Category: Aquaculture

Evolution and perception of aquaculture in Spain

Aquaculture in Spain has undergone significant evolution in recent years, not only in terms of production and technology but also in consumer perception.

Traditionally, wild-caught fishing has dominated market trust in key aspects such as quality, taste, and texture of seafood products. However, recent data reflects a gradual shift in the appreciation of aquaculture in Spain, highlighting the sector’s efforts to improve its image and strengthen its market position.

A shift in perception: Quality and taste in Spanish aquaculture

 
One of the most significant aspects of this evolution is the growing appreciation for the quality of aquaculture products.

In 2024, 16.3% of consumers perceive that Spanish aquaculture offers higher quality compared to 12.9% in 2023. This progress is largely due to improvements in production practices, innovations in fish feed, and a commitment to sustainability.

Taste has also been a key driver in this transformation. In 2024, 7.7% of consumers highlight the superior taste of Spanish aquaculture products, up from 4.8% the previous year. These advancements align with the 2023 strategic recommendations, which emphasized the importance of promoting the qualities and benefits of aquaculture product
 
Challenges and opportunities


Despite positive growth in quality and taste perception, wild-caught fish maintains its dominant position. Characteristics like texture, flavor, and quality remain attributes that consumers primarily associate with ocean-caught fish. This presents a significant challenge for Spanish aquaculture: to further strengthen its image and demonstrate that its products can match – or even surpass – wild-caught fish in these attributes.

The key to progressing in this direction lies in research and development. Innovative technologies in feeding, animal welfare, and cultivation optimization can enhance the texture and flavor of aquaculture products. Moreover, effective communication is essential to educate consumers about the benefits of Spanish aquaculture and dispel persistent myths in the collective imagination.
 
The Future of Aquaculture in Spain
 
Spain’s aquaculture sector has made significant strides in improving its image and consumer perception of its products. While wild-caught fisheries remain the gold standard for organoleptic qualities, recent gains in quality and taste perception demonstrate that Spanish aquaculture is on the right path.

Through continued focus on innovation and communication, the sector can further expand its market position and establish itself as a sustainable alternative offering exceptional quality and flavor.
At Dibaq Aquaculture, we remain committed to developing innovative solutions for a more efficient, sustainable Spanish aquaculture sector that meets consumer expectations. The evolving perception and understanding of Spanish aquaculture stands as testament to our sector’s collective effort to deliver increasingly better products that gain greater market appreciation.

FOR OUR PLANET

There is no doubt that the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector is the highest priority of all those involved in this process.

 

Raw materials are not inexhaustible and obviously their use requires rationality and best practices.

 

While the need for marine proteins is constantly increasing, targeted actions are needed that result in a real saving of raw materials.

 

Dibaq’s research and development department, aims to create products that will result in maximum performance with the smallest environmental footprint. It is with great pride, excitement and optimism we share our achievement for 2022 target, that 93% of marine ingredients used, come from trimmings – by products and not from wild fisheries.

 

Customers are provided with technical advice and support so as to achieve the best possible result.

 

It is clear that achieving as low as possible feed conversion rates entails apart from the beneficial use of raw materials and significant improvement of financial results, which also means sustainable business management.

 

However, we must not overlook that the good management of raw materials also implies the best practices of production management. 

 

So it seems that in order to form an essential condition where the environment will have a primary role, all participants of fish farming  should be possessed by the same concept of saving resources and substantial protection of the environment.

 

It is not enough to produce correctly and in sustainable terms, but to be able to transport and distribute products on the basis of perfect management conditions. 

 

The environment concerns all of us and the end result is the responsibility of all of us. So we should be talking much more about environmental culture and less about individual actions of everyone.

 

At Dibaq, we support initiatives and strategies in the direction of creating a culture of environmental management. We want to be part of a large chain of partners who embrace our own priorities and needs. At the end of the day it’s not a choice, it’s our obligation. Let’s blue revolution have the green future it deserves.

 

RAS AQUACULTURE, TOWARDS ZERO WASTE

ras-system-aquaculture

Zero Waste is a global movement that aims to stop generating waste or reduce it as much as possible. But beyond a social movement, it is also a concern and one of the main objectives of organizations like the FAO. FAO is particularly sensitive to food loss and waste. Food losses are defined as “the decrease in the quantity or quality of food”. Agricultural or fishery products intended for human consumption that are not ultimately consumed or that lose quality, nutritional value, economic value, or food safety. At Dibaq and Grupo Tejedor Lázaro (GTL) we are also committed to reducing waste and we believe that RAS (recirculating aquaculture systems) aquaculture farms can contribute to meeting the objective.

The implementation of RAS aquaculture systems facilitates the rationalization of aquaculture production making it more easily manageable and predictable, so that the product can be delivered to the market based on demand. In this way, massive productions dependent on weather conditions that saturate the market with overproduction that cannot always be absorbed by consumers and may end up wasted, are avoided.

When studying and designing the production farms, a holistic vision is used, which includes the location of the facilities, assessing the distance from suppliers and the market to minimize the CO2 footprint derived from transport. Regarding the design, it should be noted that the RAS farms designed by Derwent Engineering (also part of GTL) are projected from the point of view of sustainability and the circular economy since we managed to minimize the use of water due to the filtering (mechanical, biological and UV) that allow us to reuse up to 95% of water and with a subsequent treatment of effluents. The water consumption of the closed circuit only occurs by evaporation, and this is the only quantity that must be replaced in the process. At Dibaq we have diets specially formulated for RAS systems that facilitate the maintenance of the system in perfect condition due to its high assimilation by the fish and less degradation in the water, reducing waste.

The aquaculture sector is presented as one of those exceptional cases in which sustainability is directly linked to greater economic profitability. Since, even if a producer does not care about the environment, the main cost is the feed, and for carnivorous species, specifically, ingredients such as oil or fishmeal and, currently, the industry is really interested in reducing their use in aquaculture feed. At Dibaq we have specially formulated diets for RAS systems that reduce this waste generation, at the same time, the aquaculture feed industry is constantly researching to incorporate by-products from other primary industries in their formulations to help reduce waste.

Therefore, minimizing the release of nutrients into the environment is not only a necessity, but a common good practice associated with RAS systems and aquaculture in general. In addition to this, RAS systems allow efficient treatment of effluents and waste, reducing the impact of the activity on the environment.

DIBAQ AQUACULTURE RECEIVES THE VISIT OF A GROUP OF ESTONIAN ENTREPRENEURS

Last month, Dibaq Aquaculture received the visit of an Estonian delegation made up of farmers, specialists, scientists and researchers from the world of aquaculture. In total, a group of 15 people who were able to learn, enjoy and contact our facilities to make an ambitious aquaculture growth plan a reality in their country, where Dibaq Aquaculture intends to play a privileged role both in the marketing of food and in consultancy and advice to Estonian entrepreneurs.

ACUACULTURE IN THE AESAN

Global aquaculture production of farmed aquatic animals has been dominated by Asia, with a 89% of the production in the last two decades. Dibaq Aquaculture has set as one of its main objectives the ASEAN area (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), which is responsible for 25% of world production with a total of approximately 30 million tons.

In the ASEAN area, Indonesia is the main producer with 50% of the production of Southeast Asia, with the largest cultivation in sea waters in the region and having shrimp as the most important. The following countries that stand out in production are Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.
The main species grown in the region are shrimp, followed by freshwater species such as tilapia, carp and catfish. Although it is true that in recent years high-value crops such as Barramundi (Lates calcalifer) or Asian sea bass and Grouper are being developed, for which Dibaq Aquaculture develops specific formulas.

Currently, the industry in the ASEAN zone confronts important challenges related to the nutritional quality of feed for aquaculture and the digestive health of animals in which Dibaq Aquaculture is constantly working on developing new formulations and investigating the possible inclusion of new ingredients to improve digestibility. and intestinal health, maximizing the efficiency of animal growth and maintaining competitiveness in the market.

In the medium term, growth in the sector is expected, driven by changes in consumer preferences and the demand for increasingly sustainable products. According to the FAO Asia will continue to dominate the aquaculture sector and will be responsible for more than 89% of the increase in production in 2030 and it is expected that most of the fish exports will originate in Asia, which will account for approximately 73 % of additional volumes exported in 2030.


Sources: ICEX, Veterinaria Digital, FAO, IPAC.