With the adoption of the Maritime Spatial Planning, European countries have recognized the need to move towards multi-sectoral management of marine resources and space. The present study discusses the problems and opportunities associated with an integrated aquaculture development along the coast of Andalusia through an in-depth analysis of legislative documents and face-to-face interviews. The findings suggest that the management of the aquaculture sector has been characterized by a sectoral approach with little integration into the existing economic activities and socio-cultural context leading to conflicts among fisheries and lack of acceptance from local communities. During the last decade, the regional competent authority and the aquaculture sector implemented several strategies to improve the integration with the other coastal users and enhance the social acceptability of this activity in the area.

https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/8/9/684/pdf

Exploring Troubles, Attitudes, and Strategies Related to Integrated Aquaculture. A Case of the Andalusia Region (South of Spain)

Changes of the Mediterranean fish farm sector towards a more sustainable approach: A closer look at temporal, spatial and technical shifts

Modelling the environmental footprint of sea bream cage aquaculture in relation to spatial stocking design.

Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) growth modelling and indicators for offshore aquaculture in Europe under climate change uncertainty

In some food production systems, sustainability and acceptability are considered umbrella concepts that can be assessed through a combination of criteria and indicators. After a remarkable and somewhat chaotic development in the early 1990s, European aquaculture has been evolving in both scientific and policy domains to improve, and to prove, its sustainability. The updated review of the literature and policy framework presented in this article highlights gaps in European studies, addressing mostly concerns over environmental impacts and food safety and less over economic impacts on other coastal activities or the effects on social values and local traditions. The analysis of the legislative framework demonstrates that the existing legislation adopted at different levels addresses most of the criteria of social acceptability through binding rules and supporting guidelines. Nonetheless, some elements of social concerns, such as the impact of escapes or the degradation of the landscape, remain unaddressed. Several actions are proposed that should be implemented by all actors involved in aquacultural management to improve social attitudes and, thus, the acceptance by the different segments of society. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:896–909. © 2022 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ieam.4663

Why not? Decrypting social attitudes toward European aquaculture: An updated policy perspective for an old problem

/pdf/allocated-zones-for-aquaculture-a-guide-for-the-40jlozlnna.pdf

Allocated zones for aquaculture : a guide for the establishment of coastal zones dedicated to aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea

Aquaculture sustainability builds upon its environmental, economic, sociological and governance dimensions and although the recent global interest in aquaculture sustainability has arisen due to the rapid expansion of the sector, lack of consensus and diverging conflicts among stakeholders have often compromised and lessen the achievement of real actions to ensure the sustainable development of aquaculture. The use of indicators in aquaculture is considered one of the most appropriate tools to monitor and assess the growth of sustainable aquaculture activities. In this study, we present the main outcomes of a broad project implemented by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) called “Indicators for the sustainable development of aquaculture and guidelines for their use in the Mediterranean” (2008-2015), with emphasis on the relevance of the process that – in the areas of several Mediterranean riparian countries – has led to the selection and identification of a pool of indicators for monitoring the sustainable aquaculture development from an initial regional reference system of 156 indicators. The development of case studies at the local level based on PCI approach (Principles-Criteria- Indicators) has allowed among other things to identify the main steps that were necessary to build local consensus on the selection, implementation and performance assessment of aquaculture indicators, with the involvement of key stakeholders. In the case studies, the 156 selected indicators and related criteria were ranked by the local stakeholders based on their perception and understanding the local priorities at the time of the case studies to achieve the sustainable development of aquaculture in each area. Based on the importance of the criteria by the stakeholders, we studied the order of relevance assigned to the indicators for one of each of the four pillar of aquaculture sustainability (governance, social, economic and environmental). Several direct and indirect positive effects deriving from the implementation of aquaculture indicators are presented. Furthermore, the work carried out highlighted also that the identification and use of indicators and criteria applied is an evolving process reflecting the dynamic status of aquaculture development and the perception of its sustainability at the time in which the indicators are identified. The work was carried out consistently with the participatory approach principles and focusing on the criteria associated to the social acceptability of aquaculture considered an integral part of sustainability.

/pdf/selecting-priorities-indicators-and-criteria-to-monitor-2t5t7vd1k5.pdf

Selecting priorities, indicators and criteria to monitor sustainable aquaculture development lessons learned from selected case studies in the Mediterranean

Pollock Pollachius virens (also known as Saithe) modify their feeding habits when including in their diet uneaten feed pellets from salmon aquaculture sea cages. To determine the influence of salmon farms on Pollock, multivariate and univariate analyses were conducted on the trace element signatures from muscle and liver tissues. Sample fish were caught in the vicinity of salmon farms and in control areas (>3-km distance from the farms) on the coast of Hitra Island (western Norway) over two consecutive years (2012 and 2013). The hepatosomatic index was calculated as a proxy of fish body condition and was higher in Pollock captured near the salmon farms in both years. Variations in specific trace element profiles revealed the influence of farming on the Pollock assemblages (i.e., arsenic, manganese, and copper in muscle; vanadium and manganese in liver). Differences in element composition between sampling years were notable and may, in addition to influence from salmon feed, reflect temporal variation in Pollock migrations or natural food availability. Multivariate analyses of each sampling year showed significant differences in trace element composition of both tissue types among the Pollock groups. Therefore, trace element assessment is a potential tool for determining the influence of aquaculture on Pollock populations, although other natural sources of variation must be taken into account when considering future aquaculture and fishery management strategies. 

/pdf/spatiotemporal-variations-in-trace-element-compositions-in-3dcuyqet.pdf

Linda Fourdain

Papers

Allocated zones for aquaculture : a guide for the establishment of coastal zones dedicated to aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea

Selecting priorities, indicators and criteria to monitor sustainable aquaculture development lessons learned from selected case studies in the Mediterranean

Spatiotemporal Variations in Trace Element Compositions in Pollock Populations under the Influence of Coastal Norwegian Salmon Farms