A Global Overview of Aquaculture Food Production with a Focus on the Activity’s Development in Transitional Systems—The Case Study of a South European Country (Portugal)

Abstract

World aquaculture food production rises every year, amounting, by 2018, to another all-time record of 82.1 million tonnes of farmed seafood, with Asia leading global production. In Europe, although coastal countries present historical fishing habits, aquaculture is in true expansion. Norway, the leading European producer, is the eighth main producer worldwide. Portugal is a traditional fishing country but has invested in the development of aquaculture for the past decade, attaining, by 2018, 13.3 tonnes produced, making Portugal the 16th main producer amongst European Union member states that year. Most Portuguese aquaculture facilities operate in coastal systems, resorting to extensive and semi-intensive rearing techniques. In Portugal, marine food production in transitional systems is particularly interesting as the practice has, worldwide, been continuously substituted by intensive methods. In fact, facilities in transitional systems have developed over time and products gained higher commercial value. Clams and oysters corresponded, together, to over three quarters of total mollusc production in Portugal in 2018, while gilthead seabream and European seabass made up nearly all fish production in coastal environments. The state of aquaculture practices worldwide is reviewed in the present work, providing a particular focus on Portugal, where considerable development of the aquaculture sector is expected.

Mytilicola orientalis

“…In 2018, aquaculture overtook global wild-caught fish production for human consumption with 52% and 46% of total aquaculture production (Morro et al 2021 ). In 2020, sales of aquaculture products and services decreased by 16.8% due to the COVID-19 pandemic (van Stenten et al 2020 ; Rocha et al 2022 ). 1…”

Monitoring Farmed Fish Welfare by Measurement of Cortisol as a Stress Marker in Fish Feces by Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry

“…In Norway, aquaculture has grown to become the second-largest export industry, after oil and gas [1], and is now producing more than half of the total volume in Europe [2]. The most common farmed fish is Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).…”

Spatio-temporal dynamics of phytoplankton community in a well-mixed temperate estuary (Sado Estuary, Portugal)

“…The Sado Estuary is the second-largest estuary in Portugal (with an area of 180 km 2 ) and one of the most important wetlands in the national territory, integrating an important natural reserve since 1980. It is one of the main areas for aquaculture in Portuguese brackish waters, playing an important role in the local and national economy 11 . The Sado Estuary is under high levels of anthropogenic pressure due to an intense human occupation, with the city of Setúbal (one of the main Portuguese commercial and fishing ports) located in the northern margin.…”