It is predicted that food production must double by 2050 to meet the demand from the world’s growing population. A sustainable blue economy will play a central role in alleviating the multiple demands on land resources and in tackling climate change. The sector can contribute by promoting the sustainable use of aquatic and marine resources and by providing an alternative source of protein with less environmental impact.

Direct:

• Creation of 4 new job positions directly related to the research project, beyond the current 23 employees of the company. Furthermore, depending on the results of the research, the company will hire other 6 to 12 people;
• Increase in the production productivity, in which it will be possible to produce more clams using less resources for each Kg produced. The company expects to triple the clam’s production with the same level of resources usage, what they will be able to confirm with tests within the R&D project;
• The investment in research and development (R&D) promotes innovation in the industry, in terms of processes and technology. The project thrives for a greater understanding of clams’ genetics and its main disease, the development of new cultivation technologies but also improved cultivation processes;
• By providing an alternative source of protein, the sustainable cultivation of clams will not only contribute to alleviating the multiple demands on land resources, but also to restoring marine resources and the seas’ biodiversity, by being an alternative to intensive fishing.

Indirect:

• Promotion the local economy, through collaboration with the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) and the region’s producers.

Click here to read the article "Can the ocean feed us sustainably?" written by Rodrigo Clímaco, responsible for the clam farm of Oceano Fresco.