DAZPAP
Environmental definition of an offshore fish aquaculture production area on the Basque coast
Context
The Basque Government’s Strategic Plan for Aquaculture, in the document Euskal Akuikultura 2030, defines as one of the main objectives the creation of production parks in the open sea and on land. Other elements of the SWOT analysis of the Strategic Plan include the following priority lines of action:
- Regulatory updating and optimisation of administrative processes.
- Spatial planning and availability of natural resources for the development of marine and inland aquaculture.
The specific objectives of aquaculture development, Innovation in Aquaculture, Specific Objective 2.1, (General Secretariat for Fisheries, 2023) promotes the development of ‘sustainable aquaculture activities, especially by strengthening the competitiveness of aquaculture production, while ensuring that the activities are environmentally sustainable in the long term’.
Therefore, the availability of an open sea aquaculture estate on the Basque coast should allow both the diversification of activities and the sustainability of environmental resources.
Objectives
The main objective is to select an open sea area (over 100 m deep and with a surface area of 1 km2 each for 2 to 4 installations) that can be declared a Fish Aquaculture Production Area.
Two main blocks of tasks are considered for this purpose:
- Choice of the location, consultations and drafting of the documentation to be submitted.
- Drafting of the final documentation and support in the elaboration of a request for expression of interest for the use of this area by eventual interested parties from the sector.
Additional information
Manuel González
Project manager
| Duration |
2023-2024 |
| Funding |
Eusko Jaurlaritza – Basque Government through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund |
