BY EU STUDIO

Updated Wednesday, August 3, 2022-08:30

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Spain is experiencing one of the hottest summers in its history which, paradoxically, will be one of the coolest in the coming years.

The climate crisis is already a reality.

In this emergency context, there is an effective formula to help combat global warming: eat fish from aquaculture.

The FAO, the United Nations agency that leads the international effort to end hunger, considers that this productive sector is essential if we want everyone to be able to eat quality fish at an affordable price in the coming years.

And in addition, it highlights its sustainable model.

Sea bream or sea bass farming generates a lower carbon footprint than other extensive livestock farming such as poultry, pigs or cattle

The data is there.

As an environmental indicator, the carbon footprint reflects the CO2 emissions that are released into the atmosphere throughout the life cycle of a product or service.

In the cultivation of sea bream or sea bass in Spain, this footprint is much lower than other types of extensive livestock farming: slightly lower than for poultry farms and much lower than those for pigs or cows.

To produce a kilo of sea bream, 3.9 kilos of CO2 are generated, and for a kilo of sea bass we are talking about 4, according to the study 'Assessment of the life and environmental cycle of Mediterranean sea bream and sea bass', published by the journal Sustainability and signed by British and Greek researchers.

However, to produce a kilo of chicken, 4.4 kilos of CO2 are released;

for a kilo of pork, 6.5;

and for a kilo of beef, almost 30 kilos,

José Juanes de la Peña, a researcher at the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics of the University of Cantabria, highlights that the aquaculture sector plays "a determining role in the transition towards sustainable food systems, as well as for the development of the bioeconomy and the economy circular".

In the case of Spain, moreover, he points out that it has significant potential related to adaptation to climate change in coastal communities.

The management or creation of reefs, marshes or wetlands on the coast that protect it against erosion, flooding or rising sea levels "can be regulated with the implementation of new forms of aquaculture," says the professor.

Water management: reclaimed land

Spanish aquaculture can help protect the coast against erosion or rising sea levels

And then there is, of course, the rationalization of water resources.

In addition to combating global warming and favoring the protection of the coast, in a country like Spain, with a Mediterranean climate and frequent droughts, proper management of available water, both fresh and salt, is essential.

In this sense, aquaculture carried out in the open sea uses the resources already present in the oceans themselves and on land to purify the waters.

There are dozens of nurseries that use algae or cleaning systems, returning what they have caught to the rivers and seas and, sometimes, as in Galicia or La Rioja, even in better conditions.

It is worth remembering a study in the International Journal of Water Resources Development, published in 2006, where it was already warned that aquaculture, since it hardly requires fresh water, produces quality food "with a consumption of this resource that is substantially less than other proteins of Animal origin".

In short, it is a sector that offers a sustainable way of obtaining quality fish at an affordable price without overexploiting seas and rivers, in addition to protecting the environment.

Not surprisingly, the latest global report on the state of world fisheries and aquaculture by FAO underlines the "great potential to feed and nourish the growing world population" that aquaculture has.

Made by UE Studio

This text has been developed by UE Studio, a creative branded content and content marketing firm from Unidad Editorial, for ACUICULTURA DE ESPAÑA.

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