Design for Mariculture Systems' CORALIS fish farming platform, designed to produce up to 8,000 tonnes of fish per year.
Mariculture Systems
Mariculture Systems Portugal has announced it has reached a "major milestone", with the approval of the maritime signalling project for its ambitious aquaculture facility offshore from the traditional fishing town of Vila Real de Santo António, Algarve.
The company, which is developing its proprietary "CORALIS" offshore fish farming platform, designed to produce up to 8,000 tonnes of sea bass and sea bream per year, has now defined its final location 12 kilometres off the southern coast of Portugal, having secured formal approval from Portugal's National Maritime Authority (AMN) and the Port of Vila Real de Santo António.
"Jointly with the approval of the environment impact assessment study, this is one of the last steps required to complete the licensing process and receive a TAA (Title for Aquaculture Activity)," Mariculture Systems Portugal announced in LinkedIn.
"With this approval, we are one step away from our goal of delivering responsibly farmed, high-quality seabass & seabream to the market, while reducing import dependency," the company added.
In a recent in-depth interview with WeAreAquaculture, the team behind the Mariculture Systems project explained that Portugal’s coast offers the perfect conditions to test the capabilities of their platform, which is designed to withstand waves up to 17 metres high. Portugal is also a major seafood market, consuming 60 kilograms per person annually, most of which is currently imported.
“We believe offshore aquaculture is the future, and we intend to lead that movement globally, with Portugal as our spearhead,” CEO Yaron Bar-Tal told WeAreAquaculture.
The project is currently in the final stages of securing permits, including voluntary environmental impact assessments, and expects to complete the approval process before the end of 2024 or in early 2025.
