INTEGRATING MUSSEL Mytilus edulis AND KELP Saccharina latissimi LONGLINE CULTURE STRUCTURES AND MANAGEMENT

Mussel (Mytilus edulis) farming and sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) farming have been two of the fastest-growing sectors of marine farming in the Northeastern U.S. over the past ten years. Given that both of these of crops are individually being grown on the same basic longline structures on private leases in public waters, it makes sense to integrate the cultivation of these crops for several reasons; (1) better space utilization of limited permitted sites - "3D farming", (2) shared use of the capital costs of expensive anchors, lines, buoys, (3) better risk management via crop diversification, (4) lower risk to protected species by using fewer vertical lines per unit of production. The additional

benefits of using multiple complementary nutrient bio-extractive crops are improved ecosystem services such as (i) improved water quality, (ii) provision of structure resulting in nursery and foraging habitat for other species, and (iii) a sustainable seafood supply.

We describe the research that started in October 2016 and is intended to advance marine aquaculture over the next two-years by developing (i) innovative gear designs that integrate two different crops into an offshore lease area (Figure 1), (ii) new engineering and in-situ trials to make offshore longline aquaculture more efficient and safer for protected species, (iii) methodology for efficient management and harvest of a dual-crop culture system. We are particularly interested in forming a working group (a community of stakeholders) with an interest in determining the most effective outreach materials, and in helping to a design a workshop dedicated to resolving technical and regulatory issues.