Allowable Zones of Effect for Mediterranean marine Aquaculture (AZE)

Abstract

Sustainability of Mediterranean aquaculture will be focus regarding to the environmental dimension of minimize the local impact on environmental conditions and biodiversity and respect the ecological services of the ecosystem. The development of floating cages on coastal systems needs to develop a regulatory framework for offshore aquaculture, considering important aspect such as permitting and site selection because the potential harmful effects on marine environment. For management purposes, the concept of AZE, area of sea-bed in which competent authority will allow to aquaculture some figures exceeding the relevant environmental quality standard (EQS), producing some non-permanent damage to the environment, can provide a degree of flexibility in the regulation of farms effects and recognises that it is quite impossible to cause no environmental effects from intensive fish production in the immediate surrounding area. Monitoring the environmental affection should be necessary for ensure sustainable aquaculture production, and three spatial scales may be considered: immediate vicinity of farm (AZE), to monitor that EQSs sampled around the AZE comply with the EQSs set for the medium field and to evaluate how much EQS at the regional scale differ from the reference sites.