AquaReg Programme

 

AquaReg is a Regional Framework Operation funded under the INTERREG IIIC programme North Zone. It involves co-operation between the regions of Galicia in Spain, Border, Midland and Western (BMW) in Ireland, and Trøndelag in Norway.  

The overall objective of INTERREG IIIC is to “improve the effectiveness of policies and instruments for regional development and cohesion”. The AquaReg approach and ambition has been to take interregional cooperation one step further, aiming at concrete co-operation at operational level, involving marine industries, marine researchers, marine schools and the coastal zone planners in sub- projects. 

A prerequisite for success in interregional co-operation is the right blend of differences and similarities. Galicia, BMW and Trøndelag are all strong marine regions, situated at different latitudes along the Atlantic Coast. Most of the species of fish and shellfish are the same but there are regional variations.

Overexploitation and depletion of traditional fisheries, has had a consequence in reduction in fishing quotas and re-structuring of the fleet all over Europe, which in turn has caused loss of traditional jobs and increased unemployment in many coastal communities. As a consequence, aquaculture has diversified significantly, and today aquaculture constitutes an important and flourishing industry with high expectations for the future.

The rationale behind AquaReg is to make more efficient use of the experience and knowledge of aquaculturists, fishermen and scientists, across regional and national borders. The interregional partnership has outlined three strategies for achieving the objectives of AquaReg: 

  • AquaLink: Linking aquaculture/fisheries business and research.
  • AquaEd: Education and training.
  • AquaPlan: Coastal zone planning and management.

AquaReg has successfully funded 12 sub-projects with 35 organisations from the three regions participating. The 12 projects received funding to the value of € 2,730,000. The level of interest from both the aquaculture and fishing sectors can clearly be seen from the variety of projects. The sub-projects include work on seaweed, cod, pollack, mussels, crabs and lobsters, coastal zone management, regional and student exchange, even developing by-products from waste materials.

The education element of AquaReg is important for regional authorities, adding new aspects to the role of both politicians and officials as enablers and moderators. The three regions of AquaReg have created valuable networks between SME’s, researchers, schools and coastal zone planners. At RFO level, AquaReg has created administration and political networks that are crucial to achieve the ambition of a long-term co-operation in different sectors between Trøndelag, Galicia and BMW. With this in mind AquaReg will organize events focusing on future cooperation, together with general sub-project networking and dissemination.

Specific focuses will be on interregional cooperation:

  • for planning, management and sustainable exploitation of Aquaculture and Natural Marine Resources,
  • for innovation and development of new production, processing and commercialisation systems for aquaculture products. 

Based on the knowledge from the AquaReg partnerships, the partners will facilitate and foster the analysis and exchange of experiences, knowledge and opinions founded on common interest subjects previously identified. These areas will be prioritised and the three regions will look to establish suitable networking methods for further cooperation in these areas of common interest.

A further initiative will be taken to define collaboration strategies between projects during the AquaReg programme operation period, and to work on new proposals for future collaborations, either for new projects or by establishing links, networks or interregional collaboration agreements. 

It is the AquaReg ambition that the excellent co-operation and networks already established would continue well into the future.

Further information can be obtained from the BMW Regional Coordinator Alan Drumm alan.drum@marine.ie

Also visit the AquaReg Website

In this section:

home
Marine Economic & Social Research
SALSEA-Merge
Novel Passive Sampling Devices for the Monitoring of Priority Pollutants
Novel Anti-fouling Stategies based on Materials Doped with Nanoparticles for use in New Monitoring Technologies
Smart Catchment Demonstration: Long-term deployment of sensor monitroing system (DEPLOY)
Juvenile Fish Habitat Requirements in Changing Coastal Ecosystems
Alien Invasive Species in Irish Water Bodies
SADOSE
Nutrient and Ecosystem Dynamics in Irelands Only Marine Nature Reserve
Anthropogenic Impacts on Marine Biodiversity
Air-Sea Exchange Processes (EASI-AQCIS)
Marine Mammals & Megafauna in Irish Waters
Biological Effects for the Assessment of Pollution in Irish Waters
Climate and Catchment Environment
Assessing the Impact of Waste Water Treatment Plant Effluent on Norovirus Contamination in Shellfisheries
Assessment of Exposure to Metallic Nanoparticles on Marine and Freshwater Model Organisms at Cellular and Genetic Level
SIMBIOSYS - Sectoral Impacts on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Biodiversity and Ecological Requirements of Meiofauna and a Typology for Irish Transitional Waters
Can Geoinforamtics be used to Predict the Coastal Response to 21st Century Climate Change
Marine Functional Foods Research Initiative
Fish Population Genetics
Gill Pathologies
AquaPlan
Impact of Climate Change on Fish Stocks
Application of Signal Detection Methods to the Fisheries Management System
Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management
Isolation and Synthesis of Bioactive Natural Products from Marine Sources
Exploiting marine biodiversity to develop drugs for normalising neural communication in disease
Anti-Inflammatory potential of Marine Extracts
Flavouring and Taste Components in Irish Seaweeds
Marine Sensors & Communications
Marine Biodiscovery
CoralFISH
SmartCoast
Miniatuised Multi-Channel Cytometry System
Development of Viable Hatchery and Ongrowing Methodologies for Seaweed Species
Data Management for Marine Geological & Geophysical Datasets
MATSIS Project
STRAND 111
METRIC
Long-Term Dynamics of Herring Populations
The Life History, Ecology and Dynamics of the Black Scabbard
Rebuilding Depleted Fish Stocks in the Waters Around Ireland
EcoSystem Approach to Fisheries Management
Modelling the Ecology, Population Dynamics, Assessment & Managment of Nephrops
EEL-PLAN
Impacts of Increased Atmospheric CO2 on Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems
Making the European Fisheries Ecosystem Operational
Deepfishman
Prevent-Escape
CORES
EquiMAR
EELIAD
MIDTAL
PROPS
SKEMA
Water-based Tourism and Leisure Product Audit 2006
Azaspiracids
Discard Mitigation Plans
Marine Tourism Research Activities
Methodology for the Quantitative Assessment of Ireland's Inshore Kelp Resource
Cod Broodstock & Breeding Programme
Optimisation of Mooring Systems for Wave Energy Arrays
Tacit Knowledge
Acoustic Based Cetacean Detection
Information Management & Archive Solutions
Azipilot
Marine Monitoring System