The REMEDIA LIFE is a project funded by the European Community in the context of LIFE call. The project is realized throughout the collaboration of some prestigious Italian research Institutions in the Apulia region such as the University of Salento DiSTeBA, the University of Bari, Department of Biology, and the Water Research Institute IRSA CNR of Taranto, with the mariculture plant MMG (Maricoltura Mar Grande) of Taranto.
The facilities where the project is carried out is located in a fairly confined area of the Mar Grande of Taranto where the impacts deriving from the mariculture activity are more insistent. The project was developed to mitigate these negative effects on the environment thanks to the effectiveness of an innovative Integrated Mulitrophic Aquaculture system (IMTA) based on a new set of bioremediator organisms including stress-resistant invertebrates such as polychaetes and sponges in addition to mussels and macroalgae, whose action is more effective. All these organisms kept near the fish cages grow without any additional food because they "feed" from the wastes, subtracting the organic surplus (bacteria, toxic phytoplankton and organic substance) and inorganic (nitrogen and phosphorus) that would increase the polluting load of the surrounding waters. In this way wastes are transformed into biomass that can be used in a "circular economy" perspective. With this project we want to show that polyculture rather than monoculture is more effective and achievable in a confined environment and that the system can lead to a proper exploitation of waste deriving from fish farming. At each productive cycle, in addition to the fish species, mussels, polychaetes, macroalgae and sponges will be produced. The diversification of production can represent an added value for the company, opening up new markets in relation to the marketing of non-edible biomass that represent a by-product of high commercial value. Their biomass can in fact be used in several fields from the extraction of bioactive compounds, the production of fertilizers and/or marketed in the fishing (bait) and aquariology sectors. The system could also lead to an improvement in breeding performance with a reduction in the risks associated with bacterial contamination of fish products. Finally, the REMEDIA LIFE project will have indirect positive effects on European employment policies and on the participation of the population in decision-making processes (discussion/comparison between stakeholders and decision makers).