The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) is participating in the SIRENA 2 project, a research initiative aimed at developing new technologies to enhance the monitoring, detection and prediction of marine events of both natural and anthropogenic origin that may affect offshore aquaculture farms off Gran Canaria and the surrounding marine environment.
The Integrated Remote System with New Tools for the Monitoring, Detection and Prediction of Risks from Potentially Harmful Marine Events of Natural or Anthropogenic Origin in Offshore Aquaculture Areas (SIRENA 2) builds on the achievements of the original SIRENA project, which concluded in early 2026.
SIRENA 2 is coordinated by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) through the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (ICMAT-CSIC). The project brings together the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), through the University Institute for Sustainable Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (ECOAQUA) and the University Institute for Cybernetics, Business and Society (IUCES), together with PLOCAN. The Gran Canaria Coastal Action Group and the Spanish Aquaculture Business Association (APROMAR) also participate in the initiative.
The project is carried out in collaboration with the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge through the Pleamar Programme, and is co-funded by the European Union through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).
The new phase of the SIRENA project will run between 2026 and 2027 with the aim of consolidating and expanding the tools developed for environmental monitoring of aquaculture facilities, increasing their level of automation, and facilitating their transfer to the aquaculture industry, public authorities, the scientific community and society at large.
Advanced monitoring using satellites and artificial intelligence
One of the main pillars of SIRENA 2 is the optimisation of an automated system for identifying environmental risks in the vicinity of aquaculture sites. To achieve this, the research team will use Earth observation imagery acquired by the European Sentinel satellite constellation.
By combining automated image processing, spatial segmentation and deep learning-based artificial intelligence models, the system will be able to detect critical phenomena at an early stage, including potentially harmful algal blooms, anthropogenic pollution events in offshore waters, and episodes of abnormal turbidity that could compromise water quality.
All information collected will be processed in near real time to generate mathematical models capable of predicting the evolution and movement of these threats.
In situ observation using marine robotics and autonomous sensors
To ensure the reliability of the system, satellite-based observations will be complemented by direct field measurements. In addition to conventional oceanographic surveys, SIRENA 2 will integrate state-of-the-art technologies through the deployment of autonomous platforms, instrumented buoys and autonomous surface vehicles.
These systems will collect high-resolution environmental data on marine conditions. Such observations are essential both for validating and refining numerical forecasting models and for rigorously assessing the interactions between aquaculture activities and the surrounding coastal ecosystem.
Early prediction and assessment of the “ocean footprint”
SIRENA 2 will further develop and apply high-resolution hydrodynamic models in the waters surrounding aquaculture facilities off Gran Canaria. These models will integrate information obtained from satellite observations with measurements collected directly at sea.
The objective is to improve predictions of the impacts and trajectories of potentially harmful marine events, while enabling the automated generation of early warning alerts to strengthen preparedness and response to environmental risks.
The project will also assess the so-called *ocean footprint* of aquaculture activities, referring to the way aquaculture interacts with the marine environment and the extent of those interactions. The system will therefore examine both external events that may affect aquaculture facilities and the influence that the farms themselves may have on the surrounding marine ecosystem.
Building on the foundations of the SIRENA project
The original SIRENA project established the foundations of an integrated monitoring system based on three complementary components: remote detection using satellite imagery, oceanographic observations, and mathematical models designed to predict the transport and evolution of potentially harmful marine events. SIRENA 2 will further develop these capabilities by incorporating artificial intelligence, increasing process automation, deploying new observation platforms, and developing remote communication systems for the automatic dissemination of early warnings.
These advances are intended to support a more informed, resilient and sustainable offshore aquaculture sector by providing innovative tools that enhance decision-making and strengthen the proactive management of environmental risks.
More information:
https://www.programapleamar.es/proyectos/sirena-2-sistema-integral-remoto-con-nuevas-herramientas-para-la-monitorizacion-deteccion.
The SIRENA 2 project is carried out in collaboration with the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge through the Pleamar Programme, and is co-funded by the European Union through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).
