World Aquaculture Magazine - September 2021

WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEP TEMBER 2021 21 as oil and gas extraction, seabed mining, aquaculture and renewable ocean energies. Biofouling on these infrastructures is playing a growing role as a pathway or stepping-stone for the transfer of non- indigenous species. There are, of course, specific challenges for each industry that may be impacted by biofouling. This may be related to their infrastructure characteristics, operations or respective growth strategies and expectations. However, with the growing spatial pressure in our coastal areas, addressing these issues in isolation may impact other industries in the vicinity. What IMO’s GloFouling Partnerships brings to the table is an outstanding example of large-scale action taken across all maritime industries by encouraging a joint effort to address a global threat to the health of the world’s oceans. Notably, the IMO project includes a push for innovation under the banner of a Global Industry Alliance (GIA) for Marine Biosafety, which brings together private sector companies with a strong corporate social and environmental responsibility, willing to take a step forward to drive cross-sectoral interactions. This collaboration may take different shapes, such as agreeing on common standards to encourage an industry level playing field, dissemination of knowledge and expertise or addressing barriers for the introduction and use of new technologies. TheWorld Aquaculture Society has agreed to support the project and joined GloFouling Partnership as a strategic partner with the aim to promote the sharing of information on this topic based on contributions fromWAS members or contributing to the organization of topical sessions at conferences when sufficient papers are submitted toWAS events. Identifying cross-sectoral synergies is considered a key factor that can contribute to accelerated and improved development of standards, best practices and new technology research for biofouling management. The development of in-water cleaning robotic systems for ship hulls are a great example that can benefit other industries such as aquaculture during cross-sectoral collaborations. The aquaculture sector stands to benefit considerably from improved biofouling management practices, particularly with the promising route for future expansion of offshore aquaculture. This growth should go hand in hand with improved strategies to prevent the introduction of invasive species and pathogens into new environments either directly or as stepping-stones for wider expansion. Companies and stakeholders within the aquaculture sector are encouraged to get involved with this initiative by contacting the GloFouling project coordination unit at glofouling@imo.org . Also, presentations on biofouling management are encouraged at WAS events (www.WAS.org) . Notes John Alonso, Project Technical Analyst, International Maritime Organisation, GEF-UNDP-IMOGloFouling Partnerships, Department of Partnerships and Projects, jalonso@imo.org References Ansuini, F.J. and J.E. Huguenin. 1978. The design and development of a fouling resistant fish cage system. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting - WorldMariculture Society 9:737-745. Atalah, J., L.M. Fletcher, G.A. Hopkins, K. Heasman, C.M.C. Woods and B.M. Forrest. 2016. Preliminary assessment of biofouling on offshore mussel farms. Journal of theWorld Aquaculture Society 47(3):376-386. Drillet, G., G. Juhel, A. Trotter, H. Eikaas and J. Saunders. 2018. Aquaculture biosecurity challenges in the light of the Ballast Water Management Convention. Asian Fisheries Science 31:168-181. Fitridge, I., T. Dempster, J. Guenther and R. de Nys. 2012. The impact and control of biofouling in marine aquaculture: a review. Journal of Bioadhesion and BiofilmResearch 28:649-669. Howard, A.E. 1994. The possibility of long distance transmission of Bonamia by fouling on boat hulls. Bulletin of the European Association of Fish Pathologists 14:211-212. McQuarrie, J.P. and J.P. Boltz. 2011. Moving bed biofilm reactor technology: Process applications, design, and performance. Water Environment Research 83:560-575. St.-Hilaire, S., C.S. Ribble, C. Stephen, E. Anderson, G. Kurath andM.L. Kent. 2002. Epidemiological investigation of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in salt water net-pen reared Atlantic salmon in British Columbia, Canada. Aquaculture 212:49-67. Song, C. andW. Cui. 2020. Review of underwater ship hull cleaning technologies. Journal of Marine Science and Application 19:415-429. Biofouling on farmed mussels (Photo: Paolo Varrella). Some biofouling organisms are quite beautiful. Left: white-striped anemone Anthothoe albocincta (Photo: Graham Bould). Right: the ringed tubularia hydrozoan Ectopleura larynx (Photo: Alexander Semenov).