Development of a model for a triple layer sustainability assessment of aquaculture

A multi-attribute model called DEXiAqua was developed within the SIMTAP project with the aim of measuring the sustainability of aquaculture production systems from a combined environmental, economic and social point of view. DEXiAqua uses the DEX (Decision EXpert) method to evaluate the sustainability of aquaculture systems through indicators from technical domains and life cycle thinking reference methods (e.g. LCA, LCC, S-LCA and emergy accounting). The method consists in the construction of organized attribute trees to characterize complex issues in detail. Individual indicators are measured at the end of each branch of the tree, converted into a qualitative scale and then aggregated by weighing. This contribution presents the development of the methodology, the selection and weighing of the indicators and discusses the future prospects of this tool.