Under the new Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/848 which will enter into law in January 2022, aquaponic produce cannot be certified as organic in the European Union. Given the multiple components of an aquaponic system, which involve growing plants in hydroponic conditions, recycling of fish waste and raising fish in artificial conditions, the achievement of organic certification for aquaponic produce is a complex matter dictated by many parameters. Although in theory and in practice aquaponics fulfils nearly all organic farming principles, rules such as the need for crops to be cultivated in soil and the ban on using recirculating aquaculture systems currently prevent aquaponic produce from achieving organic certification. This review examines these rules in the new regulation on horticulture and aquaculture. The rules are evaluated, their foundations discussed, and suggestions are made on the type of system modifications that could potentially make it possible for aquaponic produce to be certified as organic. Suggested modifications include the use of soil in the hydroponic section and the implementation of environmental enrichment for improving the fish welfare in the aquaculture section. Several EU policies and strategies that support the development of aquaponics are also discussed, and potential policies for the development of organic aquaponics are formulated.

Aquaculture has become the fastest-growing food production sector worldwide, recently surpassing wild-capture fisheries in total output. This rapid expansion underscores the need to ensure sustainability through robust animal welfare standards. Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are increasingly adopted due to their advantages in biosecurity, water efficiency, and production control. However, these systems often expose fish to highly artificial and environmentally impoverished conditions, which may negatively affect their welfare. This article examines fish welfare in RAS through the lens of environmental enrichment (EE), arguing that its implementation is essential to address behavioral, cognitive, and physiological needs. By integrating EE into RAS design and management, it is possible to move beyond traditional homeostatic welfare models focused solely on stress reduction toward an allostatic framework that emphasizes adaptability, agency, and positive experiences. Such an approach supports the concept of providing farmed fish with a “life worth living.” The paper highlights the ethical and practical implications of enrichment strategies and emphasizes their potential role in promoting sustainable and welfare-oriented aquaculture practices.

Whilst the potential of fish effluents as nutrient sources for crop production has been demonstrated, their use in the European Union remains prohibited in organic farming. In this study, we investigate the efficacy in greenhouse basil cultivation of two types of fish effluents (filtered ‘fish water’ and unfiltered ‘fish sludge’) from an aquaponic system, and assess their role in maintaining and enhancing soil fertility as well as their potential to create a ’living soil’, which are two of the prerequisites for organic certification in the EU. To evaluate the contribution of fish effluents to plant growth in comparison with soil nutrients, basil plants were grown in pots containing two types of substrate: compost-free (without organic matter) and with compost (with organic matter). The results indicate that fish water and fish sludge demonstrate significant potential as fertilisers and outperform compost in certain parameters, such as plant biomass. The results also align with existing literature by demonstrating the positive impact of compost on soil microbial diversity, underscoring its role in fostering plant health. Although the treatments did not show differences in microbial composition at the genus level, the higher microbial diversity observed following fish effluent application highlights its potential for promoting ’living soil’. This research underscores the need for continued exploration of the implications of compost application in conjunction with fish effluent fertilisation on soil microbial communities and the production of specialty crops such as herbs.

In recent decades, the exponential growth of the global seafood industry has intensified the exploitation of aquatic invertebrates, particularly decapod crustaceans, whose commercial value continues to rise alongside consumer demand. This expansion has coincided with significant scientific advances recognizing these animals as sentient beings capable of experiencing pain and exhibiting complex behavioral responses to noxious stimuli. Nevertheless, legal systems have been slow integrate such evidence, resulting in a persistent misalignment between scientific knowledge and regulatory practice. This article critically examines the legal status of decapod crustaceans within animal welfare law, underscoring a pronounced disjunction between well-established scientific evidence of their sentience and the limited protections they receive. Despite extensive research supporting their capacity for suffering, the prevailing legal paradigm continues to construe these animals predominantly as commodities. Through a comparative analysis of regulatory regimes across the European Union, Italy, and selected extra-European jurisdictions, including UK, Australia, and New Zealand, the study identifies a significant regulatory lacuna alongside considerable legislative fragmentation. It scrutinizes a spectrum of normative models, ranging from indeterminate, principle-based provisions to more exacting and technically prescriptive standards. The article finally advocates for a harmonized, science-driven regulatory framework to ensure coherent and effective welfare protections for decapod crustaceans within the global food industry.

The Feeding Mars study was devised as a small, pilot proof of concept study to research the potential for using aquaponic effluents as an additive to regoliths which on Mars and the Moon are devoid of organic material and thus lacking microbes which assist in the delivery of water and nutrients to the plants via their roots. This research investigates aquaponics as a way to potentially produce fish and vegetal products in regoliths on Mars and the Moon as well as in extreme environments on Earth. In order to settle on Mars, settlers will have to grow their own food in systems that are self-perpetuating, with little or no inputs being brought from Earth once these systems have been established. This means that nutrients from the fish water can be used to grow plants in the hydroponic parts of the aquaponic system but also potentially in the Martian regoliths which are treated with effluents taken from aquaponic systems. Once production is established additional nutrients can be sourced from the arisings and waste, both from the fish (that are processed and eaten) and the plants, which can be used as compost to turn the regoliths into soil. In order to have fish in space, there is also the need for the systems to be self-sustaining in the production of fish feed. The key outcomes of the project were that all the species grown (potatoes, tomatoes, dwarf beans, carrots, lettuce, spring onions, chives and basil) indicate the potential to be grown in regoliths with the addition of aquaponic effluents. A significant result was that on the whole the plants that were grown with the addition of aquaponic effluents were greener than those grown in the horticultural soil, indicating that the nutrient supply was adequate. However, a key lesson learned is that germination and thus development of the plants grown in the Mars simulant and analogue was slower than those grown in the horticultural soil. Thus, developing nutrients in the soil before planting is necessary as it is with agriculture and horticulture practices on Earth, where manuring/fertilization occurs before planting. The consequence of this research, and the envisaged research to follow is not only for extra-terrestrial environments. The Earth has its own hostile environments, characterised with regoliths and other unproductive soils, and aquaponic water and aquaponic wastes can readily be envisaged as providing solutions to growing nutritious food in areas where agriculture is not currently viable. The research was undertaken in an exhibition gallery setting at the University of Greenwich in order to encourage public interest and dialogue, which it did.