Advancing the Science of Aquaculture in the Open Ocean

The Frontiers in Aquaculture Research Topic “Differentiating and defining ‘exposed’ and ‘offshore’ aquaculture and implications for aquaculture operation, management, costs, and policy” defined two continuums in aquaculture sites; distance from shore (often described as nearshore vs offshore) and exposure or site energy (often described as protected vs exposed). These two parameters are highly influential in the technology used at a site, the operational protocols, the environmental impacts, and the financial returns. These relationships remain understudied due to the scale and cost of representative study systems and the early stages of the nascent subsector. However, exposed and offshore farms are poised to be a significant growth sector, which makes advancing the science and understanding of these farms a priority.

This second volume will explore how distance from shore and, more importantly, site exposure, impact the biology, aquaculture technology, operations, environmental interactions, and economics of open ocean aquaculture farms. Submissions should add to the understanding of exposed or open ocean aquaculture farms, specifically in the context of the physical, operational, and logistical environment in which they operate.

Submissions should support the Research Topic goal and generally fill one of the descriptions below. Articles may include primary research, analysis, reviews, or case studies.

· Reviews of specific topics pertaining to offshore, exposed, or open ocean aquaculture, including the production of finfish, bivalves, seaweed, and other organisms

· Publications of experiments or observations from pilots or research-scale projects

· Analysis or review of how ocean energy affects the design or selection of farming technology or operations

· Modeling work on the economic impacts of moving offshore or to higher energy sites

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: offshore aquaculture, exposed aquaculture, open ocean aquaculture, high energy aquaculture sites, aquaculture site exposure, distance from shore aquaculture, offshore farm technology, offshore aquaculture operations

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.