FutureEUAqua – FUTURE GROWTH IN SUSTAINABLE, RESILIENT AND CLIMATE FRIENDLY ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL EUROPEAN AQUACULTURE

European aquaculture production has reached 1.25 million tonnes of seafood annually, with a value of over 4 billion euro. Of this amount, 4% is certified as organic, amounting in 2015 to a total of approximately 50,000 tonnes (EUMOFA, 2017). In 2015, EU consumers spent 54 billion euro for buying fisheries and aquaculture products, reaching the highest amount ever recorded (EUMOFA, 2017). Nevertheless, Europe is still heavily dependent on external markets to cover this demand. The increased demand for aquaculture products has to be covered at the same time as food production need to be more sustainable, climate friendly and supporting the UN Sustainable goals. The newly started EU project FutureEUAqua aims to effectively promote sustainable growth in aquaculture that is resilient to climate changes, and environmental friendly organic and conventional aquaculture of major fish species in Europe. It is a well-documented assumption that aquaculture that will meet future challenges with respect to the growing consumer demand for high quality, nutritious and responsibly produced food. FutureEUAqua will promote innovations in the whole value chain, including genetic selection, ingredients and feeds, non-invasive monitoring technologies, innovative fish products and packaging methods, optimal production systems such as IMTA and RAS, taking into account socioeconomic considerations by the participation of a wide spectrum of stakeholders, training and dissemination activities. To achieve these ambiguous goals, 32 partners from R&D, industry and associations, originating from nine countries will collaborate in research, training, dissemination and contact with stakeholders through e.g. stakeholder events. FutureEUAqua will contribute with innovations that will arrive Technology readiness level (TRL) ranging from five to nine. Innovations will result from all research topics, including sustainable genotypes, feeds and farming management solutions; smart tools to monitor the farming environment that guarantee aquatic animal health and welfare, tailor-made aquaculture fresh/processed foods and packaging, IT tools and information packages to improve consumer’s awareness about aquaculture products and related markets.