The aquaculture industry is in a period of total reinvention. New investors are keen to see activities that were not of interest before, many countries have finally begun to implement policies aimed at promoting aquaculture in a generic way, not only thinking of primary production as a model of value generation, but also other values. There is a growing interest in alternative products, ecologic production (organic on other occasions), derivatives of microalgae and their principles with value in animal, human and medical nutrition. Interest species that previously failed are recovered and enhanced, such as the production of bivalve molluscs and technology is positioned as a valuable tool to boost development.
The genetic improvement already helps to improve year after year the productivity of different species such as salmon, shrimp, clams, dorada or turbot, the genome sequencing of species such as sole has been completed. It is close to the possibility of closing the cycle of high value species and much appreciated as the octopus, there have been the first successes in the reproduction of tuna and the work on the eel is still interesting, thanks to zootechnical improvements And the application of new highly sophisticated production systems such as recirculation and the incorporation of predictive software that allows the analysis of information.
The companies with great knowledge in livestock farming, with many years of innovation behind their backs bet on the diversification of their portfolio of species, are interested in salmon, trout, turbot, sea bream, sea bass and … all those species Market leaders such as tilapia, panga, carp that should not be forgotten. These companies know how to do many things and they know how to do very well, so it is good to listen to what they want and apply their knowledge to the aquaculture world.
We are probably passing through one of the worst moments in the sector (and there are already several) at the Mediterranean level. However, it does not seem to be quite correct to say that this is so, since although there has been no significant increase in production, There seems to be an acceleration in the reorganization of the sector. The main players emerge, but stronger, if better positioned. Aquaculture is still business, it is business, and that is why it generates the interest it generates, but above all aquaculture is a source of food, crucial, essential, impossible to do without it, we can not leave it without us, we can not afford Lose what we have achieved, others will, we will lose.