The sector calls for greater involvement of the public administration to reduce the implementation time of a production company, which currently averages two and a half years
Gran Canaria has 80,000 hectares compatible for the development of the land-based aquaculture sector
The University Institute for Research in Sustainable Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (ECOAQUA) of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) hosted today the national celebration of World Aquaculture Day by designation of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Aquaculture Society (SEA), thanks to the sponsorship of the BIOASIS Gran Canaria IAT project, developed with FEDER funds through the INCYDE Foundation.
The event was inaugurated with the presence of Héctor Paula, president of the SEA, with Alejandro Báez Acosta, Island Director of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the cabildo Insular de Gran Canaria, with Sebastián López, director of Innovation and Transfer of the ULPGC and Juan Manuel Afonso López, director of the Aquaculture Research Group of ECOAQUA and director of the organizing committee of the Professional Conference that took place throughout the day with a full program of activities at its facilities located in the Marine Science and Technology Park of Taliarte, in Telde.
Héctor Paula, maximum representative of the SEA, demanded during the conference a greater help to all the national and regional administrations involved in the implementation of aquaculture production plants in order to speed up the bureaucratic procedures necessary for the start-up of these companies in the sector. “Right now the average time for the installation of a company is around two and a half years”, he stressed, “and this is something that is holding entrepreneurs back, because there is a desire and economic potential in the market”, he added.
The president of the SEA, who explained that they have been celebrating the World Aquaculture Day in various centers all over Spain during the last ten years, thanked the predisposition of the ULPGC to become the headquarters for 2023, and pointed out that the Canary Islands are being a reference in the production of many species such as sea bream and sea bass at national level, and in the study and introduction of some new ones at European and world level through the projects which are being carried out in its research center.
For his part, Alejandro Baéz Acosta, Island Director of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Island Council and marine biologist, explained how in the last 8 years Gran Canaria has gone from having 3,000 hectares of land compatible for the development of aquaculture to around 80,000. “It’s a project in which I am especially involved because I believe it is a very positive proposal for the island at an economic level, ensuring that initiatives are developed within the scope of sustainability”, he said, and explained that there are three hotspots for the growth of aquaculture on the island which are the bay of Melenara, in Telde, the area of Castillo del Romeral, in san Bartolomé de Tirajana, and a third one that may come to fruition from an open competition for a new concession in the border area between Artenara and La Aldea.
Sebastián López Suárez, Director of Innovation and Transfer of the ULPGC, praised how ECOAQUA has managed to raise a large amount of funds to promote its research projects, which have turned it into a first level center in the scientific fields in terms of innovation and knowledge transfer, with the specific support of the University of Gran Canaria.
And lastly, Juan Manuel Afonso, explained that it’s important to develop all research projects and animal husbandry in aquaculture farms under healthy and welfare conditions, so as to favor higher product quality and that the consumer obtains sufficient information from the industry to understand that all processes are carried out on a scientific basis, aquaculture being the only model to follow to be able to supply the planet in the future in a sustainable manner.
Professional Aquaculture Conferences
The event offered two keynote lectures. the first, given by Alex Obach, Director of Innovation at Skretting, a global leader in animal feed production, who pointed out how the big challenge for the industry is to improve the image of the aquaculture product to the consumer with communication and marketing campaigns, and to reduce the additional cost of introducing sustainable feed in the sector. The second was given by Matt Craze, senior editor of Undercurrent News, who spoke about global trends in land-based aquaculture and the importance of financial support from banks and investment funds for the growth of the industry.
In the middle of both a round table, moderated by Juan Ramón Rodríguez, Director of project development in BIOASIS Gran Canaria, which centered on the sustainable growth of aquaculture in the islands, which involved Ricardo Haroun, director of ECOAQUA, who explained the main research initiatives in which the university institute is involved and the need for both the public administration and the business field to support the sector” because it is very important to diversify an economy so concentrated in tourism, with its high and lows”; and Héctor Pula, president of the SEA, who provided a global vision of the need to innovate in the aquaculture industry at national level and to achieve the appropriate specialized training so that professionals can implement the sector.
Two managers of companies representing the sector also participated in the debate: Antonio La Barbera, production director of Aquanaria, a company consolidated for years in the Archipelago specialized in the production of Great Atlantic Seabass, which exports to 23 countries and highly valued by the catering and haute cuisine sector; and Pablo Resnik, manager of Roda International, which is in the process of implementing a new production center of white shrimp in Gran Canaria, and has bet in recent years to invest in technology and innovation to achieve settle in the Archipelago.
The keynote lectures and round table are part of the program of the Professional Seminars organized by ECOAQUA on the occasion of World Aquaculture Day, which were broadcast live through the platform of the international event of the XII Ibero-American Forum on Marine Resources and Aquaculture (FIRMA ONLINE 2023) and co-organized by ECOAQUA institute.
ECOAQUA leads XII FIRMA 2023, holding the Presidency of the event, while coordinating four of the eleven technical sessions of the forum. Throughout the five days of the meeting, more than 50 lectures, six master classes, specialization and training courses in areas of interest, the presentation of more than 220 scientific papers in poster or oral format and a photography contest, which over 6,000 people registered from all corners of the planet will follow live telematically.
To close the World Aquaculture Day, attendees were able to enjoy a tasting of aquaculture products, courtesy of Roda International, which included some white shrimp products, and Aquanaria, with its Atlantic sea bass.
Press: Beatriz Díaz – beatriz@mandarinacomunicacion.es - 620410871