2023-05-31 16:07:37
Aquaculture is seen as a key element in alleviating the challenges faced by the traditional fishing sector.
Aquaculture accounts for only 20% of EU seafood consumption, which is well below the global average of 50%.
This sector is considered essential to alleviate the challenges faced by the traditional fishing industry, which relies on the capture of wild species.
“We need to look for successful examples of alternative economic uses of the sea that we can expand and share in European coastal areas and create new jobs of resilience”said the European Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius recently
“Relying solely on fishing and tourism is very risky for the blue economy. We have seen it with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been a big blow for these sectors, which have essentially been closed and people are are left without income. The same thing happened with the Russian aggression in Ukraine, which had a huge impact on the prices of diesel used by boats. It was once more a very difficult time for the fishing sector , which had to deal with increasing operating costs”said Mr Sinkevičius.
The European Commission presented a package of measures to improve the sustainability and resilience of the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector last February, and the European Parliament is also preparing a report on the last ten years of the common fisheries policy.
Pierre Karleskind, Chairman of the Committee on Fisheries in the European Parliament, defends a balanced approach between economic uses and the protection of biodiversity.
“We are interested in this idea of maritime planning, where we can say that in one place we can fish, that in another we must protect ecosystems, or that in another place we can also develop aquaculture. There is room for everyone, you just have to get around the table, work with the researchers and move everyone, including the fishermen, in the right direction”the French liberal MEP told Euronews.
The potential of algae
The EU Blue Economy Report 2023, launched last week, says algae is key to this new approach, generating €10 million in revenue in France, Spain and Portugal , where they grow rapidly.
Worldwide, seaweed is mainly cultivated and more than 97% of the total production comes from Asia, with Chinese production accounting for 57% of the total. The EU imports most of what it uses in various industries, from food to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and now even in textiles. Wild stocks have also been subject to some exploitation and aquaculture systems are becoming more widespread.
“Europe currently imports around €600 million a year of seaweed products and the aim is to reverse this activity. There are currently around 80 companies engaged in seaweed aquaculture, spread across several countries of the European Union, with a production mainly focused on four types of seaweed which allow this sector to develop both in northern and southern Europe”Helena Abreu, vice-president of the International Seaweed Association, told Euronews.
But there is still much to be done to facilitate access to the marine space, to identify the best locations for these farms, as well as mechanisms to support the transfer of technology from research to the market, but also to raise awareness. the public by creating information and marketing strategies. Professionals are now calling for better regulation of this low-carbon protein.
“On a regulatory level, we want fair competition, we want the rules to be the same for everyone. Europe can provide that framework, first of all. We want easy access to the sea or to the water of sea, whether on land or at sea, and encourage the creation of businesses”Jean-Baptiste Wallaert, president of the French Union for Algae and Marine Plants, told Euronews.
“We would like the list of usable algae to be a little longer: in Brittany, we have 700 species of algae, but for human consumption, we only have 40 authorized species”he added.
The European Commission has already promised to put in place actions to support this sector, in particular by “financing pilot projects for professional reorientation and by supporting SMEs and innovative projects in the seaweed sector” and by “carrying out studies and debates to better understand the role of algae” in sustainable economic production and strategies to combat climate change.
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