On the 23rd and 24th May 2019, IMPAQT´s partners got together in Oban, Scotland, for the third consortium meeting of the project.
Throughout this two-day meeting, the members of the consortium updated each other on the progress to date. Technical workshops were organized to facilitate discussion and brainstorming to enrich the work of each partner and plan future activities.
Among the most predominant subjects discussed were; the status of the sensors being developed; the situation of the pilot sites to guide monitoring and sampling; the design and development of IADAS; as well as IPR matters and general communication and dissemination activities.
In the framework of the Project Meeting, there was also a site visit to the IMPAQT pilot located in Port-a-Bhuiltin on the West Coast of Scotland. This coastal aquaculture site produces various seaweeds, such as Alaria esculenta and Saccharina latissimain a 1ha farm grid, with preparations being made to co-cultivate other extractive species (e.g. oysters, mussels). For this specific site, IMPAQT will provide cost effective and efficient technologies for data acquisition, especially for water parameter monitoring and benthic sampling, as well as for improving biomass productivity. The project will address requirements related to hydrodynamics which links directly to stocking density, biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nutrients, benthic-pelagic coupling and biodiversity.
The next Project Meeting will take place by the end of the year in Ireland. Stay tuned!