The Secretary General of Fisheries, Andrés Hermida, today highlighted the great potential of aquaculture as a strategic production sector for the country’s economy. This is endorsed, he pointed out, by the leading position that Spanish aquaculture has achieved within the framework of the European Union, with more than 335,000 tonnes of production. A sector, he added, that directly employs more than 20,000 workers in the more than 5,200 establishments dedicated to aquaculture in 2015.
Hermida, who participated today at the National Museum of Science and Technology of Alcobendas in Madrid, in the commemorative event of Aquaculture Day, which is celebrated on November 30, has thus highlighted the leading role that this activity can play in the economic and social development of many rural and coastal areas. maintaining and generating jobs.
COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION AND THE PROMOTION OF THE SECTOR
In this line, he highlighted the support provided by the Ministry to provide this activity with the instruments to strengthen its competitiveness, through a firm commitment to innovation, through the Strategic Plan for Innovation and Technological Development in Fisheries and Aquaculture.
And together with this, the new Aquaculture Law, on which work has been carried out for months, to provide this activity with a clear and safe legal framework, which generates confidence among the many investors who look to our country as an opportunity for entrepreneurship and the implementation of new innovative, competitive and sustainable projects.
On the other hand, Hermida highlighted the importance of the Multiannual Strategic Plan for Spanish Aquaculture 2014-2020, approved by the Fisheries Sectoral Conference in mid-2015, which proposes an optimistic scenario, in which Spanish aquaculture production could double in productive and economic terms by 2030.
Beyond the initiatives launched by the Department, the Secretary General also pointed out the opportunities offered to the Spanish fisheries and aquaculture sector by the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 2014-2020 (EMFF). This Fund, Hermida explained, will unfold its full potential in the coming years and will allow innovative, competitive, sustainable, job-generating and efficient aquaculture in the use of resources. Thus, the new EMFF will have more than 450 million euros for the entire Spanish fishing sector that will be allocated to aquaculture.
Finally, and in terms of dissemination of aquaculture activity, the Secretary General has valued the activities promoted by the Spanish Aquaculture Observatory, framed within the activities of the Biodiversity Foundation, such as the Sustainable Aquaculture Conference, the exhibition “Aquaculture? Discover it, which will soon continue its journey through the country’s museums and exhibition centres, or the school project “Raised in the EU”, launched by the European Commission to bring the world of aquaculture closer to schoolchildren, through the programming of training workshops in educational centres throughout Spain.
SCHOOL PROJECT “RAISED IN THE EU”
Within the framework of this initiative, and coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation, a total of 62 workshops have been given during the months of October and November of this year, in which more than 1,700 young people have participated with the collaboration of 27 experts from the sector. So far, schools from 37 Spanish cities have participated and another 30 schools will carry out their activities during the months of December and January.
Schools interested in participating during this school year can find more information on the methodology to be used or the materials available on the website of the Spanish Aquaculture Observatory (www.observatorio-acuicultura.es) or through the email criadoenlaUE@fundacion-biodiversidad.es.
“SAY YES TO SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE” COMPETITION
At today’s event, the prizes of the “Say yes to sustainable aquaculture” contest were presented, framed in the school project “Raised in the EU”, which has had the participation of 300 students who have shown a carefree vision of aquaculture through drawings and projects.
Victoria López Hernández from the Samaniego Concertado de Enseñanza Center (Murcia), has received the Prize in the category of “Drawing first cycle of primary” and Nerea Abrumhosa Fernández from the El Cotayo Public School (Asturias), has been the winner in the category of “Drawing second cycle of primary”.
The runners-up in this category went to Jessica García Jaramillo from the Río Mundo School (Albacete), Carla Gil Hernández from the Samaniego Concerted Teaching Center (Murcia) and Joana Iñiguez Tomás, from the Mestre Marcel•li Domingo Public School (Tarragona).
In the Project Category, the winners were the students of the Almunia Institute (Cádiz) for their project “Gyotaku gaditano, the soul of bay aquaculture” which represents the Japanese tradition of immortalizing catches through a natural impression.
This category has also had three runners-up prizes that have gone to the San Agustín Concerted School (Murcia), the Ángel Corella Institute (Madrid) and the Samaniego Concerted Teaching Center (Murcia).
All the winners have been presented with a diploma, the story “The Emperor’s Dream”, a batch of aquaculture products and the opportunity to visit an aquaculture facility.
