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DEXiAqua, a Model to Assess the Sustainability of Aquaculture Systems: Methodological Development and Application to a French Salmon Farm

Author

Listed:
  • Samuel Le Féon

    (Independent Researcher in Environmental Assessment, Pépinière ESS, 23 rue des Chênes, 35630 Langouët, France)

  • Théo Dubois

    (UMR SAS, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35000 Rennes, France)

  • Christophe Jaeger

    (UMR SAS, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35000 Rennes, France)

  • Aurélie Wilfart

    (UMR SAS, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35000 Rennes, France)

  • Nouraya Akkal-Corfini

    (UMR SAS, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35000 Rennes, France)

  • Jacopo Bacenetti

    (Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Giovanni Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Michele Costantini

    (Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Giovanni Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Joël Aubin

    (UMR SAS, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35000 Rennes, France)

Abstract

Aquaculture is increasingly considered a major contributor to the growing demand for worldwide seafood production. Sustainability is becoming a key issue for aquaculture systems, with the objective to produce seafood with lower environmental impacts and that is economically viable and socially fair. In the context of the SIMTAP project, a multi-attribute model called DEXiAqua was developed. DEXiAqua uses the DEX method to assess the sustainability of aquaculture systems via indicators from technical domains and reference methods (i.e., life cycle assessment, life cycle costing, social life cycle assessment, and emergy accounting) selected and organized by the partners in the SIMTAP project. The DEX method consists of building an attribute tree that is organized to characterize a complex problem. Qualitative or quantitative indicators are measured at the end of each branch of the tree. The value of each indicator is translated into a qualitative scale for the associated attribute via threshold values. Weighted utility functions are used to build attributes from sub-attributes until the attribute of overall sustainability is reached. DEXiAqua was applied to a case study of salmon farming in France, which illustrated its ability to assess overall sustainability and help identify ways to improve the production system by identifying environmental, social, and economic hotspots. More case studies are required to apply DEXiAqua to a variety of systems with technical and contextual differences, which could result in changing attribute weights to adapt it better to different contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Samuel Le Féon & Théo Dubois & Christophe Jaeger & Aurélie Wilfart & Nouraya Akkal-Corfini & Jacopo Bacenetti & Michele Costantini & Joël Aubin, 2021. "DEXiAqua, a Model to Assess the Sustainability of Aquaculture Systems: Methodological Development and Application to a French Salmon Farm," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-28, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:14:p:7779-:d:592936
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tena Bujas & Marija Koričan & Manuela Vukić & Vladimir Soldo & Nikola Vladimir & Ailong Fan, 2022. "Review of Energy Consumption by the Fish Farming and Processing Industry in Croatia and the Potential for Zero-Emissions Aquaculture," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-26, November.

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