Family photo of the participants in the seminar organized by Spain's aquaculture trade body APROMAR at the University of Almeria, Andalusia.
Photo: University of Almeria.
The Spanish Aquaculture Business Association (APROMAR), in collaboration with Ocean Aquaculture Global (OAC) and the University of Almeria (UAL) in Andalusia, held a two-day seminar last week to explore yellowtail's aquaculture potential in Spain.
The first session, held on March 25, was a closed workshop for professionals in which researchers, feed producers, fish farmers, and different companies related to aquaculture, as well as representatives of the Administration, talked about the challenges and strengths of the sector for the farming of this species and how it should be conducted in Spain.
The second, held on March 26, was a more informative day, open to society as one more of the actions developed by APROMAR within the Strategic Aquaculture Communication Plan (PLECA). Spain's aquaculture trade body launched this plan in 2019 after detecting that the lack of knowledge regarding aquaculture as a method of obtaining sea and river species led to image and acceptance problems for aquaculture products among the Spanish population.
As said, its great potential as an aquaculture species has been the premise under which this seminar on the future of yellowtail (Seriola dumerili) in Spain has been carried out. Also known in the country as 'lemon fish' (amberjack), 'medregal', or 'lecha', given its characteristics, this species is focusing attention as a way of maximum interest for the diversification of Spanish aquaculture.
Among these characteristics, from the point of view of its biology, the yellowtail has a very fast growth. In approximately one year, it can reach a kilo, a kilo and a half of weight, while other species, such as sea bream or sea bass, reach half a kilo in the same period. In addition, it is also valued as a great food converter.
From a commercial point of view, for its part, it is a very versatile product since it can be transformed and used in numerous recipes, in addition to having a very good nutrient composition.
During the informative day, Mabel Sáez, coordinator of the CEI-Mar (Marine Classroom) at the University of Almeria explained that "unlike sea bream and sea bass, yellowtail has a larger format and this allows a greater transformation of the product, which is very interesting because of the price and the different presentation formats, such as salmon, which is easy to buy smoked, sliced, whole loin..."
During her speech, Sáez also pointed out that, until now, the consumption of this species has been mainly from extractive fishing, but she also recalled that fishing and aquaculture "always have to be united" because "sustainability is also sought."
"Consumers increasingly demand more fish, and, in fact, we even have to import because we do not meet what we need, so the development of this production is very positive for everyone, both for the Administration, as for the company, as academic institutions and, after all, for consumers," added the coordinator of UAL's CEI-Mar.
Garazi Rodríguez, responsible for Production and Marketing Plans and coordinator of APROMAR's innovation department, spoke along the same lines, expressing the intention to promote the farming of yellowtail in Spain.
"Work began years ago as it is a species with a great commercial interest, which has very good flavor, nutritional value, many positive characteristics, but it is still difficult to scale this production to have sufficient volumes for future demand," she explained.
Rodríguez defined Seriola dumerili as "a young species" for the diversification process of Spanish aquaculture. "New species are being introduced and, for that, we have to work hard because it takes many years to be able to fine-tune the farming techniques," she said.
The head of Production and Marketing Plans, and coordinator of APROMAR's innovation department, added that the seminar held in Almeria is part of the collective work that must be carried out by the industry, academia and the Administration, stressing that the choice of this Andalusian city in particular was not by chance given its relationship with both aquaculture activity and innovation.
"A hatchery project is already being implemented in the sea, offshore, further away from the coast than is usual, which ensures that larger volumes can be grown and also with greater sustainability and better use of the environment's resources," Garazi Rodríguez said.
The company responsible for this production in Almeria is precisely Ocean Aquaculture Global, the private company participating in the seminar. With an annual production capacity of 12,000 metric tons, its offshore farm project in the Andalusia region focuses on farming yellowtail and meagre (Argyrosomus regius).
The APROMAR representative added that UAL's trajectory has also been taken into account. "This university is already working on yellowtail, it is working on nutrition topics and other issues of its biology, researching. It is an important reference, and it is a way to give visibility and promote this farming not only here in Almeria, but in other parts of Spain."
From the UAL, Mabel Sáez insisted on the importance of the seminar "as it positions Andalusia, Almeria, and our university in the development and optimization of yellowtail farming, a new fish that has entered diversification." She added that "it has a lot of potential to be farmed in Andalusia, but especially in Almeria," which is in addition to the fact that "the UAL is very committed to the blue economy and also to aquaculture."
The commitment of the University of Almeria to aquaculture was also highlighted by José Antonio Sánchez, vice-rector of Science Policy of the UAL, who pointed out that the institution has been working in this field for more than 30 years, including with European projects.
Sánchez recalled that the probably-first European project the UAL had was focused on aquaculture and dealt with the nutrition of fry from microalgae. "It is clear that we have always had a vocation to support this sector, and at the same time, we are also involved in supporting the blue economy, seeking to be a benchmark institution in this field," he added.
The vice-rector for Science Policy stated that "the University of Almeria is always delighted to receive companies, especially in sectors as interesting as aquaculture," and recalled that this Andalusian province on the Mediterranean coast has "200 kilometers of coastline with really clean water that lends itself very well to the practice of aquaculture."
However, Andalusia's potential for yellowtail farming is not limited to offshore aquaculture. In another Andalusian province, in Cadiz, Futuna Blue, a subsidiary of the Norwegian group Kingfish Norway, obtained last January the approval of the license for constructing a Seriola dumerili fattening center in the municipality of El Puerto de Santa María.
The yellowtail land-based facility is on a 10,000-square-meter plot in the local port's aquaculture cluster. In Phase 1, Futuna Blue foresees an annual production of 450 tons of Seriola using a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), and the company has also begun preparations for an ambitious Phase 2, which includes expanding to 4,500 tons per year in an area of 47,000 square meters.
