Sustainable aquaculture
Sustainable production of biological marine resources
Covering 70 % of the world’s surface, the sea still remains today an exceptional reservoir of biodiversity, enabling fishing, extractions of molecules, food and more recently marine fishfarming.
Area of operation adjusted to regional characteristics
Aquaculture includes the whole range of animal and vegetal production in an aquatic environment, nevertheless the unifying program of Pôle Mer
PACA is focusing specifically on marine fish farming, highly active in its area of expertise, in addition to shellfish breeding, mussel and oyster farming and algae culture (micro algae in particular).
Technological innovation faces challenges
The keys to innovation are based on :
- Space and production mode engineering
- The identification and classification of new species
- Taking into account health risks and rules
- Algae production and valorization of micro-algae.
Strategic challenges include :
- Responses to new food challenges
- The environmental impact limitation
- The coexistence of coastal economies.
Diversified markets
The fish breeding market concerns the production of fish for consumption purposes (sector facing strong competition from Asian countries where largescale fishing is practiced) and the production of alevins to supply
fishfarms (high international demand). The algae culture for bio fuels or for cosmetics is still at the research stage, but prospects look bright for the future.
Proven territorial resources
Fishfarming is undertaken by many different small structures in PACA, Languedoc Roussillon and Corsica, for some, on a European-level (fattening-up farms) and even on an international level (hatchings). Micro-algae production is carried out by start-ups.
This region is capitalizing on the R&D expertise of its laboratories : Ifremer, INRA, CEA, Sud Toulon Var University, Oceanologic Centre of Marseille, Oceanographic observatory of Villefranche-sur-Mer and Banyuls Observatory, Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute,CIRAD, etc.
