MSP II: Agéin is i gCóngar: Spatial Planning Perspectives in the Atlantic Area

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Regulators’ and aquaculture producers’ perspectives in marine spatial planning from Ireland and England, Aigéin is i gCóngar, took place on 6th of July 2021. This was a follow-up to the first part of this series from Ireland and Portugal on the 24th March 2021, “Éire go hIbéire,” hosted by Access2Sea project partners Údarás na Gaeltachta and CIIMAR, Éire go hIbéire.

WATCH THE EVENT HERE, read the summary below

July 6 2021

Access2Sea http://access2sea.eu/ is an Interreg Atlantic Area-funded project looking toward new opportunities for more competitive and sustainable blue growth in the Atlantic Area. To this end, project partners Swansea University and Údarás na Gaeltachta hosted three speakers from their respective countries England and Ireland. Welsh spatial planners we contacted were unfortunately unavailable today.

Teresa Morrissey, Aquaculture Executive at the Irish Farmers’ Association was first up to give an aquaculture producers’ perspectives on marine planning: What Marine Planning means for Irish Aquaculture. Her presentation gave an overview of the industry as a whole, including its importance not simply as a food producing sector but in terms of environmental and community sustainability. Ultimately, she zoned in on the well-reported lacking legislative support for the aquaculture industry as being the greatest challenge facing the aquaculture industry here for some years now.

The subsequent speakers shared regulatory perspectives as marine planners. Introducing marine spatial planning in England, Benjamin Coppin, Marine Planner at the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) updated on the recent adoption of the North East, North West, South East and South West Marine Plans, as well as the development of Strategic Areas of Sustainable Aquaculture Production, which can help protect opportunities for marine aquaculture in England by informing decisions around marine licensing. Additionally, brexit, though not responsible for stagnation in the industry’s output there has caused a rethink in terms of diversification of output agenda.

A screenshot from the meeting: Ben Coppins introduces England's marine planning regions

Figure:           Marine Planning in England divided into 11 planning areas and is based on a simple planning philosophy

 

Presenting Ireland’s legislative framework was Tom Woolley, Marine Planning Advisor at the Marine Planning Policy and Legislation Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. As it happens, Tom has spent several years with the MMO in England and the so-called DMAP system, Designated Marine Area Plans, in Ireland mirrors to some extent the England planning-led development of the aquaculture industry. As well as an overview of marine spatial planning he introduced the National Marine Planning Framework, NMPF, as well as the newly published Maritime Area Planning Bill, launched this week under NMPF. The framework, which will apply to a maritime area of approximately 495,000km², outlines a vision for how we want to use, protect and enjoy our seas in the years up to 2040.

 

The Marine 2040 discussion proceeded and indeed preceded by robust discussion from the Terersa Morrissey and other attendees from the aquaculture sector. Among the talking points were:

  • Whereas monitoring and enforcement forms a major pillar of NMPF, producers’ representatives repeated their, at this stage, mantra there is no legislative support for the aquaculture industry, the DAFM, Department of Agriculture and the Marine declined to participate in the spatial planning process
  • It was expressed as “difficult to understand” that the aquaculture and fisheries sectors are absent in the Maritime Area Planning Bill. The planning bill, it was noted in specific reference to its DMAPs, has the ability to be progressive in terms of promoting the aquaculture industry but there seems to be a feeling that the lack of support from the DAFM contrasts sharply with the renewable industry sector, a sector that may become an El Dorado for in investment which is the very much not so in the case of the aquaculture industry.

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Please get in touch with Marcus or Sara, details below, for any information or to register your interest.

Thanks to all our speakers today, co-presenter Sara from Access2Sea and to all who participated.

Further information, links from today’s session and contact:

Hosts:

Marcus Ó Conaire

marcus@udaras.ie, https://www.linkedin.com/in/óconaire-marcus/

Sara Da Silva Pires Marques Barrento

s.i.barrento@swansea.ac.uk, https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarabarrento/

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Links:

Irish Farmers Association Aquaculture Committee  https://www.ifa.ie/sector-committees/aquaculture-committee/

England’s MMO, today’s speaker Benjamin.Coppin@marinemanagement.org.uk

And a few England links referred to: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/adoption-of-marine-plans-marks-big-step-forward-for-englands-seashttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/identification-of-areas-of-aquaculture-potential-in-english-waters-mmo1184

Ireland Marine Spatial Planning msp@housing.gov.ie

And a few Ireland links referred to MAP Bill: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a1a65-maritime-area-planning-bill/

NMPF: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/60e57-national-marine-planning-framework/

Programme and flyer for today’s event can be downloaded at http://access2sea.eu/mara-07-2021/

Programme and flyer for March’s event can be downloaded at http://access2sea.eu/mara-2021/

Presentamos el evento científico internacional Ocean Hackathon® San Fernando 2021

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  • CEEI Bahía de Cádiz y el Centro Tecnológico de Acuicultura de Andalucía (CTAQUA), en colaboración con la Universidad de Cádiz, el Ayuntamiento de San Fernando y el NTC Navantia, organizan este foro científico internacional que se celebrará del 5 al 7 de noviembre.
  • Durante 48 horas ininterrumpidas, el Navantia Training Centre (NTC) se convertirá en un laboratorio de innovación para los equipos participantes, que tendrán que desarrollar propuestas que respondan a diversos retos utilizando datos digitales enfocados en el mar, y en esta edición vinculados directamente con la acuicultura.

06/10/2021 – Navantia Training Centre (NTC), el centro de formación de la compañía naval ubicado en San Fernando, acogerá en noviembre el Ocean Hackathon® 2021, un importante evento científico internacional promovido por el Campus Mondial de la Mer de Brest (Francia), en el que se dan cita proyectos relacionados con el mar. La sexta edición de este foro se celebra por segunda vez en la provincia de Cádiz, siendo San Fernando la única ciudad española entre los participantes.

CEEI Bahía y el Centro Tecnológico de Acuicultura de Andalucía (CTAQUA), en colaboración con la Universidad de Cádiz, el Ayuntamiento de San Fernando y Navantia Training Centre, organizan este foro científico internacional que se celebrará simultáneamente en todas las ciudades participantes a nivel global, del 5 al 7 de noviembre. A esta edición se han unido un total de 15 ciudades entre las que se encuentran Boulogne, Brest, Cape Town, Cardiff, Champs sur Marne, Fort de France, Nouméa, La Rochelle, Split, Toulon, Santiago de Chile, Sète, Ciudad de México, San Francisco y San Fernando.

Durante 48 horas ininterrumpidas estas sedes del Ocean Hackathon® se convertirán en un laboratorio de innovación para los equipos participantes, que tendrán que desarrollar propuestas que respondan a diversos retos utilizando datos digitales enfocados en el mar, y en esta edición vinculados directamente con la acuicultura.

En abril, la organización del evento lanzó una convocatoria de retos para identificar proyectos en los que los equipos se posicionarán en el Hackathon que se celebrará en San Fernando. En esta convocatoria se solicitó que los retos tengan una relación directa con el mar y con la acuicultura, demuestren su innovación y originalidad, estén dirigidos a la conservación del mar y que para su desarrollo sea necesario el uso de datos. Todas las personas físicas y jurídicas, administración pública, grupos de investigación, universidades, centros tecnológicos, etc. podían hacer llegar sus retos.

Para dar a conocer los retos seleccionados, iniciar la convocatoria de registro de los participantes y ofrecer más detalles de este evento científico internacional, la organización ha realizado hoy una presentación en el NTC de Navantia presidida por José Antonio Rodríguez Poch, director del Astillero Navantia Bahía de Cádiz; Regla Moreno, concejala-delegada de Desarrollo Turístico y Empleo del Ayuntamiento de San Fernando; Carmen Romero, presidenta de CEEI Bahía de Cádiz; Juan Manuel García de Lomas, director gerente de CTAQUA y María Jesús Mosquera, vicerrectora de Política Científica y Tecnológica de la Universidad de Cádiz.

En su intervención, Regla Moreno, ha destacado que este evento para un municipio como San Fernando, rodeado de salinas e integrado en el Parque Natural Bahía de Cádiz, supone “un reto y una oportunidad en el proceso de transformación de modelo de ciudad que desde el gobierno municipal estamos llevando a cabo”. En este sentido, la dirigente ha puesto de relieve la importancia que tiene la colaboración público-privada para que, como ocurrirá en este caso, “se produzca una transferencia de conocimiento entre los participantes y puedan marcar nuevas líneas de acción para un sistema productivo, como el de la Acuicultura”.

Para finalizar, ha agradecido la labor y el trabajo realizado por el CEEI Bahía de Cádiz, la fundación CTAQUA y la Universidad de Cádiz para llevar a cabo proyectos como Ocean Hackathon que sirven de canalizador de ideas y proyectos interesantes y permiten mostrar al mundo conceptos innovadores y compartir conocimientos relacionados con los mares y los océanos. Como no podía ser de otra forma, también ha agradecido a Navantia su implicación con la ciudad y con este tipo de iniciativas. Hay que recordar que esta es una de las primeras actividades que se realiza tras el convenio firmado entre el Ayuntamiento de San Fernando y este organismo.

Siete son los retos de este evento científico. El primer reto es “El océano no es un marketplace, nosotros sí”, de la empresa Aktios Security Services, mientras que el segundo se titula “Transporte inteligente: un sistema de rutas meteorológicas”, de David Gómez Ullate; el tercero “Sensor para la optimización del crecimiento de peces y algas en sistemas acuícolas”, de Miguel López Gil; el cuarto “Alianza del turismo y la acuicultura para la sostenibilidad”, de Juan Manuel Bustos García. La Asociación de Empresas de Acuicultura Marina de Andalucía (ASEMA); ha propuesto el quinto reto llamado “Desarrollo de software para el uso de drones dedicados a la vigilancia y control de aves ictiófagas en acuicultura”; el sexto es “Estimación de la productividad natural y la biomasa de peces utilizando vehículos dirigidos de forma remota (ROV)”, de Cultivos Marinos del Sur, S.A.; y el último reto es “Integración de la acuicultura en plataformas eólicas flotantes”, promovido por el Clúster Marítimo Naval de Cádiz.

“Cada reto ha surgido de una idea simple o una necesidad o de un proyecto más maduro que necesita un impulso o experimentación especial”, explica Ana Suárez, responsable de proyectos europeos del CEEI. Tras dar a conocer los retos, hoy empieza una fase muy importante con la apertura de inscripciones a los participantes que desean resolver estos retos. “Para participar, las personas interesadas deberán cumplimentar el formulario (https://site.evenium.net/ohcadiz2021) y seleccionar 3 retos a los que le gustaría adherirse. La fecha límite es el 3 de noviembre de 2021”, detalla.

Durante el Ocean Hackathon® los participantes sólo pueden unirse a un equipo, que estará compuesto por un mínimo de 3 y un máximo de 8 personas, siendo preferible contar con equipos multidisciplinares con diferentes competencias. El perfil de los participantes puede ser estudiantes universitarios, doctorandos, profesionales por cuenta propia o ajena o personas individuales con intereses en las temáticas propuestas por lo retos. Durante 48 horas, los equipos participantes tendrán que desarrollar propuestas que respondan a los retos utilizando datos digitales.

Al finalizar el Hackathon de San Fernando, el domingo 7 de noviembre, se elegirá un equipo ganador, que será propuesto para participar en la competición final internacional a finales de 2021 en Brest que repartirá 8000 euros en premios entre los 3 primeros equipos.

Ocean Hackathon® es una de las actividades recogidas por Naciones Unidas para la Década de las Ciencias Oceánicas para el Desarrollo Sostenible. Se trata de una importante actividad para la Bahía de Cádiz, que se convertirá durante estos días en el escenario de la innovación, donde se fomentará el intercambio de conocimientos, el uso de las nuevas tecnologías y el espíritu emprendedor.

Este evento es cofinanciado por el proyecto europeo Access2Sea, enmarcado en el programa EU-INTERREG Atlantic Area y liderado por CEEI Bahía de Cádiz, que busca hacer más atractivo el Espacio Atlántico para la acuicultura facilitando un acceso más sostenible a la oportunidad de negocio.

SAVE THE DATE: “The European Maritime Day in Portugal”

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The European Maritime Day (EMD) will take place on the 30th of September, in Matosinhos (Portugal), within the scope of ACCESS2SEA (http://access2sea.eu), a European project financed by the ERDF through the INTERREG-Atlantic Area programme. It is organized by CIIMAR, in collaboration with CRIA-UALG (Portuguese partners of ACCESS2SEA) and APA (Portuguese Aquaculture Association).

The topics will address licensing, administrative territorial planning for aquaculture and acceptance of aquaculture products by consumers, which have limited the expansion of Portuguese aquaculture, as well as its sustainable development.

The event will take place in Portuguese and is open to the entire community, with the possibility of participation in-person or virtually (it will be broadcast in streaming).

 

Date: 30/09/2021

Participation is free, but requires registration at: https://forms.gle/WSifZDofbcobGEBn7

More information, here.

 

Swansea University: LINC – The blue Economy webinar

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Prof. Carlos Garcia de Leaniz gave a keynote at the LINC event, focusing on The Blue Economy, on the 21st of June 2021. The event is available to watch on YouTube and focuses on the Blue Economy which is increasingly important to Wales in economic, sustainability, and climate change terms.

Prof.  Carlos Garcia de Leaniz showcased many of the activities taking place at the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research including the Access2Sea project pilot on lumpfish welfare.

Text and images by Dr Sara Barrento
Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research, Swansea University

 

 

WEBINAR on Marine Spatial Planning

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Údarás na Gaeltachta is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting, Flyer and agenda PDF download here

When: Jul 6, 2021 10:00 AM Dublin

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvduGvrT8oGNJavL7bS2izQ1qx2EvSLSOW

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

 

 

 

Fish diets supplemented with Gracilaria by-products

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A study published in the journal “Aquaculture” by CIIMAR researchers revealed that the by-products of the processing of the red alga Gracilaria sp. can be applied as supplements in the diets of sea bream, positively influencing the intestinal microbiota and skin color of these fish, without compromising their growth.

This work also evaluated the effect of these diets on the quality of the sea bream fillet. In the future, it is intended to evaluate the immunomodulatory potential of algae by-products in sea bream. To know more about the study, please follow the link.

PROBIO VACCINE PROJECT RESPONDS TO THE NEED OF ORAL AQUACULTURE VACCINES

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The CIIMAR project Probio Vaccine will receive € 10,000 from U.Porto Inovação BIP proof programme to enhance research results. 

 

ProbioVaccine project responds to the very current need of oral aquaculture vaccines, given the complexity of vaccinating fish by injectable route, as explained by the CIIMAR reseracher Cláudia Serra, the researcher responsible for the project.

 

BIP Proof, in addition to being an important recognition for the team, is also an incentive to continue working. The value of the prize will essentially be used to improve the technology and also in vivo tests on the target aquaculture species, in order to establish the protective effect of oral vaccines.

SIDESTREAM PROJECT WILL PRODUCE NEW INGREDIENTS FROM RECYCLED RESOURCES

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CIIMAR is one of the partner institutions of SIDESTREAM European Consortium in Blue Bioeconomy. SIDESTREAM aims to produce new ingredients for aquaculture by recycling resources that, until know, were considerate waste.

 

To know more check the link.

SEAFOODTOMORROW PROJECT RESULTS HELP TO SECURE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY

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Launched in 2017, SEAFOODTOMORROW project concluded in April 2021 and laid the foundations to strengthen the seafood production and processing industry in Europe and safeguard sustainable seafood for future generations.

 

Funded by the EU Horizon 2020 program, SEAFOODTOMORROW has developed innovative solutions to tackle some of the seafood industry’s biggest issues: sustainability and ensuring the safety, quality, transparency and availability of products that meet consumer needs.

 

Seafood is an important source of high-quality protein and is naturally rich in valuable nutrients for a healthy diet. Approximately three billion people rely on (wild-caught and farmed) seafood as a primary source of protein. As both the world population and aquaculture continue to expand, it is vital to develop new, innovative and eco-friendly solutions to ensure that global seafood security and quality meet market demands.

 

Launched in 2017, SEAFOODTOMORROW aimed to tackle these challenges. The project concluded in April 2021. To know more details about the achievement of this project please check the press release.

CIIMAR STUDY SHOWS THAT TENEBRIO MOLITOR LARVAE MEAL IS LARGELY FEASIBLE IN EUROPEAN SEA BASS

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The CIIMAR study “The Use of Defatted Tenebrio molitor Larvae Meal as a Main Protein Source Is Supported in European Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) by Data on Growth Performance, Lipid Metabolism, and Flesh Quality” published in Frontiers in Physiology demonstrate that fish meal replacement by defatted Tenebrio molitor larvae meal is largely feasible in European sea bass without detrimental effects on growth performance, nutrient utilization, intestinal integrity, and flesh nutritional and textural quality.

 

The authors Ana Basto and Luisa M.P. Valente from CIIMAR also were able to study the underlying mechanisms involved in nutrient metabolism, namely lipid metabolism, while using defatted Tenebrio molitor larvae meal to replace fish meal by defatted Tenebrio molitor larvae meal on fillet quality of European sea bass.

 

Further research is needed to fully validate such nutritional approach at farm level throughout the production cycle.

 

To see all the details of this study please check the link.