Aim of the project Study of the appropriateness and the adequacy of modern materials for offshore fish cage nets – numerical and experimental investigation in realistic loading conditions

The “MATISSE” project investigates the adequacy of modern materials for fish cage nets to be used in systems of offshore aquaculture. Those systems provide a variety of advantages and benefits compared to the traditional coastal aquaculture. Nevertheless, the installation and the materialization of such systems is unquestionably a technological challenge, given the hostile environment where they should operate and the innovative dimension of the offshore aquaculture clusters. However, the contemporary feeding demands of the international population, that undoubtedly will be intensified in the near future -given its radical increase-, make the implementation of such projects an unavoidable process. In that context, indeed, the future of aquaculture relies offshore, in deep water environments.
“MATISSE” constitutes a valuable contribution toward offshore aquaculture, given that, apart from the traditional lab testing for the characterization of modern materials for fish cage nets, proceeds a step further, proposing the overall investigation of their appropriateness in realistic conditions. To this end, the research team proposes a complete offshore aquaculture system, together with its mooring system, for installation in the Aegean Sea. In addition, a unique experimental campaign is performed using proper similitude factors of the expected realistic conditions. The main goal of the project is to develop a complete pilot study for the technological guidance of relevant projects of offshore aquaculture which are the future in fish breeding.