Presidency scores with Council Conclusions: Sustainable aquaculture to help feed the world

Sustainable aquaculture, i.e. .e. the farming of water bodies in order to ensure stable yields of plants and animals, not only fish but also crustaceans and algae, can contribute to global food security. At the Council meeting in Luxembourg, the Ministers approved the Conclusions on aquaculture, designed to stimulate growth and competitiveness in this sector. Aquaculture is a key element of the EU Common Fisheries Policy and an important priority for the Czech Presidency.

“Aquaculture is the shape of fisheries to come. If, in 2050, we are to provide food and find proteins for a world with nine or ten billion people, aquaculture must be firmly in our sights,”says Czech Agriculture Minister Jakub Šebesta.

To meet these challenges and become the real future of fisheries, aquaculture production must be sustainable, says First Deputy Minister Ivo Hlaváč and stresses the importance of innovation, technology development, pond renovation and competitiveness of the sector. “All production must be environmentally friendly, and consumers must be able to perceive it as such. Aquaculture production is friendly to the environment, healthy and of good quality, and we need to inform consumers about this”, says Deputy Minister Hlaváč. Commissioner Joe Borg stressed that the development of aquaculture must respond to the market and depends on the pro-active and responsible attitude of all players. He also expressed his strong support for the inclusion of aquaculture into the debate on the future financial perspective. The Member States take the view that fundamental factors for the further development of aquaculture include the promotion of business in this sector, the setting of quality standards for imports from third countries and effective action against cormorants and other fish-eating predators. In the case of cormorants, cooperation between the ministries and the Environment Council is essential.

Global fish consumption is increasing, but some fish populations are declining or stagnating. In this respect, aquaculture could be the answer to growing demand. “Almost half of the world’s consumption of fish and aquatic animals now comes from aquaculture production. European consumption is approximately 12 million tonnes, of which 1.3 million tonnes are covered by aquaculture. Consequently, there are massive imports from areas where production conditions do not always comply with European standards,” adds Minister Šebesta.

Aquaculture is a key element of the EU Common Fisheries Policy and an important priority for the Czech Presidency. The first aquaculture strategy in 2002 contributed to the sustainability of the sector, safety and quality production. Unfortunately, however, this industry has been more or less stagnant in the long term, and therefore it is necessary to come up with measures to encourage its growth.

For the Czech Republic, as a landlocked country, fisheries essentially means freshwater aquaculture. It is equally important for other EU Member States too (not just the landlocked countries). The challenge for companies in the Czech Republic and elsewhere, then, is to produce fish products that offer higher added value and respond to customer demand. In terms of historical developments and the current situation, the Czech Republic’s priorities are to preserve historical heritage in areas of traditional aquaculture, and to support the non-production functions of ponds as a means of combating floods and drought, including mud removal. Other priorities are modernisation, investments promoting competitiveness and follow-up grant schemes after 2014. The conservation of species diversity is equally important.

Every year, Community marine fisheries and aquaculture produce a total of 7 million tons of fish and other aquatic animals, which makes the EU the third biggest producer worldwide. Global production of aquaculture covers about 44% of global consumption.