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2.1 Main differences between the countries involved in the project
Bivalve mollusc aquaculture in Europe is not a homogeneous sector; on the contrary, it is highly diversified based on the geographic, oceanographic, and historical conditions of each country.
The OPTIMA project partners are from five European countries: Spain, France, Italy, Ireland, and Greece. These five countries have unique territorial and cultural characteristics that are reflected in the choices regarding the type of species farmed and the farming methods adopted, both to ensure greater sustainability of the sector and to maximize yield in often very different marine environments: the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
In its first phase, the project analyzed, as can be seen in the table below, the main differences and similarities that emerged between the five countries mentioned above in relation to three key characteristics of the bivalve mollusc farming sector:
- the different types of species farmed;
- the different farming techniques;
- the different farming
|
COUNTRIES |
ITALY |
SPAIN |
IRELAND |
FRANCE |
GREECE |
|
SPECIES FARMED |
Mytilus Galloprovincialis Ruditapes philippinarum Magallana gigas Ostrea edulis Tapes decussatus |
Mytilus Edulis Mytilus Galloprovincialis Ruditapes philippinarum Tapes decussatus Magallana gigas Ostrea edulis |
Mytilus Edulis Magallana gigas Ostrea edulis Ruditapes philippinarum Pecten maximus |
Mytilus edulis Mytilus galloprovincialis Magallana gigas Ostrea edulis Veneridae spp. Cerastoderma spp. |
Mytilus Galloprovincialis Ruditapes philippinarum Magallana gigas Ostrea edulis |
|
FARMING TECHNIQUES |
Mussels offshore longline Mussels on poles in the lagoon Clams on the bottom Floating biventìa system Oysters cemented on ropes Lanterns Baskets in long-line offshore Floating pouches in lagoons |
Mussels in bateas Mussel offshore longline (farming lines) Oysters cemented on ropes Clams on the bottom Oysters in bags |
Mussels offshore longline Mussels on the bottom Oysters in bags Oysters in roll-bags |
Oysters in bags on trestle Mussels bouchots Suspended rope-grown Clams or cookles on the bottom Tables similar to the spanish bateas both for oysters and mussels |
Mussels offshore longline Poles in the lagoon similar to bouchots On the bottom Clams on the bottom |
|
MAIN FARMING SITES |
Bivalve farming is widespread especially along the Adriatic coast, with a greater concentration in the North Adriatic. Other important production areas are located in Ionian Sea (Taranto gulf); Tyrrhenian Sea: Campania Region, La Spezia gulf, Gaeta, Follonica. In Sardinia the production areas are located in the gulf of Olbia and Oristano, for what concerns mussels and oysters, while European and Philippina Clams are farmed in the lagoon ponds in the south of the island. |
Bivalve farming is concentrated above all in Galicia, which produces 97% of the total amount of the national production. Other autonomous communities where bivalves are farmed with much smaller production (3000 tons/y): Catalonia, Valencian community, Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Asturias and Cantabria. In Galicia there are almost 4900 facilities dedicated to the bivalves farming: -Bateas: 3626 (3387 are dedicated to mussel farming, the rest are dedicated to other bivalves, mainly oysters/pectins, or to the pre-baiting of clams); -Farming lines: 22 (all dedicated to mussel farming); -Farming parks: 1202 (clams, cockles and razor clams); -Hatcheries: 11 (clam and oyster seed). |
Bivalve farming is concentrated mainly along the west coast, from the Belgian border to the Spanish border. Here, oysters are the most farmed (95% of the total farmed in bags on racks), but also mussels (Mytilus edulis) especially Bouchots (95% between Charente-Maritime and Pas de Calais) and more rarely (5%) in offshore facilities with rope longline (Marennes-Oléron, Bay of Brest). On the west coast, there are also small clam and cockle farms on the seabed (Pays de la Loire region) and small oyster farms on the seabed in the Bay of Quiberon and Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel dedicated to mussel farming); -Farming parks: 1202 (clams, cockles and razor clams); -Hatcheries: 11 (clam and oyster seed). (5% of total production). In the Mediterranean area the most farmed species are the mussels M. galloprovincialis, farmed in offshore systems with longlines or in Bateas similar to the Spanish ones but anchored to the ground. |
Bivalve farming is widespread in all coastal regions with suitable bays. Concerning oysters, the largest production is located in the Southeast and North regions. The suspended rope-grown mussels production (Mytilus edulis) is located along the western seaboard but is concentrated also in the sheltered bays of the South. The production of the seabed farmed mussels is concentrated in the Southeast (Wexford port) and northeast (Carlingford Lough), with almost 97% of the total amount. The seeds are collected with seasonal workers in the Southwest (Castlemaine Harbour) and sold to nearby finishing units. The seabed farming of native oysters (Ostrea edulis), King Scallops (Pecten maximus) and Clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) has resumed on a smaller scale in specific sites along the coast. |
Bivalve farming is located in the following farming sites: - Gulf of Thermaikos (80%), - Gulf of Kalloni, - Gulf of Saronikos, - Gulf of Maliakos, - Gulf of Amvrakikos Nestos estuaries. Mussels and oysters are farmed in the Makrigialos and Chalastra regions in long-line offshore farming facilities. In Igoumenitsa, the oysters are mainly produced, also in this case in long-line offshore farming facilities. In Lamia, mussels are produced in offshore long-lines. Clams are grown mainly in lagoons with purely natural processes, without enrichment of nutrients. |
Table n. 1 - Situation of the bivalve farming sector in the 5 countries involved in the project