The San Pedro del Pinatar aquaculture industry is expanding its facilities, which will increase the local production of fish by 2,100 tons, for the most part of three particular species, sea bass, sea bream and bluefin tuna. According to the regional government the expansion will lead to the creation of 130 new jobs.
This project will get underway with the expansion of a first site that will increase its capacity by 300 tons. The Minister of Water, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Miguel Angel del Amor, who visited the aquaculture estate along with the mayor, Visitation Martinez, said that “the first phase of the expansion will see the capacity increase from 1,200 to 1,500 tons.” In addition, he said that “the expansion of the other six sites will be ready by next summer, once the Environmental Monitoring Plan is completed, which is carried out in this type of facility every year”.
He explained that “in the Region there are 14 marine farming facilities and a production plant that generates nearly 1,000 direct jobs”. The counsellor, said that in the Region of Murcia “total fish production has an annual value of 125 million euros, of which aquaculture contributes 108 million.” In 2017, there was more than 14,000 tons of production, 2,000 more than the previous year.
These figures place the Region at the head of the national production in seabass and bluefin tuna, and as the second autonomous community in importance in the production of sea bream.
Del Amor added that “the Regional Government is committed to the continued growth of the blue economy, within an integrated maritime policy, placing the Region as a pioneer in these aquaculture activities in support of the maritime and marine sector.”
In addition, the Ministry promotes research in the aquaculture sector through the Murcian Institute for Agricultural Research and Development and Food (Imida) as well as the different universities in the region, which are all engaged on different projects.
