Poly-culture

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Poly-culture is the growing of more than one species in the same physical space.  

There are a number of benefits to the practice of poly-culture that have significant influence on ocean farming as it aims to mimic nature by having species that complement each other. The practice of poly-culture is taking advantage of the diversity of species to move towards a more sustainable aquaculture.  

These benefits support the ecological community and are sustainable and regenerative. For example, seaweed and mussel farming on the one site can regenerate natural systems by reducing ocean acidification and create habitats for a number of marine species.  

Creates higher yields of species that complement each other and focus on food security, environmental sustainability and productivity gains. 

Having a poly-culture model uses less space with the ability to have more species together, therefore creating a smaller space to farm from and less manpower needed. It creates a broader sustainable market that creates more employment and transferable skills to the community.   

Environmental  There are community benefits of polyculture farming seaweed and muscles for example, there is no feed, no waster and can improve the water quality. 

Seaweed can absorb carbon dioxide up to 50 times greater that forests on land and globally are thought to absorb nearly 200 million tonnes of CO2 every year.   

Allows Ocean Farming to be carried out in a sustainable way that creates a livable space for many different marine species.