International Seminar on Land Based Aquaculture Systems

CCB • November 18, 2015

Last week, on 11-12th of November, in cooperation, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) , Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) , the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and the Swedish Board of Agriculture hosted an international seminar on Land-Based Aquaculture and best available technologies (BAT) in Stockholm. Moderators were Ellen Bruno (SSNC) and Nils Höglund (CCB).

© Brian Vinci, Freshwater Institute

About ninety participants attended the two-day event and fifteen speakers from diverse parts of the sector – industry, government, research, NGOs and retailers – gave presentations and joined panel discussions. Here below you find links to the presentations.

Exploring Land Based Aquaculture Systems

The event is a part of an ongoing engagement to highlight and define best options for sustainable growth of the aquaculture sector, linking both to current work in HELCOM on respective BAT and Best Environmental Practice (BEP) for the future fish farming in the Baltic Sea region as well as linking to the EU level.

From left: Nils Höglund, Brian Vinci, Michał Kowalski, Malin Skog, Ola Öberg and Marcin Rucinski (Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries).

The aim of the seminar was to explore options for Land Based Aquaculture Systems, especially those that in different ways include a recirculation system and to highlight that such systems are not just the future solution but that they are already in full use and producing fish now. Furthermore, an important objective of this seminar was to explore the possibility to address risks to the environment and at the same time enable profitable production close to the consumer. Key questions asked were about environmental benefits, costs and technical challenges of land based systems and also the difficulties of producers to reach the market and sell their products for a good price.

 

Key findings of the seminar

It can be concluded that further action required are continued discussions of BAT and BEP and to set a roadmap with clear objectives and timelines for the development of Land based Aquaculture Systems. Following are some of the key findings of the seminar:

  • Land based systems, although advanced, do not have any major difficulties today and the technology is mature.
  • The costs of land based systems are dropping and are almost at par with conventional open cage systems, and if including all costs from farm to table.
  • Almost all the environmental problems linked to aquaculture are addressed in closed land based systems, e.g. alien species, spreading of pollutants/medicine/disease and nutrients losses.
  • Regardless of system used, feed based on wild fish remains a problem to be solved but there are options in new feeds and also new species.
  • Markets and price are major challenges for land based systems that can deliver fresh fish all year. Consumers must be ready to pay the price for sustainable production.
  • There is a need for simpler regulations and better coordinated monitoring by authorities.
  • There are still ethical issues to be solved in terms of fish health and welfare, a dilemma that can apply to any type of aquaculture, such as slaughter methods.
  • There is a strong need for more knowledge and research on the natural essentials of fish and how to increase fish welfare.
  • Organic labeling is not possible under current EU regulations but options are explored by

    Moderators Nils Höglund and Ellen Bruno

    independent certifiers.

  • Some retailers need, if not require, labels to clarify traceability and trust in fish products, however, more, or new, labels can also be confusing for the consumer.
  • European Commission calls for nutrient neutral systems or closed systems in the Baltic Sea region (see the draft of the Guidance document on the application of the WFD and the MSFD in relation to aquaculture ).

Seminar Presentations

Malin Skog, The Swedish Board of Agriculture : EU and Swedish Aquaculture Plans and Strategies.

Frida Åberg, Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management : Prerequisites for aquaculture in Sweden

Brian Vinci, Freshwater institute West Virginia : A North American perspective on land based systems, past, present and future

Michał Kowalski, Jurassic Salmon : Land based salmon from Poland.

Ola Öberg, Svensk Fiskodling AB : Reaching success.

Ivar Warren-Hansen, Inter Aqua Advance A/S : Building it large – Land based salmon grow-out

Johan Ljungquist and Mikael Olenmark, Scandinavian Aquasystems AB and Gårdsfisk: Building it small – Integrated Agri- and Aquaculture.

Brian Vinci, Freshwater Institute West Virginia : Land vs Sea based systems cost and environmental footprint comparison.

Nils Höglund, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) : The omnibus challenge of feed in aquaculture.

Markus Langeland, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) : Realities of the feed options.

Albin Gräns, FRESH – Fish Rearing and Stress Hazards, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) : What is animal welfare, current rules and latest research on stress prevention in aquaculture

Dario Dubolino, DG for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission : Recirculation in the EU aquaculture policy and organic rules.

Anneli Bylund and Malena Nylin, Coop Sweden : Coop Sweden strategy for a living sea.

By CCB December 5, 2025
In Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference COP30 immediately set the bar high. In his opening speech, Brazilian President Lula da Silva stressed that climate change is no longer a "threat to the future", but a tragedy that the world is already experiencing here and now, and called on countries to accelerate actions rather than limit themselves to promises. However, as is often the case in COP meetings, the political reality turned out to be more complicated than ambitions. Negotiations were difficult: the countries could not agree on a clear and binding plan to phase out fossil fuels. It is important to note that the Global Action Plan has provided a platform for discussing the development of a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change. At the same time, COP30 has brought tangible progress in other areas: the countries agreed to triple the amount of adaptation funding for developing countries by 2035, strengthened the forest and ocean agenda, and expanded the range of practical initiatives under the Action Agenda . COP30 consolidated the trend: from "water at the center of the climate crisis" to a holistic ocean agenda closely related to energy, food, biodiversity and sustainable coastal development. From the COP29 Water Declaration to the COP30 Enhanced Ocean Water Program At COP29 in Baku, the Declaration on Water for Climate Action was adopted , with the aim to applying comprehensive approaches to combating the causes and consequences of climate change for water basins, emphasizing also the need to integrate water-related mitigation and adaptation measures into national climate policies, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). COP30 did not reverse this logic, but expanded it towards the ocean and coasts. Both processes "aquatic" and "oceanic" are moving in the same direction: integration of water, coasts and ocean into the climate plans of countries; development of nature-based solutions; strengthening transboundary management of water and marine systems; recognizing adaptation as an equal part of climate policy, rather than an "adjunct" to emissions reduction. Task Force on Oceans and the Blue NDC Challenge The international Task Force on Oceans , led by Brazil and France, was officially presented at the high-level ministerial meeting "From Ambition to Implementation: Delivering on Ocean Commitments" on 18 November, integrating oceans into a global mechanism to accelerate the incorporation of marine solutions into national climate plans. The Blue Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Challenge encourages countries to set ocean protection targets when updating their NDCs. The goal is to transition the Blue NDC Challenge into an Implementation Task Force. Members of the Blue NDC Challenge, currently 17 countries, can adopt a broad set of actions aimed at the protection and sustainable use of the oceans.These measures include the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems, supported by tools such as marine spatial planning, integrated coastal zone management, and climate-aligned marine protected areas. Countries are also encouraged to support sustainable and climate-resilient fishing and aquaculture, ensuring ocean health and long-term food security. B razil has set a clear example: its updated NDC includes a separate chapter on the ocean and coastal zones. For the first time, the national climate plan (Plano Clima) until 2035 includes a thematic adaptation plan for these areas. Priorities include the completion of national Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) by 2030 and major programs for the conservation and restoration of mangroves and coral reefs (ProManguezal, ProCoral).
By CCB November 24, 2025
Leading scientists, consumer advocates and policymakers gathered on November, 18th in Brussels for the conference "From Evidence to Policy: Toward a Tox free Living Environment" . They warned that exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in homes and consumer products represents a silent but severe public health and economic crisis. New findings presented to over 65 participants by the EU Baltic Sea Interreg project NonHazCity3 , LIFE ChemBee and the ToxFree LIFE for All projects as well as revealed widespread contamination of European households by complex chemical mixtures of hormone system disrupting substances (so called endocrine disrupters – EDCs) that contribute to chronic disease and impose enormous health costs. According to the key note speaker Dr. Aleksandra Rutkowska, the home environment is a significant source of exposure to EDCs through indoor air, dust and daily contact with common products. Current research links such exposure to a shocking amount of lifestyle diseases including 22 cancer outcomes, 18 metabolic disorder outcomes and 17 cardiovascular disease outcomes. Scientists also stressed that the crisis spans generations. EDCs trigger epigenetic changes that not only affect today’s population but also future children and even grandchildren. Other effects include reproduction disorders. Over the last decade, 150 million babies were born preterm, and evidence shows that reducing the use of plastics by half could cut the risk of preterm birth by half as well.