CORDIS releases "synergy info pack" on innovations in EU-funded aquaculture projects

Coped directly from the European Commission website:

Aquaculture – the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish and algae, among others – is one of the fastest-growing food production sectors in the world.

The EU alone farms an estimated 1 million tonnes of fish, molluscs, algae and crustaceans every year, with a value of approximately EUR 4.6 billion. The sector’s 14 000 enterprises – many of which are family-owned micro and small businesses – also directly employ around 57 000 people.

While these numbers may look impressive, the reality is that the EU represents less than 1 % of global aquaculture volume. And while aquaculture globally has seen a 54 % increase in production over the past decade, production in the EU has declined since 2017.

What’s driving this lack of growth?

EU aquaculture has specialised over the years, and is now dependent on just a handful of species, namely salmon, trout, mussels and sea bass – many of which require high-resource feed. This lack of diversity also means Europe is reliant on imports for much of its seafood, which further increases the sector’s environmental footprint.

Another factor preventing growth is that the EU’s available aquaculture space is vastly underused compared to comparable regions. Even with nearly 68,000 km of coastline and more than half a million natural lakes, 67% of the EU’s aquaculture production is concentrated in just four Member States: France, Greece, Italy and Spain.

The EU is looking to turn the tide on aquaculture production. But growth cannot come at the expense of its ambitious climate goals. This means aquaculture needs to be scalable, but also sustainable. To achieve this, the EU adopted the Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture.

Research and innovation play an important part in these guidelines.

By supporting research, innovation and implementation projects that deliver new technologies, training, regulation and value chain enhancements, EU funding programmes such as Horizon Europe, the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and the LIFE programme are working collaboratively to achieve the EU’s strategic aims in aquaculture.

This Synergy Info Pack highlights 26 EU-funded projects overseen by the DirectorateGeneral for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) and the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) that reflect how this pluralistic approach fosters a strong, reciprocal research and innovation ecosystem.

Download here