Read more
Aquaculture production in the Mediterranean has rapidly expanded in the last decade. Production techniques have progressed as a result of efforts by the private sector and the scientific community but problems have concurrently been faced. One salient characteristic of the Mediterranean is the regional nature of the market for marine aquaculture products. To deal with the emerging issues and to maintain the momentum, regional cooperation was required. Three international networks involving partnerships between UN organisations (FAO), Mediterranean regional (CIHEAM) and national institutions are now operational. They are placed under the aegis of the Committee on Aquaculture of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). These networks are TECAM (Technology of Aquaculture in the Mediterranean), SELAM (Socioeconomic and Legal Aspects of Aquaculture in the Mediterranean) and SIPAM (System of Information for the Promotion of Aquaculture in the Mediterranean).
TECAM and SELAM networks are coordinated by the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) which has been, since 1995, organising and implementing the activities through the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (IAMZ), in collaboration with FAO and other Mediterranean institutions. At present, subjects included in the TECAM network are nutrition, genetics, health management and species diversification. Activities of the SELAM network have so far included marketing, production economics and aquaculture planning.
As regards the TECAM Network, although special attention has been given to biological aspects, the field of production technology is also considered of key importance. In this sense, the TECAM Advanced Course on Mediterranean Off-shore Mariculture (Zaragoza, Spain, October 1997), upon which this volume is based, should not be considered as an isolated activity, as the network has already addressed other technological aspects, e.g. techniques for Mediterranean Hatcheries. Aware of the growing interest of the sector in these technologies, it was agreed to take advantage of the valuable information gathered during the course and publish it.
The collated texts are organised to provide an overview of the Mediterranean production sector and the concepts of offshore systems (site selection, mooring design, off-shore systems, net systems, etc.), followed by a description of the recent development of the mariculture sector, and its movement offshore in a number of key countries. The production technologies and the technical design issues of offshore systems are then described, based primarily on marine fish production, but also including shellfish culture. Finally, a financial/economic comparison is developed for typical offshore production systems, and the overall conclusions of the course/volume are presented.
We trust that this publication, the ninth volume devoted to aquaculture already published in the CIHEAM journal, will be an updated reference and a valuable source of information for those interested in aquaculture development in the Mediterranean.
