Spain: Aquaculture companies create REMA for scientific and technological research on the sector

July 14, 2015

In yesterday the founding act of the Network of Aquaculture Marina Experimentation in acronym REMA took place in Madrid. Its aim is to achieve solutions to scientific and technological aspects of the Spanish marine aquaculture challenges. This new entity has been legally established as non-profit association, having a territorial scope covering the whole of the Spanish State.

REMA created in imitation of other innovative Spanish economic sectors with its own cluster or private research institute to contribute, from the private sector, to solving challenges in R & D sector itself. Among the statutory activities of REMA include the develop, promote and stimulate research, technological development and innovation in marine aquaculture, the dissemination of its results and be a reference for information and documentation in R + D + i.

Marine aquaculture, whatever the species or form

The founding partners are REMA Fry of Guardamar, Andromeda Iberica Culmarex Mariculture Guardamar Farms Tinamenor Group and Albaladejo. To them soon they are joining other corporations whose principal activity is the production of marine aquaculture, whatever the species or form. It is noteworthy that REMA is above the division into sub-sectors of marine aquaculture because the production of either species grown in Spain have sufficient critical mass to promote a company’s R & D that can be efficient enough. Therefore, REMA will develop its activities for the whole of the Spanish marine aquaculture and with a strong international component. REMA attend calls for national and European projects, particularly the Horizon 2020 program Workcamps REMA include, inter alia, vaccines, biocides, feed, new species related to the environment, equipment and technology.

You rowing poses on a network concept, in order to build on entities existing sector inquiry in Spain, such as the Galician Aquaculture Technology Centre (CETGA) and the Technological Centre of Aquaculture (CTAQUA), occupying posts important in its management. This, REMA will build infrastructures existing research in Spain, with the exception of the ambitious launch of an experimental farm offshore aquaculture, which will be unique in the Mediterranean, where research will be carried out with scientific criteria but operated a production farm and a commercial dimension, since the scale factor has been shown in research relevant aquaculture.

REMA maintain close synergies with institutes and public research centers that currently exist in Spain, both at the state and regional level. It will also be particularly active REMA collaboration with suppliers of goods and services for aquaculture feed manufacturers and veterinarians or laboratories, for example.

The founding Board of REMA has been agreed that it is chaired by Mr. Gustavo Larrazabal, current president of the European Technology Platform Innovation and Aquaculture (EATIP) and president of Tinamenor Group, as vice president Joaquín Messeguer (Fry of Guardamar) and vocal D. Tahiche Lacomba (Andromeda Iberica), D. Tomas Hernandez (Culmarex), Joaquín Forehand (Mariculture of Guardamar) and Juan Manuel Aguirre (Piscifactorías Albaladejo). Besides its General Assembly and Board of Directors, REMA will have a Technical Committee consisting of technical representatives of all member companies. This committee is the forum for advice to the Board for technical and scientific issues.

This initiative joins other APROMAR powerful sectoral actions promoted in recent years to the sustainable future of the Spanish aquaculture, such as the creation and promotion of FEADSA (Spanish Federation of Associations of Health Protection Aquaculture), and its network of ADS, in the field of animal health; Raising the collective mark our seas, in the area of ​​markets; the signing of the Collective Agreement IV Marine Aquaculture in the social field; APROMAR and other initiatives will be announced in the coming weeks.

Source: APROMAR (Business Association of Marine Aquaculture Producers of Spain)