There is great potential in using Calanus finmarchicus harvesting as fish feed in the aquaculture industry. However, as the fishing pressure on C. finmarchicus stocks grows, the need for sustainably managing this highly valuable marine resource also grows. The CliN-BluFeed project goals are to develop and use a low-CO2 smart autonomous multiplatform system to monitor and forecast C. finmarchicus stock by harnessing the potential of cutting-edge, low-carbon-emission autonomous technologies coupled with remote sensing, artificial intelligence, simulation modelling, and experimental investigations.  The project addresses priority No. 3 “Climate-neutral, environmentally sustainable, and resource efficient blue food and feed” of JPI Oceans SBEP 2023. It covers the three highlighted issues of priority no. 3: (i) reduction of bycatch, (ii) exploration of the potential of low trophic level species in fisheries for fish feed production for the aquaculture industry and (iii) Increasing the supply of blue food by utilizing new sustainable marine resources. CliN-BluFeed aims to improve the spatial, temporal and coverage of C. finmarchicus in-situ monitoring by combining optical and acoustic sensors on surface and underwater autonomous vehicles, and earth-orbiting satellites. It will use this in-situ data in tandem with ex-situ experimental assays and mechanistic simulation modelling to generate predictions of C. finmarchicus abundance, biomass, and population dynamics in the Norwegian Sea. The AIR Centre is involved in the remote sensing task where it will develop and test methodologies to map distributions of C. finmarchicus in the harvesting area using ocean color and LiDAR remote sensing technologies. Ultimately, CliN-BluFeed aims to promote a climate neutral fish feed production for a growing aquaculture industry across Europe and the world through the delivery of cutting-edge high-quality data to stakeholders for managing the stock of C. finmarchicus in a sustainable manner.

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