GCA +20 Adopts Shanghai Declaration

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EATiP is delighted to have been engaged in the drafting of the Shanghai Declaration – adopted by the participants of the Conference on Aquaculture Millennium + 20 on 24 September 2021.

The Shanghai Declaration, a key output from the GCA +20, represents a road map to optimize the role that aquaculture can play in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  As part of that road map, the multi stakeholder platform approach is strongly endorsed as a method for ensuring sustainable development of the sector, including in the development of strategic research and innovation agendas and collaborative joint working.

What is the Shanghai Declaration?   The Shanghai Declaration was drafted by a small group of globally recognized aquaculture experts, followed by consultations with a wider group with appropriate technical, regional and gender balance, including members of the International Organizing Committee and International Programme Committee of the GCA +20 Conference. The subsequent draft was opened for comment by all registered participants at the event, with comments incorporated to the extent possible.

The full text of the Declaration is available here.

Commenting on behalf of the Board of Directors in a public expression of support for the Shanghai Declaration, EATiP General Secretary David Bassett stated:

“EATiP welcomes the publication of the Shanghai Declaration: Aquaculture for food and sustainable development.  The Declaration clearly conveys the vital role aquaculture has to play in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals and towards the sustainable development of aquatic foods within an environmentally responsible, sustainable and climate smart food system.  EATiP particularly welcome the commitments within the vision towards:

  • Strengthening partnerships to generate and share knowledge, information and technology
  • Investing in aquaculture innovation, research and development
  • Creating open and transparent communication about sustainable aquaculture

We believe it is key that we improve the image and social license of the sector to improve knowledge, perceptions and acceptability of aquaculture and its products.  We endorse the commitment given to fostering an enabling environment and strengthening partnerships through multi stakeholder innovation platforms, including the reinvigoration of global development, cooperation and networking. The modernising and development of traditional aquaculture through technology, innovative approaches and encompassing digital technologies, capacity development programmes, education and extension activities will be central to the aims of objectives of delivering and fulfilling the stated intentions within the Declaration.  We support the promotion of programmes for knowledge transfer, the development or local, regional or national strategic research and innovation agendas and the scope for multi stakeholder platforms to assist in the development and delivery of democratic and objective aquaculture governance models.

EATiP welcomes the Call for Action contained within Annex 1 of the Declaration and points A – J contained therein.  Within expanding the contribution of aquaculture to sustainable food systems and the integration of aquaculture with the natural environment, other sectors, and within food systems for increased resilience, we particularly welcome the stated commitment to, “encouraging and promoting the development of regional and national multi stakeholder platforms to instigate collaborative joint working amongst industry, research, academic and other stakeholders to develop strategic research and innovation agendas for local, regional and national aquaculture development.”

We believe EATiP is a working example of the successful application of this methodology and we pledge to work alongside other partners in the Declaration and FAO in the promotion and development of this approach.

Furthermore, we encourage commitments towards stimulating demand-led and relevant research and innovations through strengthening partnerships, centres of excellence, academia, state and non state actors and encouraging public-private partnerships and investment.  We further encourage embracing broad stakeholder involvement through consultation and active participation to build consensus around sustainable development goals and objectives.”

Developing sustainable aquaculture in the south Atlantic

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All Atlantic Conference Side Event – 03 June 2021 – “Developing Sustainable Aquaculture in the south Atlantic”

EATiP, with the support of Innovation Norway and BluEcoNet, has been selected to undertake a Joint Action (JA) within the EU Horizon 2020 funded AANChOR(All Atlantic Cooperation for Ocean Research) Coordination and Support Action, considering the establishment and viability of a multi stakeholder platform for aquaculture.  The JA will use Brazil as a case study, but with the clear intention for  application to other south Atlantic nations, including South Africa.  This JA has been selected in part to complement European Union objectives with regard to Belém Statement partners and additional accords with Argentina and Cape Verde.   The JA seeks to scope the potential for self-sustaining Atlantic aquaculture multi stakeholder platform(s) in the development of national or regional Strategic Research & Innovation agenda for sustainable industry development.

By way of introducing and launching the Joint Action, EATiP is collaborating in a side event at the forthcoming All Atlantic Conference with two other Horizon 2020 aquaculture projects focusing on Atlantic aquaculture: ASTRAL and AquaVitae.

EATiP, collaborating with ASTRAL & AquaVitae to address sustainable aquaculture in the south Atlantic

ASTRAL focuses on integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) farming, aiming to define, support, and promote this type of sustainable aquaculture production across the Atlantic area.

AquaVitae aims to increase aquaculture production in and around the Atlantic Ocean by developing new species, processes and products, focusing on low trophic species.

During this side event we will be considering what are the challenges and opportunities in trans-Atlantic research collaboration and the development of a sustainable Atlantic aquaculture industry.  AquaVitae and Astral will share experiences and best practices based on their research toward more sustainable aquaculture activities in the Belém Statement areas. Both projects will offer examples and opportunities of innovation, stakeholder participation, social awareness, and capacity building.
The event aims to bring together representatives from research institutions, industry as well as policymakers to respond to the challenges of the Mission Starfish 2030, EU Blue growth strategy and UN’s SDGs and to complement the other themes under consideration at the All Atlantic Conference.

To register for the side event, please click on this link.

Practical Details:

  • 03 June 2021
  • 13:30 – 15:30 CET
  • Registration Required – see link above.

Introducing… our 1st EATiP Stagiaire

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We are delighted to have a stagiaire working with the EATiP office (virtually…) for the month of February.

Alexandre Kabore is a student at the University of Liège.  Having completed his bachelor’s degree in physics – also at ULiège – he is currently finishing a Masters in Oceanography.

Alexandre Kabore

In this context, Alex will be spending his one-month internship at EATIP to learn more about organisational aspects of the aquaculture sector.

Our secretariat have identified various work streams that Alex can help with – with regard to data and mapping exercises for aquaculture linked organisations – and we will be providing him with various contacts and addresses to approach relating to this work.  So if you are approached by an Alex Kabore representing EATiP, then please accept this web post as a first introduction and thank you in advance for your welcome and assistance during his stage with our organisation.

This is the first time EATiP has hosted a student stagiaire and upon the conclusion of the exercise we will be reviewing how things worked out and what scope we might have in the future for further university collaborations with EATiP members and linked organisations.  If you have any thoughts on that topic, please get in touch with us!

International MSc: Aquaculture Health Management

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An exciting opportunity to study for a new international MSc in Aquaculture Health Management has been announced as part of the ERASMUS Mundus programme, allowing successful applicants to stay and study at 4 of Europe’s leading institutes in aquaculture: Ghent University (Belgium), Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet (NTNU, Norway), Wageningen University (The Netherlands) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona &Universitat de Barcelona (Spain).  Applicants will also be able to undertake a work placement and thesis research at one of the many industry and research partners with which these institutions engage.

see the AquaH website for further details and information on how to apply.

Noting that the aquaculture sector is steadily reaching maturity but its further growth is increasingly facing serious problems with parasites, viral, bacterial or stress-related disease outbreaks, the AquaH programme responds to the need for an expert training that prepares students to develop and implement innovative solutions to aquaculture health issues thus contributing to the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry.

For further details on the course programme, fees, and how to apply, please see the Aquah website: https://aquah.eu

The deadline for applications is 01 March 2021.

New Year New Roles

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We are delighted to announce that further to a reorganisation of our resources during the autumn, David Bassett has joined the EATiP team in the capacity as Senior Adviser.

Familiar to many EATiP members through our General Assembly meetings, since 2017 David has been working with EATiP as the project manager for the EU Horizon 2020 funded EURASTiP international support action (www.eurastip.eu) working on the development of multi stakeholder platforms for the aquaculture sector in south east Asia and their scope for increased interaction with European stakeholders.  With this project now entering the final stages of reporting, it is an excellent opportunity for David to take on leading other initiatives on behalf of EATiP, including strategy and policy work.

David has worked in the aquaculture sector since 2005, spending a decade as the Chief Executive of a UK aquaculture producers association.  It is through this role that he first became active in European aquaculture, working closely with FEAP (www.feap.info)  where he followed a number of EU FP6 & FP7 projects as an industry representative in addition to participating in meetings of the European Commission ACFA Working Group 2.

David Bassett: looking forward to driving the aquaculture innovation agenda forward with EATiP.

Through this collaboration with FEAP, David was also engaged in the early stages of the planning and development of both EATiP and the Aquainnova project.

For 9 years David acted as a director of the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (which has now been replaced by Scottish Aquaculture & Innovation Centre (www.scottishaquaculture.com) , an EATiP Mirror Platform) and also acted as the Company Secretary of an industry owned and managed quality certification scheme.  He worked on the steering committee of the WWF Aquaculture Dialogues (Rainbow Trout), sat on the Technical Advisory Group of the ASC during the transition stage of the dialogues to Standards and has served as an industry representative on the management committee of the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling (UK).

David is currently based in Edinburgh (UK) but has travelled extensively on project work addressing  both European and south east Asian aquaculture production.  He has a personal interest in history and international relations having studied in those fields and looks forward to a time when, in addition to working online, we are able to travel, network and learn in person again!