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PerformFISH

Consumer driven Production: Integrating Innovative Approaches for Competitive and Sustainable Performance across the Mediterranean Aquaculture Value Chain

Abstract

Gilthead sea bream and European sea bass are by volume the third and fourth most farmed fish species in the EU, while their collective value surpasses that of salmon, trout or mussel. These two species are farmed and contribute significantly to wealth and job creation in rural and coastal areas in all EU Mediterranean countries. However, production of sea bream/bass in the EU has remained stagnant for the last decade and the industry faces significant sustainability challenges. The overarching objective of PerformFISH is to increase the competitiveness of Mediterranean aquaculture by overcoming biological, technical and operational issues with innovative, cost-effective, integrated solutions, while addressing social and environmental responsibility and contributing to “Blue Growth”. PerformFISH adopts a holistic approach constructed with active industry involvement to ensure that Mediterranean marine fish farming matures into a modern dynamic sector, highly appreciated by consumers and society for providing safe and healthy food with a low ecological footprint, and employment and trade in rural, peripheral regions. PerformFISH brings together a representative multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary consortium to generate, validate and apply new knowledge in real farming conditions to substantially improve the management and performance of the focal fish species, measured through Key Performance Indicators. At the core of PerformFISH design are, a) a link between consumer demand and product design, complemented with product certification and marketing strategies to drive consumer confidence, and b) the establishment and use of a numerical benchmarking system to cover all aspects of Mediterranean marine fish farming performance. Created knowledge and innovative solutions will underpin the developed code of conduct and good practices and will foster modernization through capacity building of the Mediterranean aquaculture workforce.

Project details

Unibo Team Leader: Marialetizia Fioravanti

Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Veterinarie

Coordinator:
University of Thessaly - Research Committee - UTH (Greece)

Other Participants:
Universitat Autonoma De Barcelona (Spain)
Aquark- Panagiotis Christofilogiannis - Ioana Tavla (Greece)
Università degli Studi di PADOVA (Italy)
Sintef As (Norway)
Ruder Boskovic Institute (Croatia)
Eurofish-International Organisation For The Development Of Fisheries In Eastern And Central Europe (Denmark)
Universidad De Las Palmas De Gran Canaria - Fundacion Canaria Parque Cientifico Tecnologico (Spain)
Syndicat Des Selectionneurs Avicoles Et Aquacoles Francais (France)
SFAMN-Syndicat Français de l'Aquaculture Marine et Nouvelle (France)
ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per la protezione e la ricerca ambientale (Italy)
Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (Italy)
Associazione Piscicoltori Italiani (Italy)
AquaTT UETP Ltd (Ireland)
Università degli Studi di UDINE (Italy)
Centro De Ciencias Do Mar Do Algarve (Portugal)
Asociacion Empresarial De Productores De Cultivos Marinos - Apromar (Spain)
Croatian Chamber Of Economy Cce (Croatia)
AQUAxprs Limited (United Kingdom)
Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Cientificas (Csic) (Spain)
Cluster De La Acuicultura De Galicia Asociacion (Spain)
Syndesmos Ellhnikon Thalassokalliergeion Somateo-Association Of Greek Mariculture (Greece)
Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre As (Norway)
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna (Italy)
Panepistimio Kritis -University Of Crete (Greece)
Hellenic Centre For Marine Research (Greece)
Sparos Lda (Portugal)
INRAE Clermont-Auvergne-Rhône-Alpe (France)

Third parties:
Grupo Tinamenor SL (Spain)

Total Eu Contribution: Euro (EUR) 6.997.060,75
Project Duration in months: 65
Start Date: 01/05/2017
End Date: 30/10/2022

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