WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2024 21 rather than in the open sea, in the short-term excluding substantial growth in net pen farming. The European Commission Strategic Guidelines7 identify access to water and space and an efficient regulatory framework as key enabling conditions for growth in the aquaculture sector. These issues are not addressed in the Danish strategy on aquaculture. New fish farming facilities need nutrient emission permits, and this may conflict with the measures to reduce emissions to comply with the objectives in the EU Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In contrast to the massive growth in global aquaculture, the production volume in Denmark and the EU is stagnating. EU points out that the main blockers are access to water and space and the regulatory framework (EU 20138 and 20189). Imports to EU cover some 70 percent of the fish & shellfish being consumed within the Union (EUMOFA, 201810). Despite this reality, there is a focus in EU on increasing aquaculture to reduce imports, increase food supply and food safety, increase sustainability, and contribute to the creation of jobs. Denmark’s Official Dietary Guidelines recommend eating healthier and in more climate-friendly ways. It is recommended to consume less meat, more vegetables, and more fish. Actually, the consumption of fish should be increased by 66% and a future new national climate label may well increase the demand for aquatic food. In conclusion, the national demand will increase further but the prospect of a significant increase in supply from Danish producers generally looks vague. Lower Trophic Level Aquaculture with Focus on Mussel Farming The potential for lower trophic level aquaculture (LTA) has been highlighted in scientific and policy papers for several years, since products like shellfish and algae are considered healthy and nutritious. The EU Farm to Fork strategy highlights algae as a potentially important source for sustainable food and global food security. They are supposed to have a low carbon footprint, and LTA products often have a positive environmental impact since they extract nutrients from the aquatic environment. Based on that, the European Commission’s Strategic Guidelines promote the development of LTA and Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture systems (IMTA), the Commission has launched a special initiative on algae11, and the Baltic Sea Member States have agreed to promote the potential for eutrophication abatement by mussel cultivation12. The Primary Sector The main species farmed in Denmark are rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) raised in fresh- and saltwater, and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). The increasing use of intensive recirculation technology has also introduced new species (Atlantic salmon, kingfish/seriola, and pikeperch) with strong growth potential. The production of organic fish has decreased due to national requirements and the production was 3 times lower in 2022 compared to 2016. In contrast, more than 90% of the blue mussel production is certified organic. A significant part of the farmed fish production is ASC certified and more than 30 farms in Denmark hold an ASC certificate2. It is estimated that more than 90% of Danish aquatic production is exported worldwide. Statistics Denmark3 publishes an annual aquaculture accounts statistic based on voluntary accounts from aquaculture farms. Table 1 below presents the production data from 2022. The most recent timeline covering the period 2017-2022 points to these development trends: • The number of farms decreased from 200 to 181. • The production of fish decreased by 10% and the production of blue mussel increased by 350%. • The gross output increased by 6%. • The emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus to the water environment decreased by 18%3. Immediate Outlook for the Primary Production The Danish aquaculture strategy4 sets three non-qualitative objectives: 1. Continue sustainable growth in production, 2. Reduce environmental impact per produced unit, and 3. Reduce climate impact. A challenge here, for the Danish as well as the European sector, is that specific indicators on sustainability are not defined. The EU’s Joint Research Centre has noted that a practical assessment framework is essential for any policy intended to achieve sustainability, and this calls for indicators and thresholds as targets to be able to monitor progress towards sustainability5. The European Court of Auditors6 has also criticized that there are no reliable indicators to track the aquaculture sector’s sustainability. From a producer’s perspective, it is important that useful, comparative indicators are defined. The Danish strategy specifies that future growth of fish farming should take place in environmentally friendly land-based fresh- and seawater farms TABLE 1. Aquaculture production in Denmark, 2022. Freshwater (FW) and saltwater (SW). FW, FW, FW, FW, SW, SW, Total Flow-through Low Medium High Netcages Shellfish recirculation recirculation (intensive) recirculation Number of farms 66 23 18 24 18 32 181 Net-production/sales (ton/y) 8.048 5.415 8.779 9.770 13.592 10.654 56.259 Gross output (Mio. DKK/y) 255 162 253 319 610 42 1.641 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 22)
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