Challenges and market trends in the offshore aquaculture industry

In this paper the global market trends and design challenges in the offshore aquaculture industry will be presented, focusing on the use of innovative materials for the construction of fish cages. Newly designed cages offer sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions for offshore cage systems, effectiveness in the intended environmental conditions, as well as advanced fish production compared to traditional coastal aquacultures, in order to satisfy the changes in the consumer preferences and the continuously growing feeding demands of the world population. At the end of this paper, a short presentation of the MATISSE project (Study of the appropriateness and the adequacy of modern materials for offshore fish cage and nets – numerical and experimental investigation in realistic loading conditions) and its key results will be performed.