SBEP - AQUABALANCE: Balancing economic, environmental, and social sustainability in the European aquaculture industry

Sustainable development of aquaculture is one of the main objectives of the common fisheries policy. Despite rather high profitability, the industry has been confronted with several environmental and ethical issues such as escape of fish, use of alien species, diseases and use of veterinary medicines, and animal welfare. It has also been criticized for limited contribution to society, e.g., limited local job creation and low tax contributions. It is therefore a need to strengthen the legitimacy of the aquaculture industry, reduce its negative environmental impact and increase its positive societal impact. To address this, AQUABALANCE will elaborate on strategies and best practices for balancing economic, environmental, and social sustainability in the European aquaculture industry. The project follows a pan-European perspective by focusing on different geographical locations and different sea-basins (North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean), and maps existing and promising solutions boosting the sustainability and viability of the aquaculture industry. By including cases from different regions, AQUABALANCE will create transnational value but at the same time adjust to the local conditions. Specifically, based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, it will create new knowledge about how the European aquaculture industry can develop onwards in ways that are not environmentally harmful, and contribute to value creation and value capture both locally, nationally, and internationally. As a result, AQUABALANCE will develop pan-European and regional industry and policy advice and a policy roadmap that has a transnational perspective and can be adapted to the regional specificities. These recommendations will serve as a background for a more sustainable growth of the aquaculture industry, solving grand challenges of climate change and social justice, and thereby generating value for the whole society.

Sustainable development of aquaculture is one of the main objectives of the common fisheries policy. Despite rather high profitability, the industry has been confronted with several (and mounting) environmental and ethical issues. It is a need to strengthen the legitimacy of the aquaculture industry, reduce its negative environmental impact and increase its positive societal impact. To address this, AQUABALANCE will identify barriers and drivers for ongoing transition processes, investigate dilemmas associated with rebalancing the economic, environmental, and social dimensions, analyse how the aquaculture industry can ensure legitimacy, and explore the role of policy for these transition processes. The Norwegian partners will be involved in all aforementioned activities. The project follows a pan-European perspective by focusing on different geographical locations and different sea-basins (North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean), and maps existing and promising solutions boosting the sustainability and viability of the aquaculture industry. Specifically, based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, it will create new knowledge about how the European aquaculture industry can develop onwards in ways that are not environmentally harmful, and contribute to value creation and value capture both locally, nationally, and internationally. By combining several theoretical perspectives (economic geography, socio-technical transition studies, and sustainable business models), AQUABALANCE will develop pan-European and regional industry and policy advice and a policy roadmap that has a transnational perspective and can be adapted to the regional specificities. These recommendations will serve as a background for a more sustainable growth of the aquaculture industry, contributing to achieving the goals of the EU Farm to Fork strategy, solving grand challenges of climate change and social justice, and thereby generating value for the whole society.