API joins EATiP: furthering the industry / research & innovation collaboration.

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EATiP is delighted to welcome as a new member to the platform API – the Associazione Piscicoltori Italiani.

API is a non-profit corporation which aims to protect, develop and consolidate all activities related to aquaculture in Italy.

API – brining Italy aquaculture industry representation to the heart of EATiP

Established in June 1964, the professional association represents over 300 fish farms operating with fresh, marine and brackish water and of many species, representing around 90% of the Italian finfish production.  Principle species farmed in Italy include Trout, Bass and Bream but there is also production of Mullet, Sturgeon (for Caviar) and Eel along with carps, catfish and other species of freshwater fish. For further details you can look at production figures here.

API’s work focuses on providing up-to-date knowledge and training opportunities to ensure the continuous professional development of fish farm workers. API has national and international recognition and exposure and collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders and a large network of fish farmers from all production methods across all of Italy.

Having collaborated informally with EATiP over a number of years through various collaborations and projects, we are delighted to welcome API to our formal list of core members.  It is vital for technology platforms to be industry led and to maintain close relations with farmers and producers.  The merits of the multi stakeholder approach is that it allows for a two way communication process between active stakeholders – industry informing and advising of their priorities and emerging issues and researchers disseminating and sharing project outputs, information on new technologies and farming practices and advice.

We look forward to continuing our close working relationship – which in Italy now includes not only API but also the research network ISPRA and the Italian Mirror Platform ITAQUA.  A strong representation to assist in driving forward the ambitions for an expanding and sustainable aquaculture sector in Europe from one of the key aquaculture producing European Union member states.

Stiim Aqua Cluster: expanding the EATiP Mirror Platform Network

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EATiP is proud to announce that a further national Mirror Platform has joined the EATiP family – Stiim Aqua Cluster.  Stiim is the sixteenth national or regional cluster to join EATiP and demonstrates the strong commitment to the Platform from the Norwegian aquaculture industry.

Stiim Aqua Cluster – the 16th national cluster to join EATiP

Stiim Aqua Cluster represent a complete ecosystem for aquaculture innovation in Norway. The cluster now has about 130 members and partners from all of the country and is located on the south-western coast of Norway.

This brings the total number or organisations gathered under the EATiP Mirror Platform umbrella to around 1000 members – reaching across all aspects of the aquaculture industry value chain.

 

Amongst the cluster’s main focus areas are:

  • New areas for aquaculture to enhance sustainable seafood production
  • Increasing the availability of capital to stimulate innovation and growth
  • Promoting R&D projects and sharing of knowledge in member companies
  • Facilitating networking events and increasing competence within the indutstry

Blue Planet Academy is the cluster’s platform for promoting best practice in aquaculture. Blue Planet Academy is the world’s largest e-learning platform on aquaculture, offering thousands of videos and a variety of online courses on fish species from salmon to tilapia to customers around the world.

EATiP are delighted to welcome Stiim as a formal member of the platform and look forward to the increased experience, knowledge and potential for aquaculture innovation that our collaboration will bring.

Further details are available from the Stiim Aqua Cluster website and also through the LinkedIn network @Stiim Aqua Cluster

We’re growing again!

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EATiP is delighted to announce that EBCD – the European Bureau for Conservation Development has joined our Platform as a member organisation.  EBCD is an international environmental NGO that promotes the sustainable use and conservation of marine resources.

Established in Brussels in 1989, EBCD fosters dialogue and cooperation on ocean governance among all stakeholders, and works together with EU and UN institutions to advance progress on sustainable development.

EBCD has a long history in engaging on sustainable fisheries & aquaculture at European and global level, tracking and informing policy developments through expert-led scientific advice and full stakeholder participation. Embracing its mission of promoting the sustainable use of natural renewable resources, EBCD was involved at the establishment of EATIP in 2007  – bringing in IUCN as an advisory body –  and it has carried out several projects jointly with  IUCN on aquaculture.  

On becoming part of our Platform, EBCD is looking forward to contributing to the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector and in particular to supporting the achievement of SDG14 Life Below Water and SDG 2 Zero Hunger.

One of the key strengths of the European Technology Platforms is their multi-stakeholder approach, joining industry members with researchers, academics and NGO organisations.  Taking a fact and science based policy approach to sustainable development is more important than ever – and such joint working demonstrates the trust and credibility that is to be found in the work of the ETPs, and the importance attached to them by the European Commission and other key stakeholders.

EBCD also provides the Secretariat to the European Parliament Intergroup on “Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development” with a specific Working Group on Fisheries and Aquaculture as well the Secretariat to the Market Advisory Council of DG MARE and the Secretariat  to the IUCN Fisheries Expert Group.

Benvenuto ISPRA!

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We are delighted to announce that the latest new member to join EATiP is ISPRA – the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research.  ISPRA is a public research institute comprising some 1200 staff, with 8 Regional offices in Italy, Headquartered in Rome.  It is the institutional and technical-scientific reference point within Italy for environmental monitoring, control and reporting with respect to environmental protection, the evaluation and mitigation of environmental impacts, and monitoring of the quality of the environment, habitats and biodiversity including land, air, sea and sustainable use of natural resources.  In addition ISPRA:

  • coordinates the Italian National System for Environmental Protection (SNPA), comprising 19 Regional and 2 Provincial Environmental Protection Agencies with a workforce of over 10,000 employees. ISPRA also formally supports the Civil Protection for seismic, hydrogeological and environmental risks
  • provides technical support to the Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea and other governmental authorities responsible for environmental policies and promotes and implements research and strategic  approaches  to  tackle  all issues concerning  biodiversity  and  habitat conservation, sustainability, circular economy and green transition.
  • is the statutory National Competence Centre for: Waste cycle and circular economy; Environmental emergencies; Coastal environment and oceanography; Environmental education, libraries and museums network; Environmental laboratories.

Aquaculture & ISPRA

ISPRA – further expanding the EATiP Network

Focussing on aquaculture, the Sustainable Aquaculture Area in ISPRA is organized under the Department for Environment and Biodiversity. It provides technical and scientific support on aquaculture issues to national and regional competent authorities, Producer’s Associations and aquaculture companies.

 

The aquaculture group has coordinated more than 50 research projects in marine and freshwater aquaculture among others:

CADEAU  This project developed tools to support the enforcement of EU Directives related to coastal areas, with particular reference to WFD, MSFD, MSPD & BWD.  This is just one action that ISPRA has been engaged in as part of the wider Copernicus Programme, building an active dialogue between aquaculture stakeholders and increasing the awareness of EO tools and Copernicus outputs.

PerformFISH. Part of the Horizon 2020 programme, this project considers a European wide collection of production data at farm level, in collaboration with over 90% of Med-EU marine fish farms, for sectoral analysis on sustainability, efficiency and environmental performances of aquaculture companies. ISPRA developed a benchmarking system based on 55 Key Performances Indicators (KPIs) and an aquaculture cloud (allocated in D4Science in coll. With CNR-ISTI) that is used today by the five Producer’s Associations of Italy, Croatia, France, Spain, Greece and by fish farms Companies for sustainability analysis at farm and sectoral level.