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Farming species with different feeding roles together, aiming to use nutrients or organic material from one part of the system in another.
Save conceptIntegrated multi-trophic combines farmed organisms with different feeding roles. Multi-trophic refers to different positions in the feeding system, rather than simply different species or different water depths. FAO describes arrangements combining fed fish or shrimp with organisms that extract dissolved nutrients or organic material from their surroundings.
The intended mechanism is that material arising from one component can support another. Suitable seaweed can take up dissolved nutrients, while appropriate shellfish can filter organic particles. The species and their proportions must match the conditions. The global FAO review stresses that implementation and management require research; putting several organisms close together does not establish that the connections work.
Imagine a farm design that combines fed fish with suitable shellfish and seaweed. The operators assess water movement, the organisms’ requirements and whether nutrients reach the intended components. They also examine whether the different products have buyers. This is an illustrative design, not a statement that a named Jamaican project already farms those particular species or has achieved environmental gains.
The approach differs from farming only one species, but a diverse farm is not automatically well integrated. Environmental effects, disease risks, and commercial demand still require assessment. Nor does growing species at different depths by itself explain the feeding connections. Claims of reduced waste or improved profitability need evidence from the actual managed system.
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