Under the motto "For an innovative and sustainable aquaculture", the Ministry of the Sea will participate in AquacultureEurope21, from October 4th to 7th, in Funchal (Madeira), which is a debate forum and operators' fair dedicated to the development and investment in a crucial sector of the blue economy.
Organised by the European Aquaculture Society, the 2021 edition is entitled "Oceans of Opportunity" and is supported by the Portuguese Republic and the Autonomous Region of Madeira. Portugal's Minister of the Sea, Ricardo Serrão Santos, will visit the exhibition area and will speak on the closing day, October 7th, after the last plenary session.
Image credit: Aquaculture Europe
"Aquaculture is an important alternative to traditional forms of fish supply, has a large market and a long tradition of production of mollusks and fish in fresh and salt water. In the recent years, the sector has made use of technological developments, including offshore engineering technologies, recirculation systems and multitrophic models. The sustainable development of aquaculture is a growing area of the economy of the sea," says Minister Ricardo Serrão Santos.
Throughout the four days of the event, the Ministry of the Sea stand in the exhibition area will allow visitors to get to know the various entities and services working for the future of this activity, based on a model of environmental, social and economic sustainability.
The opportunities on the vectors R&D, maternity, production, transformation, trade/marketing and consumption will be detailed by representatives of the:
- Directorate General for Maritime Policy/Mar 2020 operational programme, for the funding opportunities
- Directorate General of Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services, on the licensing rules
- Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, about the research projects - Docapesca, regarding the trade and marketing
The Ministry of the Sea will, also, promote a food tasting, on October 5th, serving staring gilthead seabream, european seabass and meagre, in order to present the excellent Madeira's aquaculture production.
The national strategy for this sector
To guide policies and investments, Portugal recently approved its third National Ocean Strategy 2021-2030, which has an Action Plan with 185 measures, 30 of which are emblematic.
In the case of aquaculture, these measures will allow the sector to gain more weight in a context where national fisheries production is insufficient to supply consumption, in a framework of sustainable management and exploitation of living marine resources. The goals are:
- Implementing national roadmaps for offshore and recirculation aquaculture, stimulating research, development and innovation activities
- Giving priority to the development of sustainable and circular aquaculture, both in the open sea and in transitional and inland waters, and stimulate multi-trophic and closed-loop production
- Promoting the digitalisation of the fish chain, both via traditional fisheries and aquaculture, in order to increase production efficiency and sustainability
Portugal is a reference in research in marine science and the government believes that transferring this knowledge to the development of the blue economy will allow a more resilient economic recovery and a 'Sea Component' has been included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan, co-financed by the European Union.
The Portuguese government considers that the European Union should be at the forefront of aquaculture's development, sharing knowledge, best practices and anchoring the executive action of each country in the guidelines of the Common Fisheries Policy and the Integrated Maritime Policy.
To register for the event click the link, HERE.
For more information visit the website, HERE.
