rethink existing practices and change some paradigms in the production of aquatic organisms. Innovations based on circularity and restorative and nutrient-sensitive aquaculture should be introduced. Transitioning from a linear economic model to a circular economy is a vital step towards enhancing sustainability and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.

Integrating species with complementary ecosystem functions and needs within the same culture could provide a viable solution. Innovative systems associating autotrophic organisms, microbes, and suspension- and deposit-feeders with species fed manufactured diets can improve resource efficiency and promote circularity. In integrated systems, by-products, often regarded as worthless waste in monoculture, are utilized as inputs to support the production of other species instead of being discarded into the environment. Therefore, the integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems, which include multi-spatial and multi-niche concepts, address the necessities of the modern world and have huge potential for expansion worldwide.

However, some technological bottlenecks still impair the establishment of commercial farms operating in IMTA, such as the proportion and stocking size of each of the combined species and the optimization of general management and harvesting. Research should be performed to improve the culture of different species in several countries, using the principles of circular bioeconomy. This will support technologies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

This Special Issue aims to publish high-quality research on innovative integrated aquaculture systems that focus on the principles of circularity and restorative processes. Studies on the co-culture of aquatic species or the integration of aquatic and terrestrial species are welcome. This includes marine and freshwater systems combining macroalgae, fishes, crustaceans, and molluscs; aquaponics; rice-fish; rice-prawn; and others. In addition, studies focusing on all value chain elements, including processing, trade, and market, are appropriate. We welcome the submissions of original research articles, short communications, and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Patricia Moraes-Valenti
Prof. Dr. Wagner C. Valenti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • IMTA
  • integrated aquaculture
  • nutrient regeneration
  • restorative aquaculture
  • ecological and symbiotic aquaculture
  • aquamimicry
  • aquapony

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 2922 KB  
Article
IMTA Production of Pacific White Shrimp Integrated with Mullet, Sea Cucumber, Oyster, and Salicornia in a Biofloc System
by Enrique A. Estévez Hernández, Ivanilson Santos, Laura Moraes, Morena Salala Kashane, Marcelo H. Okamoto, Luís André Sampaio, Dariano Krummenauer, César S. B. Costa, Ricardo V. Rodrigues, Silvia Martínez-Llorens and Luís H. Poersch
Fishes 2026, 11(2), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11020098 - 5 Feb 2026
Viewed by 666
Abstract
Integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) emerges as a sustainable strategy to control the excess of solids and inorganic nutrients that tend to increase in the biofloc system (BFT) cycle, since the model integrates organisms from different trophic levels sharing the same system and nutrients. [...] Read more.
Integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) emerges as a sustainable strategy to control the excess of solids and inorganic nutrients that tend to increase in the biofloc system (BFT) cycle, since the model integrates organisms from different trophic levels sharing the same system and nutrients. Thus, this study compared a Penaeus vannamei monoculture system with an integrated biofloc system including Mugil liza, Holothuria grisea, Crassostrea tulipa, and Salicornia neei, focusing on water quality and the performance of organisms and systems. This study consisted of three monoculture systems (16 m3; 375 shrimp m−3) and three IMTA systems, composed of a shrimp tank (16 m3), a mullet tank (4 m3; 30 ind m−3), a combined tank (3 m3) for oysters (45 ind m−3) and sea cucumbers (3 ind m−2), and a Salicornia neei bed (2.78 m2; 37 ind m−2). All IMTA systems operated in recirculation without water exchange, using 10% of the established biofloc inoculum. The IMTA system had half the hydrated lime use (2.13 vs. 4.29 kg), lower solids (299.56 vs. 373.33 mg L−1), and reduced sludge production (9.37 vs. 15.87 kg). Shrimp growth was similar in both systems. Mullet grew adequately with a survival rate of 95.8%, but oysters showed a survival rate of 45.7%. Sea cucumber had a survival rate of 100% until day 28, when a marked decline appeared, strongly correlated with rising temperature (>28 °C; r = −0.71). This resulted in a significant increase in solids in the last weeks, suggesting that the population decline reduces solids control capacity. Furthermore, the biofloc in IMTA was dominated by coccoid forms, with lower proportions of filamentous and cyanobacterial forms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA))
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 7183 KB  
Article
From Biofouling to Crop Resource: Novel Opportunities as Extractive Species in a Mediterranean IMTA Pilot
by Daniele Arduini, Silvia Fraissinet, Sergio Rossi, Claudio Calabrese, Lorenzo Doria and Adriana Giangrande
Fishes 2026, 11(1), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11010047 - 12 Jan 2026
Viewed by 647
Abstract
Biofouling communities are usually managed as pests in aquaculture, yet their natural proliferation in fish farms makes them also promising IMTA extractive components. The growth and biomass production of four dominant macrofoulers, Mytilus galloprovincialis (mussels), Sabella spallanzanii (polychaete worms), Phallusia mammillata and Styela [...] Read more.
Biofouling communities are usually managed as pests in aquaculture, yet their natural proliferation in fish farms makes them also promising IMTA extractive components. The growth and biomass production of four dominant macrofoulers, Mytilus galloprovincialis (mussels), Sabella spallanzanii (polychaete worms), Phallusia mammillata and Styela plicata (ascidians), were evaluated under a novel IMTA system in the Ionian Sea (southern Italy). Coconut-fiber ropes (10 m) were deployed around fish cages in October 2022 and monitored over a 1-year cycle. Monthly density, length-frequency and cohort analyses combined with species-specific length-weight relationships were used to estimate target species’ growth and biomass. Mytilus and Sabella showed single-cohort dynamics, with densities steadily declining over time, whereas ascidians displayed continuous recruitment allowing for additional rope-deployment windows. Specific growth rates in length were significantly higher in Phallusia and Sabella (≈25% month−1) than in Mytilus and Styela (≈17 and 22% month−1). Total macrofouling biomass (live weight) increased from ≈350 kg in May to a peak of ≈2500 kg in August, remaining as high in October. Mytilus and Sabella accounted for 60–80% of total biomass while ascidians contributed 20–40%. Beyond environmental restoration, this multispecies biomass offers several potential commercial opportunities and could be further valorized through biorefinery-based cascading extraction, including final conversion into bioenergy. Overall, IMTA could leverage traditionally undesired fouling organisms as multifunctional crops, enhancing bioremediation while supporting circular blue-bioeconomy principles. Future research should focus on optimizing rope deployment timing, harvesting strategies, and biomass valorization pathways to fully exploit the emerging potential of integrating multispecies fouling biomass within IMTA systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA))
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

17 pages, 1450 KB  
Article
Enhancing Aquaculture Productivity via Polyculture with Colossoma macropomum: A Focus on Two Native Amazon Species
by Manhiro Flores-Iwasaki, Ronald Marcial-Ramos, Erik del Águila-Panduro, Miguelina Z. Silva-Zuta, Ilse S. Cayo-Colca and Segundo G. Chávez
Fishes 2025, 10(11), 563; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10110563 - 5 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1930
Abstract
Rapid population growth has increased the demand for sustainable systems to produce protein-rich foods. Aquaculture with native species offers a strategic alternative to enhance food security in the Amazon region. This study evaluated the productive performance of Liposarcus pardalis and Hypostomus hemicochliodon in [...] Read more.
Rapid population growth has increased the demand for sustainable systems to produce protein-rich foods. Aquaculture with native species offers a strategic alternative to enhance food security in the Amazon region. This study evaluated the productive performance of Liposarcus pardalis and Hypostomus hemicochliodon in polyculture with Colossoma macropomum at different stocking densities (1, 3, and 5 fish/m2) for 120 days. Both loricariid species exhibited high survival (>96%) and satisfactory growth, with optimal performance at intermediate densities (3 fish/m2). Polynomial regression estimated optimal stocking densities of 2.45 and 2.42 fish/m2 for L. pardalis and H. hemicochliodon, respectively. Polycultures with H. hemicochliodon yielded the highest biomass (22.11 ± 0.09 kg) and best feed conversion efficiency (FCE = 1.4), outperforming those with L. pardalis (19.36 ± 0.19 kg; FCE = 1.9). Although monoculture data for C. macropomum were not included, comparisons with published studies indicate that polyculture did not compromise its growth. The integration of native benthic, iliophagous species improves resource use and nutrient recycling, providing a sustainable strategy to enhance productivity and environmental efficiency in tropical aquaculture systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA))
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

15 pages, 478 KB  
Article
Nitrogen Budget in Yellow-Tail Lambari Monoculture and Integrated Aquaculture
by Dalton Belmudes, Andre Z. Boaratti, Paulo V. L. Mantoan, Aline M. Marques, Julia R. C. Ferreira, Patricia Moraes-Valenti, Dallas L. Flickinger and Wagner C. Valenti
Fishes 2025, 10(10), 480; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10100480 - 26 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 864
Abstract
This study quantified nitrogen (N) inputs by water, feed, animals, and atmospheric gas and outputs by water, harvested animals, sediments, and gas emissions in earthen ponds used for the monoculture and integrated cultures of yellow-tail lambari (Astyanax lacustris), Amazon River prawn [...] Read more.
This study quantified nitrogen (N) inputs by water, feed, animals, and atmospheric gas and outputs by water, harvested animals, sediments, and gas emissions in earthen ponds used for the monoculture and integrated cultures of yellow-tail lambari (Astyanax lacustris), Amazon River prawn (Macrobrachium amazonicum), and curimbata (Prochilodus lineatus), and evaluated whether epibenthic species improve N retention in harvested biomass. Three systems with four replicates were tested, lambari monoculture (L), lambari–prawn (LP), and lambari–prawn–curimbata (LPC), stocked at 50, 25, and 13 individuals m−2, respectively. Feed N was the major input (67–75%), followed by inlet water (19–30%). Harvested biomass represented 20–23% of total outputs, sediments 25–33%, and gaseous emissions 7–29%, while outlet water contributed <3%. N lost through seepage was highest in L (70.5 ± 22.9 kg N ha−1). N2 ebullition increased with benthic species, from 10.4 ± 10.6 kg N ha−1 (L) to 72.1 ± 32.4 kg N ha−1 (LPC). N recovered in lambari was 43.2 ± 7.4 kg N ha−1 in LPC, 36 ± 8.6 in L, and 33 ± 5.6 in LP. Considering all species, recovery of dietary N increased from 20.0 ± 4.3% (L) to 35.0 ± 5.9% (LPC), and recovery from all inputs rose from 13.0 ± 2.2% to 18.0 ± 3.4%. Integrated systems, particularly LPC, enhanced N retention in biomass and reduced environmental losses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA))
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop