French Federation of Aquaculture celebrates 100 year anniversary

Aquaculture has a very long history in France - and one of the sector's oldest representatives, the Fédération Française d'Aquaculture, is this week celebrating its 100th birthday.

Founded in 1924, the FFA is a national federation representing the entire French fish farming sector, including marine fish farming, freshwater salmon farming, sturgeon and caviar production, and pond farming.

Among those celebrating the 100 year anniversary is French aquaculture cooperative Cooperative Francaise de l'Aquaculture (COFA), which itself has a long history within France's aquaculture sector, founded in 1947.

In a French-language LinkedIn post marking the occasion, COFA said the FFA "has played a key role in the development of the sector, which is essential for French food sovereignty and the preservation of our aquatic resources".

The Federation brings together eight regional unions of salmonid producers (such as Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, and Arctic Char) and also includes three nationwide groups: the French Association of Pond Fish Farming Professionals, Ponds of France, and the French Union for Marine and Sturgeon Aquaculture.

According to its website, at the national level, the FFA "defends the moral and material interests of its members, studies economic, social, environmental, health, and legal issues concerning the profession, promotes production overall, informs members on all matters of general interest, coordinates the actions of its members, and represents them to public authorities, administrations, and various organizations. It creates and participates in all institutions of collective professional or social interest."

Within France, the FFA represents producers within the Comité Interprofessionnel des Produits de l'Aquaculture (CIPA), which brings together representative professional organizations in the fish farming sector (excluding ponds) through three groups: producers, processors, and feed manufacturers.

At the international level, the Federation coordinates aquaculture union activities between France and other countries, and represents its member unions to governmental and professional bodies in Europe and worldwide.