Environmental definition of an offshore fish aquaculture production area on the Basque coast
The Basque Government’s Strategic Plan for Aquaculture, in the document Euskal Akuikultura 2030, defines as one of the main objectives the creation of production parks in the open sea and on land. Other elements of the SWOT analysis of the Strategic Plan include the following priority lines of action:
The specific objectives of aquaculture development, Innovation in Aquaculture, Specific Objective 2.1, (General Secretariat for Fisheries, 2023) promotes the development of ‘sustainable aquaculture activities, especially by strengthening the competitiveness of aquaculture production, while ensuring that the activities are environmentally sustainable in the long term’.
Therefore, the availability of an open sea aquaculture estate on the Basque coast should allow both the diversification of activities and the sustainability of environmental resources.
The main objective is to select an open sea area (over 100 m deep and with a surface area of 1 km2 each for 2 to 4 installations) that can be declared a Fish Aquaculture Production Area.
Two main blocks of tasks are considered for this purpose:
| Duración | 2023 – 2024 |
| Financiación | Eusko Jaurlaritza – Gobierno Vasco a través del Fondo Europeo Marítimo, de Pesca y de Acuicultura (FEMPA) |
