Nazaré, Portugal
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The aquaculture cluster of Nazaré, Portugal, which will host a new pioneering pre-commercial unit in Europe, has received a total investment of 3,2 million euros.
The unit will reuse the waste from the raised fish to nourish hydroponically grown plants while purifying the water that returns to the fish. It will occupy an area of approximately 1000m2. Also, the system will include a microalgae subsystem that will allow the filtering of wastewater.
Through a statement released on its website, the government of Portugal informed that the Secretary of State for Fisheries, Teresa Coelho, the President of Docapesca - Ports and Fish Markets, S.A., Sérgio Faias, and the CEO of Building Global Innovators (BGI), Gonçalo Amorim visited the facilities to mark the beginning of construction.
Located within the jurisdiction area of Docapesca, the project's first phase totals an investment of approximately 1.3 million euros. It is expected to be in full operation by the end of the first semester.
"The investment already made in the port of Nazaré amounts to 5.5 million euros. The activity expansion that is being prepared can reach a 50 million euros investment and can generate around 100 qualified jobs," underlined Teresa Coelho.
Building Global Innovators (BGI) leads this project with the collaboration of International Development Norway and Food4Sustainability. In addition, the Biomarine Center and the Fresh Ocean Operations Center will receive support to develop a bivalve hatchery, laboratories, a purification plant, and a bivalve dispatch center.
Finally, the project will include the Aquacria unit for the growth and fattening of European flounder in a water recirculation system. It will involve an initial investment of approximately 25.6 million euros, with a production capacity of 840 tons per year and the creation of 37 jobs.
The engineering and consultancy company focused on land-based intensive fish-farming Landing Aquaculture has announced that it will collaborate in the supply for Nazaré's new port.
The system provided by Landing Aquaculture will focus on research and has been already used in the port of Peniche to produce "premium" Corvina. Finally, the 'Nano' land system is used for multitrophic aquaculture research in Figueira da Foz.