Page 28 - World Aquaculture Magazine - March 2011

26 March 2011
Portuguese aquaculture: Current status
and future perspectives
Ana Ramalho and Maria Teresa Dinis
CCMAR-CIMAR LA, Faro, Portugal
Bordered by the North Atlantic
Ocean on the west and south coasts,
Portugal is the western limit of the
European Continent. The strong in-
fluence of the Mediterranean Sea in
the southeast coast makes ocean wa-
ters relatively warmand calmall year
long. On the contrary, southwest
and west coasts are under the intense
influence of the Atlantic Ocean with
stronger winds and waves, especially
during the winter. Portugal is there-
fore located in an interface between
two distinct geographical features,
presenting different ecological and
climatic characteristics according
with the regions.
Traditional Portuguese aquac-
ulture is land-based, characterized
mainly by marine extensive and
semi-intensive systems located in
lagoons, estuaries and intertidal
areas along the coast. Intensive sys-
tems are four-fold less representative, and include the whole
of the freshwater production. Portuguese production levels
have stagnated during the last decade, figures ranging be-
tween seven and eight thousand tons, which constitutes a
meagre 0.51% of European (EU 27) aquaculture.
There are several reasons why Portuguese aquaculture has
been stagnant over the years and much dependent of non-
intensive systems. Since most of coastal farms are settled in
natural reserves and wetlands protected by environmental
legislation the process of intensification has been facing
strong obstacles due to the fact that only low-tech improve-
ments are allowed. Also the harsh conditions along the West
Atlantic coast have delayed the implementation of offshore
structures for intensive production. Increasing governmen-
tal interest towards the aquaculture sector - with recent high
impact investments in new equipments and structures for in-
tensive systems – is expected to promote the growing expres-
sion of intensive aquaculture.
Portugal is by far the main fish consumer inside the EU 27
with 56.9 kg per capita/year, while the EU average is 21.4 kg/
head/year (Eurostat, 2008). However, Portuguese consum-
ers are sceptical about aquaculture. This
might be related with unconstructive
messages, commonly spread among con-
sumers, which result in the preconceived
idea that seafood from aquaculture is
generally of a worse quality compared
to wild fisheries. Vast improvements in
the public image of the aquaculture sec-
tor need to be undertaken. Stakehold-
ers have the huge challenge of clarifying
consumers about the positive aspects of
aquaculture products and in the demys-
tification of several erroneous ideas.
Evolution of Aquaculture in Portugal
Historical Background
It is believed that marine farming was
introduced in Iberia by the Romans. Us-
ing simple management techniques they
developed aquaculture practices by as-
sociating salt production with fish har-
vesting and with salt curing (Birming-
ham, 2003), but also by the of oysters rearing (FAO, 2008).
Salt works reservoirs were used for growing fish larvae and
juveniles, trapped during the high tides. This common prac-
tice brought an added value to the salt production, provid-
ing families with an additional source of dietary protein.
Although aquaculture is conceived to be an ancient and
traditional activity in Portugal it must have always been a
small and familiar practice, never achieving the importance
of the strong fishing industry. Fishing takes place in this re-
gion since the Neolithic, and was very well developed by the
civilizations that habited the Peninsula (Birmingham, 2003).
Also after the foundation of the kingdom of Portugal (1143
AD) the fishing interest were maintained and fostered by the
monarchs, with the establishment of the oldest Portuguese
trade-post in Bruges, at the end of the 12th century (INE
and DGPA, 1998). On the other hand, aquaculture had a
much slower development, with the first national regulation
on fish farming being created only in 1895, after a proposal
by the Central Fisheries Commission (DGPA, 2003). In
fact, the first governmental fish farm was established in 1898
- dedicated to the production of rainbow trout - in “Posto
Portuguese nursery de ostras ria de aveiro