The annual meeting, held on 15 and 16 October, provided an opportunity to review progress and coordinate the project’s next steps towards strengthening the resilience of Atlantic aquaculture to climate change.

Porto hosted the CLIRAQUA annual meeting on 15 and 16 October, bringing together representatives of the project’s partner organisations to share progress, exchange knowledge and establish priorities for the coming months.

CLIRAQUA is a European cooperation project working to strengthen the resilience of Atlantic aquaculture in the face of climate change. During the two-day meeting, participants reviewed progress across the project’s three main areas of activity, which address different aspects of the climate challenges facing the aquaculture sector.

The first area focuses on assessing the impacts of climate change on aquaculture environments, developing vulnerability maps and identifying the species most sensitive to environmental changes. This work aims to improve understanding of climate-related risks and help anticipate their potential consequences for production systems.

The second area addresses the development of adaptive management protocols, ecosystem restoration technologies, risk prevention measures and knowledge and technology transfer activities. The aim is to develop practical solutions that will help the sector adapt to changing environmental conditions.

The third area focuses on climate governance, public engagement and transnational cooperation. These elements are essential to fostering collaboration between researchers, public authorities, producers and other stakeholders involved in aquaculture.

European cooperation for more resilient aquaculture

Beyond the technical review, the annual meeting provided an opportunity to strengthen coordination among project partners and share knowledge and experience. Collaboration between organisations from Spain, Portugal, France and Ireland is particularly important for developing joint responses to a challenge affecting the entire Atlantic region.

CLIRAQUA, which stands for Climate Resilience and Adaptation in Aquaculture, aims to promote innovative solutions that contribute to the environmental and economic sustainability of aquaculture. Its planned outputs include vulnerability assessment tools, adaptive management protocols and systems to help anticipate climate-related risks.

The project is led by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Chemistry and Biology (CICA) at the University of A Coruña and is funded by the Interreg Atlantic Area programme through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

With this annual meeting, CLIRAQUA continues to pursue its goal of turning scientific knowledge and international cooperation into practical tools to prepare Atlantic aquaculture for current and future climate challenges.