Publication Date

Spring 2026

Abstract

The poleward shift in the distribution of seaweed constitutes incredible potential for the North Atlantic to utilize seaweed as a sustainable extension of aquaculture. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems fostering the growth of seaweed and mollusks can encourage a mutually beneficial symbiosis between these marine organisms, increasing productivity, water clarity, and survival. Alongside numerous green utilizations, kelp can sequester carbon within sediments beneath farms or replace ingredients with high greenhouse gas emissions, potential sources of carbon credits. Iceland, harboring nutrient-rich fjords and cold, shallow, and pollutant-free coastlines, can support the development of these systems. In this study, viable waters that could support IMTA farms were mapped spatially around Iceland’s coasts considering the preferences of mollusks and two species of kelp native to Iceland, S. latissima (sugar kelp) and A. esculenta (winged kelp). Temperature, depth, current velocity magnitude and direction, and phytoplankton activity were used to identify viable sites. Coastlines along the bays of Breiðafjörður, Húnaflói, and Skagafjörður are particularly suitable for IMTA systems. A reevaluation of developing carbon credit systems is crucial to incentivize the growth of farms of different scales. Contrasting North Arctic climate trajectories–rapid Arctic warming and regional cooling associated with the weakening of AMOC–are expected to shift thermal environments, affect the frequency of extreme weather events, influence the rate of sea ice and glacier mass melting, and alter the timing and intensity of Spring phytoplankton blooming. Further research is needed to assess the longevity and maintenance of IMTA systems and the cultivated and wild marine life populations they support.

Disciplines

Environmental Sciences

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