The National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development (2022 – 2030) is the successor plan to that developed in 2015 for the period up to 2020. Its purpose is similar to its predecessor and is as follows: To align and mainstream the recently updated but non-binding guidance for the sustainable development of EU aquaculture (2021 – 2030) with national aquaculture sector planning; To help inform the investment priorities for aquaculture in Ireland’s new Seafood Development Programme 2021-2027 (EMFAF); To provide a framework so that strategic planning for the aquaculture sector in Ireland responds to the latest thinking in terms of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for Irish aquaculture in order to promote the development of a sustainable and forward-looking sector. The structure of this National Strategic Plan is as follows: the introductory section provides the wider context, purpose and approach of the National Strategic Plan (Section 1). The national context in terms of Irish aquaculture production, sector planning and management, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as well as the external contact and constraints is under Section 2. Section 3 showcases a review of progress made over the previous National Strategic Plan. Sections 4 to 7 present the background and description of the actions for the planning period (2022 – 2030) under the four objective areas in the new EU strategic plan for aquaculture. The Objectives are: Objective 1: Building resilience and competitiveness; Objective 2: Participating in the green transition; Objective 3: Ensuring social acceptance and consumer information; Objective 4: Increasing knowledge and innovation Section 8 contains NSPSA implementation and monitoring and evaluation framework. This Strategy will align with FAO’s universally agreed definition. The National Strategic Plan will cover aquaculture in freshwater (for example, in lakes, rivers and using ground water), transitional waters (for example, in estuaries, lagoons and other saline areas substantially influenced by freshwater flow) and sea water out to the limits of Ireland’s exclusive economic zone. The National Strategic Plan is predominantly focused on aquatic animals and plants for human consumption. It will therefore include finfish, molluscs and crustaceans, both when reared in captivity to full-size, or when hatchery-produced juveniles are released into the wild for subsequent recapture and consumption. This includes seabed-cultured mussels which are stocked into formal aquaculture licensed areas. The National Strategic Plan also includes the farming of micro and macroalgae for both human-consumption and non-human use1. It also acknowledges the rearing of microalgae, invertebrates and other species where they have an important role in an aquaculture system, such as a feed inpu
Ireland · 2022-01-01