UCT Support for Sustainable Aquaculture and Food-Security Knowledge

(Sea-Urchin Farming Initiative)

The University of Cape Town (UCT) provides publicly accessible research-based knowledge and technological innovation that supports sustainable aquaculture and food-security initiatives relevant to local producers. UCT researchers are advancing integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems that can be adopted by small-scale aquaculture producers to diversify production and enhance food security. This initiative centres on developing farming techniques for the collector sea urchin (Tripneustes gratilla), a high-value species with significant potential for local food production and livelihood improvement in coastal communities. The research aims to “develop integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) production systems” that incorporate sustainably grown seaweed (Ulva rigida) to feed and support the sea-urchin cultivation process, offering a scalable and low-impact model for local aquaculture operations.

The project draws on previous UCT-led aquaculture work undertaken at Buffeljags Abalone Farm, where IMTA techniques have already been applied in collaboration with commercial producers. A pilot system is being built at Viking Aquaculture’s Buffeljags Abalone Farm, where abalone is farmed using IMTA, and incorporating Ulva rigida (sea lettuce) in the process. While successful commercial IMTA is very new in Europe, the process has been commercially successful on South African aquafarms for almost two decades. These research partnerships demonstrate that UCT’s aquaculture work is not confined to academic environments but is developed in cooperation with industry and small-scale coastal producers who can adopt IMTA technologies. UCT notes that the sea-urchin aquaculture system “has the potential to provide much-needed food security and job opportunities,” highlighting its relevance to local economic development and sustainable food production.

The IMTA research at Buffeljags is part of a far larger initiative involving a multi-laboratory project, All Atlantic Ocean Sustainable, Profitable and Resilient Aquaculture (ASTRAL), a European Union Horizon 2020-funded project that focuses on IMTA farming. ASTRAL aims to develop sustainable value chains for aquaculture across the Atlantic area. Other laboratories have been established in the United Kingdom, Ireland and South America. The project ran until 2024.

The knowledge generated through this project—spanning feed systems, hatchery techniques, growth optimisation and environmental management—is disseminated through open, publicly accessible UCT channels, ensuring that fishers, aquaculture practitioners and coastal producers can benefit from the research without cost.

Taken together, these activities show that UCT contributes to food-security outcomes by providing access to sustainable aquaculture knowledge and technology, supporting local capacity building in sectors that stand to benefit substantially from low-impact, scalable IMTA systems. Because the research is freely published and accessible through UCT’s platforms, this initiative satisfies the ranking criteria for provision of free access to food-security knowledge, publicly available evidence and demonstrable application relevant to local aquaculture producers.