Page 69 - World Aquaculture Magazine - March 2011
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quaculture
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traditional concepts used for decades
with the scientific knowledge, promot-
ing a wider connection between the
industry and the research centres in
order to solve practical problems and
improve farmers’ skills. Farmers asso-
ciations play also the main role in join-
ing efforts and connecting all sectors
of the aquaculture industry.
Improvements can also be under-
taken in existing systems methodolo-
gies and management, as well as in
the implementation of new strategies
and development of alternative pro-
duction models. The development of
sustainable intensive systems can im-
pulse the sector and increase produc-
tion, as a response to fish-demanding
markets and as an alternative to the
catch-limited fishing industry. The
new investments in off-shore cages
are expected to be a strong impulse
in the sector progress. As alternative,
farmers are also focusing in species
diversification and in new cultivation
strategies. The increasing produc-
tion of sole and meagre are already
strengthening the sector. On the
other hand, several semi-intensive
farmers are now targeting their pro-
duction to high quality seabream
and seabass with 1 kg (family size),
and avoiding competition with other
European producers who are selling
at a commercial size (300-350g). This
strategy obliges to a longer produc-
tion cycle with higher investments,
but yet this effort is rewarded with a
better price in a growing European
market of exquisite products.
Most Portuguese farmers work
with typical extensive and semi-in-
tensive systems in earth ponds and
cannot compete with other EU pro-
ducing countries which rely mostly
in intensive systems with higher den-
sities and lower production costs.
Therefore a huge marketing effort
should also be made near consum-
ers in order to distinguish between
products from different origins and
to promote extensive and semi-inten-
sive fish as high quality goods. New
niche markets to these high quality
products should then be created and
explored, internally but also for ex-
port. Still, Portuguese consumers are
very sceptical concerning aquacul-
ture products. An effort to demys-
tify some of these misconceptions
and promote aquaculture products
as high nutritional value, high qual-
ity, easily available, higly controlled,
healthy and safe food, is urgent.
Stakeholders and governmental
authorities should join efforts to de-
velop and promote Portuguese aqua-
culture systems and products. An in-
vestment in the traditional systems
could be an extremely viable solu-
tion, since extensive systems have a
huge patrimonial and social value.
The maintenance of these systems,
as well as the use of certified low en-
vironmental impact semi-intensive
productions, could also contribute
to the restoration of the coastal
abandoned lands and improve the
local biodiversity, maintaning wet-
lands functionalities and landscape
properties. Other complementary
activities developed in order to gen-
erate an income through added val-
ue or through activities benefiting
from environment and aquaculture’s
image (ecotourism, activities related
to education and environmental
awareness), might also help diver-
sification in the traditional non in-
tensive systems. The exploitation of
a “green” market for products with
origin in sustainable systems could
make a huge difference and might
be a turning point in Portuguese
aquaculture.
References
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Acknowledgements
This study has been carried out
with the financial support from the
Commission of the European Com-
munities, specific RTD programme
“Specific Support to Policies”, SSP-
2005-44483 “SEACASE - Sustainable
extensive and semi-intensive coastal
aquaculture in Southern Europe”, and
does not necessarily reflect the Euro-
pean Commission views and in no way
anticipates the Commission’s future
policy in this area.
P
ortuguese
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