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Home > SEAFARE

The aquaculture industry is an important contributor to the economic well-being of the Atlantic Area, particularly in rural peripheral areas. Aquaculture must develop in the line with the EU’s commitment to high levels of environmental protection, for which legislation is based on the precautionary principle. Stringent EU rules in this area generate competitive constraints vis-à-vis competitors in Asia and Latin America, and for the last 7 years the EU aquaculture sector has stagnated, in stark contrast to global growth of 6-8%. In order to grow it is essential that the aquaculture industry can resolve a number of issues related to sustainability and address precautionary actions by legislators, with a number of bottlenecks needing to be overcome.

The SEAFARE project is a response to the urgent need to increase the sustainability of the aquaculture industry. It is designed to provide SMEs and public authorities with tools for sustainable and environmentally friendly aquaculture. It will strengthen links between researchers and industry, and influence policy development at regional and national levels via key sectors players. It will deliver innovative solutions for coastal zone management and the protection of habitats by contributing to sustainable management of economic activity. The project’s intent is for the group to form a long-term resource on the western seaboard of Europe and beyond. Its core activities will address:

•    To protect sensitive coastal environments through the development of novel integrated systems in sensitive wetlands and to minimise the impacts of aquaculture discharges through the use of wetlands as natural biofilters.

The SEAFARE project will deliver market-ready solutions to industry. Activities such as commercial-scale trials with extensive sole farming will add further value to restoring and protecting natural marine heritage. The opportunities for environmentally sustainable aquaculture will also be enhanced through demonstrations of how to produce crops of the succulent delicacy marsh samphire using nutrients captured from fish farm effluent, and how to conduct hatchery rearing of threatened species. SEAFARE will actively foster multi-sector engagement. It will have a strong emphasis on dissemination and the involvement of local and regulatory authorities, industry representatives and environmental NGOs. Project events will bring together a wide selection of stakeholders to share information and promote an integrated, cross-sector approach and to transfer knowledge between centres and sectors.