2018-08-31
Norway, Sweden, Spain and France hosted a Brazil-Europe technical mission that ended today (30/08), after presenting the state of the art of aquaculture research to Brazilian stakeholders and paving the way for a series of potential partnerships between Brazilian and European institutions.
The mission was kicked off on 20 August in Oslo, Norway, where participants visited NOFIMA, one of the largest European institutes of applied research in fisheries, aquaculture and food. The delegation attended a presentation on the aquaculture research division, with a special focus on nutrition, genetics, pathology, and production biology. The Brazilian delegation was particularly impressed at the lean, industry-focused institutional organisation and the interface between various sectors through joint projects and actions with the industry. A second meeting with representatives from NOFIMA was held a few days later in Montpellier, France, which increased the chances of cooperation between Brazilian research centres and the Norwegian institute in the areas of nutrition and genetics for aquaculture species.
On the second day of the mission, the delegation visited the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden, which hosts an aquaculture project to produce oysters, molluscs and algae, which are multipurpose species. Although the university does not have any marine aquaculture projects due to regulatory restrictions, it works in cooperation with Norwegian researchers. The Brazilian delegation gained insight into a hydroponic tomato farming project involving fish. According to Andrei Polejack, Coordinator-General of Oceans, Antarctica and Geosciences of the MCTIC (Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications), despite the lack of aquaculture capabilities, the centre conducts advanced basic research in marine biology and is a potential partner of institutions in Brazil in several marine science domains.
In Spain, the mission focused on the Region of Murcia, where aquaculture is a key booming industry. Along its 250 km coastal line, Murcia has 13 marine aquaculture farms (11 of which focus on fattening and two wok on breeding and pre-breeding).
The Brazilian group was hosted by the Regional Councillor for Water, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Miguel Ángel del Amor. The Brazilian delegation visited the open sea facilities of a marine farming company that produces corvina and gilt-head bream in Cala Barilla (Aguilas). Back on land, the group watched fish processing and packaging operations. According to the company, they deliver anywhere in Spain within 24 hours.
While in Aguilas, the group went to Cabo Cope to see tuna fish fry tanks, which develop initially on land and are later taken to high seas for fattening. Finally, the Brazilians visited marine farms that produce bluefin tuna in El Gorguel (Cartagena).
“It was quite interesting since Brazil is attempting to develop research in this domain in order to fill an existing marine fish production gap. We produce shrimp and molluscs, and we tried fish but it did not work as it was very costly. Spain is interested in producing shrimps and molluscs. There is also the possibility of celebrating a memorandum of understanding for the exchange of personnel and technology between Brazil and the regional government of Murcia,” says Polejack.
Del Amor confirmed their interest in cooperating with Brazil and stressed the importance of this industry for the regional economy: “Fishing and aquaculture production generate approximately 1,000 direct jobs and a total of 125 million euro in revenues, of which aquaculture accounts for 108 million euro and over 14,000 tons of production, up 5% in relation to 2017."
The final destination of the Brazilian delegation was Aquaculture Europe 2018 (Aqua18), held on 25-29 August in Montpellier, France. This event brings together the academic community, industry and other stakeholders, and focuses on the latest research and innovations in aquaculture.
The mission was part of the European Union-Brazil Sector Dialogues Support Facility, and mission members included Wagner Cotroni Valenti, a professor at UNESP (State University of São Paulo); Ronaldo Cavalli, professor at FURG (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul); Eric Routledge, from EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation); Giovanni de Mello, professor at UDESC (State University of Santa Catarina) and Director of PeixeBR (Brazilian Fish Farming Association); and Andrei Polejack.
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