Background information
Type of species farmed
Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), clam, oyster, gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and sole (Solea senegalensis).
Source: 2024, STECF
Type of production method
In 2022, 98% of Portuguese production occurred in sea and brackish waters (almost entirely in marine waters) and 2% in freshwater. The following main production methods were used:
Sector’s size (production and consumption)
Production
16.2 thousand Tn; 160 million € (2024, STECF)
Consumption of fishery and aquaculture products (2022)
54.54 Kg per capita
Variation in consumption (2022/2021)
-4% (2024, EUMOFA)
2024, EUMOFA & STECF
Trends (past and future)
- Diversification in aquaculture products and adaptation to consumer preferences.
- To increase and diversify the supply of national aquaculture products, based on based on principles of environmental sustainability, social cohesion, animal welfare quality and food safety.
Source: MNSPA
Impact of aquaculture in the country’s economy, food market and labour market
The strategic approach to be adopted will support the development of a smart and environmentally friendly aquaculture that will be capable of competing globally and providing safe products with high nutritional value to EU consumers.
Challenges and opportunities
- Strong international competition.
- Rising production costs, in particular energy and feed having an impact on international competitiveness.
- Strong demographic occupation of the coastline with conflict of interest in areas with aquaculture potential.
- Probability of outbreaks of pollution or sporadic reduction of water quality.
- Financing difficulties arising from precautionary assessments of financial entities.
- The operationalisation of simpler and more effective rules and procedures that frame investments in the sector and reduce context costs.
- The proper implementation of the Plan for Aquaculture in Transitional Waters (PAqAT) and the Maritime Spatial Planning Situation Plan (PSOEM), which promote the establishment of aquaculture establishments and the development of the activity in line with the preservation of the environment.
- Simplify, reduce the time and administrative procedures required for obtaining permits, making the process less time-consuming and more transparent.
- A high market potential.
- Increasing national aquaculture production taking into account the availability of appropriate water resources and the dominance of production technologies.
- Potential for setting up new establishments on the basis of both Maritime Spatial and Transitional Waters Planning Plans.
- Progressive development of cutting-edge technologies for aquaculture in offshore areas, at the level of production of new species and optimisation of feed.
- The growing interest of the industry in the processing of aquaculture products.
- Existence of a national and European market with a high deficit in fishery products and an increasing appetite for the consumption of aquaculture products.
- Appetite for certified products, in particular organic or multitrophic production or by geographical area (PDO, DOC, IGT), using tourism growth as a vehicle for promoting and exporting national production.
- Insertion in one space economic technologically developed and with the potential for innovation and exploitation of human resources.
- Possibility of combining aquaculture production with carbon sequestration and removal of inorganic nutrients by diversifying the production of marine plant resources or shellfish crops.
- Possibility of including high-value species of low trophic levels in polyculture (e.g., sea cucumber, polychaetes, bivalves), making systems profitable, valuing resources and allowing increased sales in value, without significant technological change, in addition to reducing maintenance costs.
- Possibility of developing new products of origin marine for several industries (e.g. food, pharmaceuticals), extending to chain of value, reducing waste, promoting the innovation and promoting new models for business purposes based on a circular bioeconomy.
- Improving the image of aquaculture products among consumers.
- Increasing the degree of associationism to reduce costs.
(Source: MNSPA)
Employment and number of enterprises
721 enterprises and 1262 employees in 2020
Source: 2022, STECF
Multi-annual National Strategic Plans for the development of sustainable Aquaculture
Relevant Authorities
Applicable Procedures
Contact Details
Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services (DGRM)
José Carlos Simão, General Director
- Telephone number: +351 21 303 5886
Uploads
Summary in English of the "Published National Strategic Plan on Aquaculture" for Portugal