Five projects to boost Blue Growth in Spain
Focused on fishing and aquaculture, the results of five projects aimed at improving sustainability, research and digitization, together with technological development of these two sectors, were presented. Within the EU’s strategy known as Blue Growth, they were financed by NGEU funds.
In the framework of the EU’s Strategy for Sustainable Marine and Maritime Growth, known as Blue Growth, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food presented the results of five projects, financed by Next Generation EU (NGEU) funds, developed to boost the blue economy in the country. The Secretary General for Fisheries highlighted these results as "decisive in improving the sustainability and profitability of the fisheries and aquaculture sector". She noted that these initiatives contribute to the modernisation of the sector to achieve an activity that is much more competitive and environmentally friendly, underlining her government's commitment to the sustainability of the seas and oceans.
Project 1: Blue Fishing Training
According to Francisco Barrerio, an environmental specialist from the Port Authority of Vigo, the main objective of this project was "to create a working network between the different parties involved in the fishing sector". It aims to improve the competitiveness of the sector through specialised training for professionals, on the latest technological and market advances, which will allow them to respond to the needs of the labour market and social dissemination and participation.
More information on the project can be found here: Blue Growth Atlantic Vigo - Blue FishingTraining (bluegrowthvigo.eu)
Project 2: Pescazul
Rebeca Lago, secretary of the Spanish Technological Platform for Fisheries and Aquaculture (PTEPA) and coordinator of the project explains that "as we felt that the fisheries and aquaculture sectors were not sufficiently represented when the Farm to Fork strategy was launched, that is where the idea for the project's objectives came from". It was agreed to develop a national sea-to-fork strategy to add value to fisheries products, taking into account their socio-economic and food sovereignty importance.
Project subsidised with 257,708 euros.
More info (only Spanish) on the project can be found here: Home - Proyecto Pescazul (ptepa.es)
Project 3: Digipesca
Dr. Lluís Miret, associated professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, says that the work has consisted of the digitisation and valorisation of fishing in the Spanish Mediterranean, thanks to a subsidy of 486,335 euros.
More info on the project can be found here: Digipesca – Digitalización y valorización de la pesca en el Mediterráneo español (upv.es)
Project 4: PLATICAS
José A. Juanes, from the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics of Cantabria, has been the coordinator of the PLATICAS (Interterritorial Atlantic Platform for Sustainable Blue Growth) project, which was subsidised with 475,002 euros.
The project, which included the six regions of the Atlantic framework, focused on fishing, shellfishing and aquaculture activities in order to make a good quantitative diagnosis that will allow a follow-up of the established roadmap.
More Info on the project can be found here: Blue Growth Atlantic Vigo - PLATICAS (bluegrowthvigo.eu)
Project 5: CIRCAZUL
Luisa Fernández, from the Technology Center of the Sea (CETMAR), was the coordinator of the CIRCAZUL (Circularity of Inorganic Waste from the Fisheries Sector in the Context of Blue Growth) project, which received 295,938 euros.
Its focus was on “an environmental problem, marine litter, which stems from a combination of many factors, including inadequate or insufficient waste management. The fishing and port sector has a lot to contribute to mitigate pollution and contribute to the circular economy. The management of this waste still involves important knowledge, logistical and technological challenges to be addressed by all parties involved," the researcher says.
More info on the project can be found here: Blue Growth Atlantic Vigo - CIRCAZUL (bluegrowthvigo.eu)
Source: MAR magazine