Fabio Massa – Senior Aquaculture Officer, FAO-GFCM

AQUACULTURE TODAY AND TOMORROW: UNLOCK THE

POTENTIAL

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

16-17 MAY VERONA, ITALY

Addressing the future of aquaculture in the

Mediterranean and Black Sea region

❑ enhancing local, national and regional economies by providing effects on GDP and creating employment opportunities

❑ contributing on livelihoods, food supply and in health food security

❑ sustainable aquaculture helps in maintaining the ecological services and is a low carbon footprint activity

SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE IS A KEY PLAYER

Relevance of aquaculture in Mediterranean and Black Sea countries -Some key figures

Production

Value

Employment

Species

from 1,035,000 tonnes (1996) to

2,652,000 (*)

tonnes (2016)

from $2,2 billion

to $ 6,2 billion

449,800 direct and indirect estimated employments

More than 100 freshwater, brackish and marine aquatic species are farmed

> 35,000 FARMS (*) source Fishstat 2018

Aquaculture production in Med and BS in 2016

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

Turkey Greece Egypt Spain Tunisia Italy Croatia Cyprus France Malta Israel

Production of main marine fish species

Gilthead seabream European seabass Meagre

44%

27%

29%

Aquaculture environment vs volume (2016)

BRACKISH FRESHWATER MARINE Source: Fishstat

Egypt: 1,370,559 tonnes farmed finfish (80% of fish production)

Capture fisheries in Med and BS: 1,237,000 tonnes

only 9 species contribute > 90% of production

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

FINFISH AND SHELLFISH PRODUCTION

FINFISH MOLLUSC

2008

only 4 countries were reported in SHoCMed project to have a plan for aquaculture development (*)

2016

62% of countries had a national development plan for aquaculture (**)

7% aquaculture Law7% normative legislation

2018

36% ad hoc Law and a total of 44% (ad hoc Law or fisheries Law including also aquaculture)

Regional Aquaculture Strategies & PlansRegional priorities within CPCs development plans identified

TARGET III - Facilitate market-oriented aquaculture and enhance public perception

Resolution GFCM/41/2017/1

3TARGET I - Build an efficient regulatory and administrative framework to secure sustainable aquaculture growth

TARGET II - Enhance interactions between aquaculture and the environment while ensuring animal health and welfare

targets

Mission

Help Mediterranean and Black Sea riparian countries in formulating harmonized aquaculture activities and action plans with special attention to

current regional, subregional, national and local aquaculture priorities and emerging challenges at

the different levels while taking into account existing national and supranational strategies

ADRESSING THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURETARGET I - Build an efficient regulatory and administrative framework to secure sustainable aquaculture growth

• regulated by a functioning system and by the implementation of specific regulations governing the sector

• based on the existence of functioning and transparent participatory mechanisms (planning & licensing systems)

• developed in a consistent way based on maritime coastal planning principles and integrated with the activities of other coastal users

How?

• Technical assistance - effective implementation

of AZA GFCM – Resolution

• Toolkit on AZA in support of its implementation

• Guidelines on simplification of licensing & leasing

processes (adopted GFCM Resolution)

ADRESSING THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE

How?TARGET II - Enhance interactions between aquaculture and the environment while ensuring animal health and welfare

• fully integrated into an environment where the ecological services provided are preserved

• able to secure adequate health and welfare to farmed aquatic animals

• supported by a thriving cooperative researchand technological development (RTD) based onindustry needs, the results of which areefficiently transferred to farmers

• Work on aquatic animal health and risk analysis in finfish

aquaculture

• Guidelines on the use of alien species in aquaculture

• Establishment of Aquaculture Demonstrative Centers

• Training and capacity building on animal health

management

ADRESSING THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE

How?TARGET III- Facilitate market-oriented aquaculture and enhance public perception

• a market-oriented sector based on well informed sector and well-structured market data as well as efficient dissemination tools

• a sector integrated into modern supply chains and supported by efficient and AFOs, through advocacy, technical and economic a services, cooperation on BMP and knowledge transfer, …

• a sector in which the internationally labour standards are implemented and enforced

• Social Acceptability enhancement

• Standard methodology for market studies and market

data reporting

• Analysis of aquaculture value chains

• Survey and Guidelines on social acceptability (T1)

• Capacity building on aquaculture data collection and

statistical system

About SA…misconception and negative perception of aquaculture.Source of concerns and arguments against...

❑ Aquaculture can conflict with other users of water bodies such as tourism industry, maritime transportation and fishers

❑ Pressure on wild stocks that are used to create high protein pellets feed

❑ Transfer disease and parasites to wild fish populations

❑ Pollute water systems with nutrients (fish feed & wastes), chemicals and antibiotics

❑ Compromise native gene pools if farmed fish and native species interbreed

❑ Unpredictable enterprise for small local communities due to its susceptibility to severe weather, predators, disease, and global competition

❑ Compromise the aesthetic beauty of coastline

Why we consider that addressing Social

Acceptability of aquaculture is important?

“Social acceptability (SA) is an integral part of sustainability and refers to social licence and the degreeto which aquaculture activities are accepted by the local community, by various interest groupsand by the wider society” (Hishamunda, N., Ridler, N. & Martone, E. 2014)

The 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries provisions includethe need to take into account the social aspects of fisheries and aquaculture

Addressing the future is also addressing

the Social Acceptability of AquacultureParticipatory approach and stakeholders involvement are important concepts inaquaculture planning. Their acceptance and opinions might influence effectiveness inpolicy decision – SA (FAO, 2017)

Tourism (may need to treat local and international as distinct)

Local communities and/or businesses reliant on processing, marketing, transport and other activities associated with fisheries and aquaculture

Authorities (local, regional, national, other) – Banks

Capture fishery sector

Fish farmers

Environment

Home owners

Scientific community

NGOs

Recreational users

Other enterprises directly using the coast or marine body (marinas, ports, shipping, wind farms)

Other enterprises indirectly using the coast or marine body (urban and industrial consumers of water, polluters, etc.)

• Food and health authorities

Relevant authorities with jurisdiction over aquaculture (e.g.: ministries of agriculture, natural resources and environment, local planning authorities, etc.)

Who are the Stakeholders in aquaculture ?

(list modified from Angel D. and Frieman S , 2013)

In addressing SA there is need to change the perspective of sustainable aquaculture underscoring whatthe sector offers also in terms of ecosystem services, food security as well as social and economic

benefits it yields especially to local communities beyond its production role

RESTOCKING OF TURBOT(Trabzon Institute, Black Sea)

Demonstration restocking of turbot fingerlings inthe Black Sea by experts / trainees from:Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation,Turkey and Ukraine

EXTENSIVE AQUACULTURE IN COASTAL LAGOONS

In Mediterranean 400 coastal

lagoons covering a surface of over

640 000 hectares

…multiple benefits within the fisheries sector…

Recreational fisheries

Cage fish farms Small scale fisheries

Bay of Valona (Albania)

Fish cages at sea could act as fish

aggregating devices (FADs), which

attract substantial shoals of different

species which could generate

ecosystem services

Positive correlation in the

Mediterranean between the

proliferation of fish farms and

increased wild fish abundance.

Fernandez et al. (2008) and Machias et al. (2004)

…bay of Monastir (Tunisia)

MPA Kuriat islands

11 Fish Farms (> 11,025 tonnes in 2017) aquaculture started in 2008 2 research centres INSTM – CTA 1 fish feed farms1 hatchery1 NGO - MPA1 local AMSHP

Touristic area

958 – small-scale fisheries

Since the early 1990s as general trend the culture in floating cages increased progressively and many farms moved towards the open sea

AQUACULTURE TENDENCIES IN MED

• Aquaponics (small scale farms)

• IMTA

• RAS

• Bivalve and seaweed

production

.. But now also

Ecosystem services pertaining to mariculture that were included in

the analysis (Table modified from: Exploring the potential for marine aquaculture to contribute to

ecosystem services - Gentry et al, in Reviews in Aquaculture · February 2019. 609 article were identified on provision of services (fish, algae, bivalve, polyculture…)

Service

categoryService

Provisioning Augment wild fisheries catches (1;2;3)

Regulating

Carbon sequestration (1;2;3)

Acidification regulation (3)

Coastal protection (1;2;3;)

Nutrient removal (1;2;3)

Lagoon protection (1;2;3)

Improve water quality (1;3)

Habitat and

supporting

Provision of artificial habitat (1;2;3)

Restocking for conservation (1;2)

Cultural

Livelihoods (1;2;3;4)

Tourism (1;2;3;4)

Education (1;2;3;4)

Potential service provided to the environment

1: Bivalves

2: Fish

3: Algae

4: Crustacea

… ADDRESSING THE FUTURE OF AQUACULTURE AND POTENTIALITIES

Over the last years many priority issues on sustainable aquaculture development in the

Med and BS have been widely discussed and addressed at country and at regional level

• According to some national aquaculture strategies and planning, aquaculture

production is expected to substantially increase by 2030 in Mediterranean and Black

Sea riparian countries

• There is great expectation from countries on the future of aquaculture to reach their

potential

• Clear programmes beyond strategic plans and supported by a regulatory framework is

necessary to efficiently address the future addressing the different dimensions of

sustainability

• National capacity building especially at local level where aquaculture facilities are/will

be established (...demand for technical assistance and ad hoc cooperation to the

GFCM Secretariat has also increased over the past years …)

• Traditional aquaculture systems and modern aquaculture success stories, as well as

emerging production systems have significant potential to meet the growing

expectation

• Foster R&D and technology innovation and help the investors in understanding the sector

and attract investments – role of AFO

• In 2020 take stock of goals achieved as well as limits of aquaculture strategies and plans

to redirect future ones in the region

• Adopt measures to enhance resilience of aquaculture sector to climate change threats

and increase capacity to manage short- and long-term risks/ losses from weather-

related disasters

• Consolidate the role of regional cooperation (e.g.: GFCM; H2020 projects) to forge

partnerships for transboundary and crosscutting issues as well as cooperation and

national capacity building

… ADDRESSING THE FUTURE OF AQUACULTURE AND POTENTIALITIES

THANK YOU

http://www.fao.org/gfcm/en/