The Oraqua EU project

Oraqua in short

The overall vision of the OrAqua project is the economic growth of the organic aquaculture sector in Europe, supported by science based regulations in line with the organic principles and consumer confidence.

OrAqua will suggest improvements of the current EU regulatory framework for organic aquaculture based on:

i) a review of the relevant available scientific knowledge on fish health and welfare, veterinary treatments, nutrition, feeding, seeds (sourcing of juveniles), production systems, including closed recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS), environmental impacts,

ii) a review of organic aquaculture production and economics: socio-economic and aquaculture economic interactions, 

iii) the assessment of consumer confidence and public perception of organic aquaculture: consumer aspects, legislations and private standards for organic aquaculture...

The project will focus on aquaculture production of the main European species of finfish, molluscs, crustaceans and seaweeds.

To ensure the largest interaction with all relevant stakeholders throughout the project through a participatory approach, a multi stakeholder platform was established. It gathers a wide range of actors from several countries, with representatives of the main stakeholder categories: producers, consumers, retailors, feed and services suppliers, regulatory national and international bodies, environmentaists, non governmental associations...

Further, Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and SWOT analysis will be used to generate relevant and robust recommendations. 

The results will be communicated using a range of media and techniques, tailored to be easily understandable by all stakeholder groups. 

The 13 OrAqua project partners form a highly qualified and multidisciplinary consortium include four universities, five aquaculture research institutes, three research groups in social science, a fish farmer organisation, a fish farmer company and two organic certification/control bodies.

The main outcomes of the project will be

i) recommendations on how to improve the EU regulation, executive dossiers and

ii) a Policy Implementation Plan (PIP).

Further the project will deliver recommendations on how to enhance economic development of the European organic aquaculture sector.