SPAIN
Promising new species being considered for commercial production on the Canary Islands
Exciting times for aquaculture on the Canaries The Canary Islands have an aquaculture sector dominated by the production of seabream and seabass. Production has showed a slight downward trend over the years but there are a number of interesting developments on the horizon. These include the production of new fish species, algae, and even of octopus. The latter would be the first time ever that octopus is farmed and would represent a feather in the cap of the aquaculture sector on the islands. Alicia Vanoostende Simili, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Government of the Canary Islands describes here of some of the initiatives taken by the government to promote the sector. The Spanish national aquaculture strategy 2021-27 is due to be published shortly. What are your government’s priorities with regard to the aquaculture sector on the Canary Islands? Policy in the European Union has for many years considered aquaculture a strategic sector and one of the fundamental pillars of the Blue Growth strategy. During this period, the Canary Islands will continue working for the development of sustainable aquaculture, generating wealth and encouraging innovation. We are one of the few Autonomous Communities that has an activity management plan and has experienced stable productions for years, which we hope will grow both in quantity and in added value. The aquaculture industry has identified several obstacles including the bureaucracy involved in getting permits, the multiple authorities that have a say in the governance of the sector, and the issue of allocation zones for aquaculture. What measures have been implemented by the government of the Canary Islands to reduce or remove these constraints? We speak of marine aquaculture and therefore of concessions in
the maritime-terrestrial public domain, where the procedures are long and multiple agents intervene, which adds complexity. The Canary Islands have had a Regional Aquaculture Management Plan (PROAC) since 2018. This framework clearly defines the areas, species and farming methods. Since last year, the first public tenders have been held to obtain new concessions, and this ministry has made all the necessary efforts to resolve them. In addition, an important coordination effort between the national and regional administrations continues to be developed to streamline the administrative processes necessary to obtain aquaculture concessions and authorisations. Close cooperation between research and industry is necessary for a thriving aquaculture sector. How does the government foster this collaboration, and are there examples of commercially successful applications that have resulted from the government’s efforts? In the Canary Islands we have European reference centres in the field of research and innovation in marine sciences and aquaculture. Current aquaculture production in the Canary Islands focuses on the production of sea bream, sea
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Alicia Vanoostende Simili, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Government of the Canary Islands
bass and some species of algae. The Canary Islands Regional Management Plan for Aquaculture (PROAC) includes other species on which development is proceeding with a view ultimately to transfer the productive to commercial actors. The new concessions in progress already include other species of significant commercial interest as productive species, such as the amberjack (Seriola dumerili) and the red porgy (Pagrus pagrus). The government of the Canary Islands will
continue working on the transfer to the industry of native and commercially viable species. The impacts of climate change are also being felt by the aquaculture sector as water temperatures rise and extreme natural phenomena (heat waves, storms, drought, etc.) become more common. How is the government encouraging the sector to become more resilient? The Canary Islands have their own disadvantages due to their
