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The European Commission has launched an initiative to boost the sustainable development of EU aquaculture. Since the beginning of this millennium this industry has been steadily gaining in excellence, but its opportunities have not been reflected in an increase in overall production in the EU. The time has come to put this important industry at the forefront of the political debate and remove the bottlenecks holding back its further development.
Aquaculture is to water what agriculture is to land – in other words, an aquaculture farmer rears aquatic animals or cultivates aquatic plants. European aquaculture is a very varied industry which produces marine shellfish (such as oysters and mussels), marine finfish (such as salmon and sea bass) and freshwater finfish (such as trout and carp).
The European Union is a world leader in aquaculture research, innovation and technology. We have a very strong domestic market, where aquatic food products are in ever greater demand. In fact, the European demand for aquatic food largely outstrips European production through both farming and fishing, and we are today a net importer of about 9 million tonnes of fish, shellfish and crustaceans. European aquaculture has made tremendous progress, for instance in the farming of new species, improving performance of feed, enhancing the sector's environmental record and making it compatible with environmental protection.
Despite its strong assets, the EU's aquaculture production is stagnating.
But no matter how resourceful the sector is, it cannot singlehandedly remove the obstacles to growth. These are, among other things, the increasing competition between activities and interests in coastal regions and along fresh water courses. The problem of keeping access to space and to water can sometimes threaten the maintenance of existing enterprises.
Governance is another major challenge. Aquaculture can benefit from EU financial support, be it for example under the 7th Research Programme or the European Fisheries Fund (e.g. in the form of measures for productive investments and innovation, but also measures for environmental protection, health related issues, etc.). Moreover, it is also strongly influenced by numerous other EU policies such as environment, animal health and welfare, consumer protection, trade and so forth. There is a need for a common vision and coordinated approach among these policies.
In addition, aquaculture enterprises often face quite important challenges at national or local level, for instance regarding the number of licences needed, and the conditions under which they are issued. The governance of aquaculture needs to be addressed in an integrated manner, with a fair amount of political will, or this relatively unknown sector will lose out in competition with stronger interests.
A new political impetus
The European Commission has put forward a communication to give new impetus to the sustainable development of European aquaculture. We want to put the aquaculture sector in the spotlight and high on the political agenda. It is time to give this important sector an equal voice, and – quite literally – the place it needs to develop. There is a need for public authorities at all levels to take a hard look at the way their policies affect aquaculture.
Without reducing our high level of protection of the environment in the EU, the development of the European aquaculture would, among other things, increase our possibilities for supply of the high-quality products demanded by EU consumers and create opportunities for economic development in coastal areas and river basins.
I am convinced that European aquaculture has the potential for growth. We cannot expect the same explosive growth rates as those seen in some parts of the world, but in contrast to such developments, we will ensure that our growth is sustainable.
