Portugal aquaculture sector seen to grow sharply

Portugal's Regional Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources anticipates that the volume of Madeira aquaculture exports will increase around 80 percent this year, going from 283,104 exported tonnes in 2008 to nearly 500,000 tonnes.

Regional secretary Manuel Antonio Correia estimates that the value of exports overseas will increase from EUR990,800 in 2008 to EUR1.7 million in 2009.

On the basis of these projections, Correia considers that marine aquaculture of a commercial nature in the autonomous region of Madeira is in full growth.

On the issue, he pointed out that the region has excellent conditions for farmed fish production, since the average temperature of sea water in winter is far superior to that of continental Europe.

He explained that in Europe (the Mediterranean zone), the necessary time for juvenile common sea bream specimens to reach commercial size is 13 to 16 months, while in Madeira, that time can be reduced to between 10 and 12 months.

He said the region's marine aquaculture is concentrated in sea bream production, which is in full expansion, adding that in 2005, nearly 37 tonnes were yielded, of which 26 tonnes were sold in Madeira and 11 tonnes exported.

Meanwhile, in 2006 they produced around 126 tonnes of sea bream, of which 27 tonnes were commercialised in the region and the 99 remaining tonnes sold in Portugal. Last year, Madeira produced 470 tonnes, 187 tonnes of which were sold in the region and 283 tonnes off the island.