Mediterranean Aquaculture: Marine Fish Farming Development

Abstract

in many parts of the world, aquaculture production in the Mediterranean has been expanding rapidly over recent years. Total aquaculture production in the region reached 1,266,959 t in 1999, which represents approximately 6% of the world aquaculture production (3% in 1995). Although Mediterranean aquaculture still focuses more on mollusc production (53.9%), the share of fish production is progressing constantly (46% in 1999, and 35% in 1995), parallel to global trends of world aquaculture. The Mediterranean coast displays a wide range of geographical characteristics and supports many functions, such as tourism, residential development, and conservation, which may compete with aquaculture for resources. Many coastal areas are also physically exposed, unsuitable for traditional inshore-based farming. Within this context, intensive marine fish farming is increasingly moving towards exposed offshore environments, requiring technology development which has largely originated from Northern European systems. For small islands such as Cyprus or Malta and along touristic and highly urbanised shorelines (Catalonia and Canary Islands, Spain) where space is scarce, such systems have shown their importance in developing aquaculture. This paper reviews the process of development of marine fish farming in the Mediterranean region, providing information on statistics (volume, species, number of farms) and an overview of production techniques, main farm characteristics, and finally some thoughts about industry constraints and development options.