In May 2021, the European Commission adopted strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021-2030. These guidelines aim to make EU aquaculture a more resilient sector and a global model of sustainability by 2030. They identify several areas requiring action, including access to space and water for aquaculture, emphasizing the importance of coordinated spatial planning involving all relevant stakeholders to preserve ecosystems while allocating space.
The document provides practical recommendations to assist public authorities in better planning freshwater and land-based aquaculture, sharing good practice examples from both EU and non-EU countries like Norway and the UK. The EU regulatory framework for aquaculture is complex, with many environmental legislations, and Member States must integrate aquaculture objectives into their river basin management plans. The document also highlights that spatial planning practices for freshwater and land-based aquaculture are not as advanced as for marine aquaculture, but some methods can be adapted.