Seven traditional fishing communities in Spain have been selected to receive training in state-of-the-art aquaculture.
Beginning in September, the Málaga provincial authority and municipalities on the Costa del Sol will implement the European Social Fund Aqua-Nostrum program as part of the empleaverde (green) employment in marine conservation project.
Aqua-Nostrum instructors will deliver seven training courses to 140 autonomous fish workers, promoting sustainable aquaculture within the framework of social and economic development. Specific objectives are promoting enterprise development, offering business advice, exchanges of experiences and knowledge, industry modernization, diversification, restructuring of existing enterprises and encouraging eco-innovation in research and development.
José Antonio Ponce, VP of the Association of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol, emphasized aquaculture’s economic potential: “In these times of economic crisis, especially virulent in the province of Málaga, this activity can be an important source of employment for a thousand families on the coast,” he said.
Deputy Environment Minister Miguel Esteban Martín Montero said that aquaculture is not only a source of employment but the source of quality seafood, which helps in the fight against hunger and supports conservation of the seabed. “Our fisheries are being depleted at a rapid pace — aquaculture can help restore the seabed,” he said.
Málaga is one of eight municipalities in Andalucia, and, in a coordinated move, the regional government announced it will invest EUR 1.2 million (USD 1.5 million) this year in projects and studies aimed at improving fisheries management and aquaculture resources.
This includes a project to reintroduce brown trout in local rivers in the provinces of Cádiz, Granada, Jaen and Almeria. In addition, the species’ development potential will be mapped.
Also announced Tuesday, Spanish Fisheries Minister Elena Espinosa will sign a general partnership protocol to keep the Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and International Union for the Conservation of Nature permanently based in Málaga.
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