DEEP REB
Project Co-financed by the European Union
Title of the project: Definition of a Proactive Evolutionary Ecosystem for Marine Repopulation and Fish Farming Monitoring through the Use of Innovative Rebreathers
Acronym: DEEP REB
The DEEP REB project involves the lead company Dive Industries, and partners Agroittica Toscana Srl and D-Shape Srls, in major process innovations in the aquaculture sector. The project will result in the release of three new high-tech products, all aimed at making underwater human activities more efficient and less invasive, and at promoting sustainable use of the sea’s agri-food resources, while respecting biodiversity and reducing the impact of human presence, even in recreational diving.
For the first time on an industrial scale in Italy, Dive Industries will develop new rebreathers in two configurations — SCR (semi-closed circuit) and MCCR (closed circuit with no bubble release). These cutting-edge devices will be suitable for a wide range of applications: from recreational and leisure diving tourism, to more technical commercial and professional sectors, up to specific military requirements. The goal is to produce equipment offering high levels of safety, efficiency, and versatility, raising performance standards in scuba diving worldwide — providing greater autonomy at shallow depths, increased safety for deep dives, and reduced environmental intrusion thanks to the bubble-free closed-circuit configuration.
For Agroittica, which farms species that are highly sensitive to bubbles produced by standard open-circuit scuba systems, this will result in improved production processes, potentially eliminating the temporary loss of appetite in fish following underwater interventions by personnel. Agroittica will also introduce, for the first time in its sector, a second new product developed to make offshore fish farm installations less invasive and more reliable. The installation of dampers to reduce the impulsive stresses of wave motion on fish cages, along with sensors to monitor them, will help properly size the mooring systems and monitor their wear, allowing for better maintenance scheduling. This will reduce material use and improve both the safety of the systems and that of the operators.
D-Shape will design and 3D print new modular, proactive structures using recycled materials from the fishing industry, such as shells from mollusks and crustaceans, following a circular economy approach. These structures, intended to host detritivores and filter-feeding organisms, will be installed on the seabed under or near the fish cages. Divers equipped with the new rebreathers will periodically inspect them to monitor benthic repopulation. Some species naturally found on hard substrates — like oysters, date mussels, polychaetes, and echinoderms — which do not thrive on the sandy seabeds typically used for aquaculture, could thus be hosted and assessed for edibility. These species could enter the market as part of a circular economy, either as food products or raw materials for the production of fish feed.
The improvement of production processes by the partner companies will be validated through testing demonstrators of the three new products. The DEEP REB project will promote animal welfare as well as improve the safety and environmental impact performance of marine farming systems. Production process enhancements will allow for the upskilling and growth of the workforce. The production capacity of the facilities will align with better environmental conditions and reduced operator intrusiveness, ultimately improving the welfare and safety of farmed stocks. Large-scale retail chains will be involved in spreading a positive message of animal welfare, raising consumer awareness about environmental sustainability.
Through these tangible actions of biodiversity restoration and promotion, the project will also support coastal resilience and contribute to carbon dioxide absorption. The “cultivation” of seabed modules — even those made from recycled materials from the fishing industry — along with periodic, non-invasive underwater interventions for the planting or harvesting of hosted species in safer environments due to monitored mooring damping, will be made possible thanks to the partnership between the three companies. They share a vision of respectful and sustainable use of marine resources, with a focus on biodiversity protection and the circular economy.