Closed Containment Aquaculture System (CCAS)
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The Secretary General of the European Fisheries Producers Federation (FEAP), Javier Ojeda, has emphasized the urgency of promoting sustainable intensive aquaculture to align more closely with the aquaculture policies of other international organizations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
According to Ojeda, who is also the manager of the Business Association of Aquaculture of Spain (APROMAR), the approach taken by the European Commission is less realistic as it focuses on extensive production of low-trophic-level species, such as the farming of sea cucumbers, shellfish, and algae.
This occurred during the event "Navigating the Future of Aquaculture in the EU," held on October 14 in Brussels by the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council.
In April, FEAP also asked the EU for balance measures between environmental protection and food production in the context of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2024.
In more detail, the Secretary explained that the current trend ignores the nutritional values of omnivorous fish and their potential to achieve European food sovereignty.
At present, the sector is facing limitations in its growth and negative public perception that further complicates the social acceptance of these aquaculture practices.
The consequences of all this are the continued decline of self-sufficiency in aquatic products within the EU and an increased dependence on imports.
'It is time to change course by urging that food production becomes as high a priority in EU policies as environmental protection,' he stated."
