News

Aquaculture improvement projects: driving change beyond the farm level

An aquaculture improvement project (AIP) is a way for a group of stakeholders to come together to tackle high priority sustainability issues by improving the management practices and policies of all farms operating within a specified area defined by the shared use of a waterbody. 

Find out more about AIP in the following publication by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): https://www.fao.org/3/cb9113en/cb9113en.pdf

Financing Opportunity – Minimising climate impact on aquaculture: mitigation and adaptation solutions for future climate regimes

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)

Call: Fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food systems from primary production to consumption (HORIZON-CL6-2024-FARM2FORK-02)

Type of action: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Deadline dates: 22 February 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time
17 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

Legal entities from Greece, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine, among other countries, are eligible applicants.

The maximum Horizon Europe funding rate for Innovation action is 70% (except for non-profit legal entities, where a rate of up to 100% applies).

Selected proposals are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Contribution to sustainable aquaculture systems (in marine and/or transitional, and/or fresh waters) for fair, safe, healthy, climate-resilient and environment-friendly food systems with low impact on aquatic ecosystems, supporting the European Green Deal and the farm to fork strategy, the “Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030”, and the “Action plan for the development of organic production”;
• Implementation of innovations, such as dietary shifts and aspects of circularity, for a more sustainable and competitive European aquaculture enhancing aquaculture resilience to adverse consequences of climate change;
• Positioning of European aquaculture production as the global reference for sustainability and quality, increase its competitiveness, reduce EU dependence on imports of fisheries and aquaculture products and create more jobs, especially in rural and coastal regions;
• Contribution to aquaculture production with a reduced environmental footprint, advancing towards climate-neutrality;
• Contribution to technologically-advanced aquaculture production (indicatively through the use of techniques such as artificial intelligence, sensors, internet-of-things and robotics), fully embedded in natural, social, ethical and economic sustainability.

Proposals are expected to:

• enhance knowledge of the impacts of climate change on aquaculture production at environmental, social and economic levels;
• identify, forecast and assess the main effects of climate change on different aquaculture production systems and on their ecological carrying capacity;
• consider impacts of climate change such as water availability (e.g., rise in evaporation, decrease in rainfall, extreme weather events like droughts or floods), water quality (e.g., acidification, eutrophication, pollution, contamination), temperature rise, sea level rise, spread of diseases (e.g. recrudescence of endemic and emerging diseases in traditional and recirculating aquaculture systems), reduced fish welfare, invasive species, and other climate related risks;
• investigate adaptation and mitigation solutions and opportunities such as technological, social, economic, and biological/ecological aspects, selection of suitable sites, culture methods (including the contribution of organic production and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture), species plasticity and adaptability to changing environments as well as breeding and selection techniques for a more sustainable, productive and resilient production;
• address aspects of circularity in terms of more efficient use of resources and less negative impacts on marine environment, including reduction, valorisation, and reuse of waste;
• build on the work of Horizon 2020 and EMFF projects, such as ClimeFish and CERES, and provide applicable approaches and tools to the aquaculture sector.

Proposed topics should contribute to one or more of the following impacts:

• enable sustainable farming systems that i) provide consumers with affordable, safe, healthy and sustainable food, ii) increase the provision of ecosystem services, iii) restore and strengthen biodiversity, iv) minimise pollution and pressure on ecosystems and greenhouse gas emissions, v) foster plant, animal and public health, vi) improve animal welfare, and vii) generate fair economic returns for farmers;
• enable sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, in marine and inland waters, increasing aquatic multi-trophic biomass production in a way compatible with the protection of aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity, and the diversification of fisheries and aquaculture products, for fair, healthy, climate-resilient and environment-friendly food systems with a lower impact on aquatic ecosystems and improved animal welfare;
• accelerate the transition to sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems, delivering co-benefits for climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental sustainability and circularity, sustainable healthy diets and nutrition, food poverty reduction, empowered citizens and communities, and flourishing food businesses, while ensuring food safety and the economic sustainability of EU food systems during the transition.

More information available at:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2024-farm2fork-02-7-two-stage?keywords=aquaculture&tenders=false&forthcoming=false

Black Sea Common Maritime Agenda Stakeholder Conference 2023

Black Sea Common Maritime Agenda Stakeholder Conference 2023 – Joining efforts for a sustainable, modern, and competitive blue economy in the Black Sea will take place on 22-23 November, in Bucharest.

The event aims to bring together stakeholders from various sectors, backgrounds, and experiences interested in the region’s sustainable blue economy development and competitiveness, in order to address crucial challenges and opportunities in the Black Sea basin.

More information and registration link are available at the following address: https://black-sea-maritime-agenda.ec.europa.eu/black-sea-common-maritime-agenda-stakeholder-conference-2023-joining-efforts-sustainable-modern-and

Financing Opportunity: Selective Breeding Programme for Organic Aquaculture

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)

Call: Biodiversity and ecosystem services (HORIZON-CL6-2024-BIODIV-01)

Type of action: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Deadline date: 22 February 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

Legal entities from Greece, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine, among other countries, are eligible applicants.

The maximum Horizon Europe funding rate for Research and innovation actions is 100%.

The selected project is expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• Contribution to a non-toxic environment, to a high level of biodiversity (including genetic diversity) and to high animal welfare standards meeting the species-specific behavioural needs;
• Significantly boost in the quality of aquaculture products, improving traits of economic and welfare importance;
• Increased feed efficiency that will also result in a reduced environmental impact through the minimization of feed residues in the natural environment;
• Less disease outbreaks through genetic progression, i.e. greater disease resistance, increased feed efficiency, faster growth and improved traits of economic and welfare importance;
• Increased knowledge and acceptance of organic aquaculture and its products in the general public through true stakeholder and consumer involvement.

Proposals should plan breeding programs under organic aquaculture for the main European aquaculture finfish species, i.e. seabass, seabream, trout and salmon. They should breed organic juveniles under organic production conditions respecting high animal welfare standards (as set in regulation 2018/848 and Implementing Regulation 2020/464) and should aim to improve species resilience, diseases resistances and feed efficiency satisfying nutritional needs using as much as possible alternative feed materials to increase production sustainability.

Proposals should work on different species and/or different climatic areas tailored to the specificity of the organic aquaculture production and carefully analyse each solution not only in terms of performance but also in terms of the welfare of the farmed animals. They should work on preserving genetic diversity and adaptive potential by developing selective breeding programmes considering interactions between genotypes and rearing systems.

More information available at:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2024-biodiv-01-9?keywords=aquaculture&tenders=false&forthcoming=false

Türkiye – Oyster Farming

İbrahim Yumaklı, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry announced that Türkiye has taken action to start oyster farming, a species that has a large share of the global aquaculture market.

In line with the studies initiated, it is envisaged that more than 5 production farms will be established in Türkiye within 10 years, with a production of 5-10 thousand tons.

The plan is to start the cultivation especially in the Marmara and the Black Sea, where oysters naturally live, but are endangered.

Good Practice: iMare Natural S.L.

iMare Natural S.L., Spain – Restoring populations of Mediterranean snakelocks sea anemone (Anemonia sulcate) in southern Spain, for nature, medicine and gastronomy

Greek Aquaculture: Annual Report

The Hellenic Aquaculture Producers Organization (HAPO) has published the 9th Annual Aquaculture Report, presenting the evolution of the aquaculture sector in the past year.

In 2022, sales of Greek aquaculture fish showed an increase of 1% in volume and 14% in sales value compared to 2021, reaching 137,000 tons of fish, worth 744 million euros. The main species sold were sea bream and sea bass, which accounted for 92% of sales (126,700 tons), while all other species only accounted for 8% (10,300 tons).

In 2022 Greek aquaculture further strengthened the external orientation of the industry. 82% of the production was distributed to the EU and third countries, while the remaining 18% went to the domestic market. Exports showed an increase of nearly 4% in volume and 20% in sales value compared to the previous year, reaching 104,192 tons, valued at 600.6 million euros.

The implementation of co-financed production investments from the Fisheries Operational Program continued intensively, along with actions to enhance the sustainability of the industry.

The main challenges faced by the sector in 2022 include:

– intense inflationary pressures and an additional 10% increase in production costs caused by the revaluation of the raw materials used in fish feed;

-competition from Turkey, due to a significant increase of their production, and the devaluation of the Turkish lira.

The report is available in Greek and English, at the link below:

HAPO_AR23_WEB-NEW.pdf (fishfromgreece.com)

Eurofish Magazine

The Eurofish Magazine issue for September/October 2023, featuring the aquaculture sector in Türkiye and an Ukrainian aquaponics farm, has been published.

The magazine is available online at: https://eurofish.dk/magazine-issues/em-5-2023/

Revised State Aid Rules

The European Commission has adopted an amendment of the so-called ‘de minimis’ regulation for the fishery and aquaculture sector (‘Fishery de minimis Regulation‘), which includes the following changes:

• The increase in the maximum limit of state aid that a company can receive over three years, from €30,000 to €40,000;
• Only the primary production of fishery and aquaculture products will remain covered by the Fishery de minimis Regulation, whereas the processing and marketing of such products will be covered by the General de minimis Regulation;
• The recalculation of the maximum cumulative amounts of de minimis aid that can be allocated per Member State;
• Certain operations excluded from the scope of the Fishery de minimis Regulation will exceptionally be allowed for the EU’s outermost regions, in order to facilitate the modernisation of small vessels and address, among other things, safety concerns in these regions;
• The extension of the validity of the revised Fishery de minimis Regulation until 31 December 2029.

More information at: State aid (europa.eu)

EUMOFA – Online Shop Retail Prices

The European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) EUMOFA team has added Romania to the online shops retail prices tool, available at the following address: https://www.eumofa.eu/ro/online-shop-retail-prices

EUMOFA collects retail prices of fish products from online shops that are representative of the national markets being monitored. In order to ensure comparability, special attention was given to selecting products that are as much as possible common across Member States. Prices are collected daily and aggregated on a weekly basis.