Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) is participating in the ActFast project, which held its first meeting on 2–3 July, 2025, in Italy. The project focuses on advancing climate-resilient aquaculture across Europe and nearby regions.
The ActFast project (Actions for Climate Transition by developing Future Aquaculture Strategies and Technologies) held its official kickoff meeting in Bologna, Italy, on 2–3 July 2025, hosted by the coordinator Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna under the leadership of Professor Alessio Bonaldo and his team.
ActFast is a Horizon Europe Innovation Action project that aims to demonstrate climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions for aquaculture. Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) is a contributor to this project, which officially started on 1 June 2025 and will run for 48 months. With a total budget of €5 million, the project is coordinated by the University of Bologna and brings together 28 partners from 13 countries, including EU Member States, Norway, Tunisia and Egypt, working to improve the resilience, sustainability and circularity of aquaculture in the face of climate change.
SUPPORTING CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND INNOVATION CAPACITY
ActFast aims to develop and demonstrate practical, science-based solutions to help aquaculture operators adapt to environmental stressors such as heatwaves, disease outbreaks, and water quality deterioration. The project combines AI-driven forecasting tools, real-time biosensor monitoring, climate-adapted feeds, and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems to future-proof marine, transitional and freshwater farming across four key regions:
• The Mediterranean (sea bass, sea bream)
• The North-East Atlantic (salmon)
• Central and Eastern European inland waters (carp, trout)
• Delta and coastal lagoon areas (shellfish, tilapia, mullet)
EXPECTED IMPACTS BY 2029
According to the statement, ActFast sets out to deliver:
• 10% reduction in mortality rates for sea bass and sea bream through climate-adapted health strategies,
• 10% reduction in antibiotic use via preventive measures and functional feeds,
• 10–15% improvement in feed conversion through low-carbon, climate-smart feed formulations,
• Validation of biosensors and early warning systems for on-farm monitoring of water quality and fish health,
• AI-based decision-support tools for adaptive farm management in response to climate variability10% reduction in mortality for key species.
FEAP’S ROLE
FEAP highlights its central role in stakeholder engagement, dissemination and market uptake. As part of Work Package 7, FEAP coordinates the ActFast Stakeholder Panel to ensure producers’ needs are reflected in project activities. FEAP also contributes to the design and promotion of the ActFast Virtual Lighthouse, a digital platform offering immersive training and demonstration of climate-smart solutions developed within the project. By supporting knowledge exchange and innovation uptake across the sector, FEAP aims to ensure that ActFast delivers real and lasting benefits for European aquaculture producers.
