A new three-year project aiming to both utilize fish waste biomass and identify less polluting feeds for aquaculture has officially kicked off in Italy.

The main goal of the BYTHOS (Biotechnologies for Human Health and Blue Growth) project, is the isolation of BAMs (Biologically Active Molecules) from waste fish biomass which is normally discarded. Such waste fish biomass could originate from bycatch, from the processing of fish sold at markets, restaurants and shops or even from the offal of caged fish.

The project is also aiming to identify less polluting feeds for aquaculture, as well as develop BYTHOS labs where the laboratory processes involved in the extraction of BAMs could be showcased to potential investors.

The project is funded within the framework of the Interreg Italia-Malta 2014-2020 Operational Programme I, and brings together six partners from Sicily and Malta, including the University of Malta, the Malta Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and the SME Aquabiotech Limited. 

Prof. Alan Deidun, resident academic at the Department of Geosciences within the Faculty of Science, is the Principle Investigator.