Farmed fish production in San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, in southeastern Spain, is expected to increase by 2,100 metric tons (MT) following the confirmation that new aquaculture sites have been approved by authorities.
Regional government also believes the expansion will lead to the creation of 130 new jobs.
The project will get underway with the extension of a first site’s capacity by 300 MT to a total output of 1,500 MT. The expansion of six other sites should be ready by next summer, once an Environmental Monitoring Plan has been completed.
The Murcia region, which focuses on seabass, seabream, and bluefin tuna production, currently comprises 14 marine farming facilities and a production plant that generates 1,000 direct jobs.
Murcia’s total fish production currently has an annual value of EUR 125 million (USD 145.6 million), of which aquaculture contributes EUR 108 million (USD 125.8 million).
Last year, it supplied 14,000 MT of aquaculture products, 2,000 MT more than in 2016, putting the region at the head of Spanish seabass and bluefin tuna production, and No.2 in terms of national seabream harvests.
