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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Virtual Seminar on Aquaculture and Marine Spatial Planning: highlights on the Mediterranean and the Black Sea took place on 3 June, 2020 online. It was organized by the General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The seminar aimed to provide background on the concept and implementation of allocated zones for aquaculture (AZAs) within a marine spatial planning (MSP) framework and to share experiences from pilot studies in AZA development. Taking trends and local conditions into account, the establishment of AZAs is considered essential to the sustainable development and expansion of aquaculture in Mediterranean and Black Sea bordering countries. More than 100 participants from the Mediterranean and Black Sea countries, as well as from Iraq and Saudi Arabia, attended the event. Aquaculture experts from the GFCM opened the seminar and introduced the framework of AZA establishment as well as the role of geographic information systems (GIS) and methodological processes. Guest speakers then presented on their experiences working on AZA pilot studies and highlighted the range of benefits provided by sustainable aquaculture conducted in AZAs, including reduced environmental impacts, greater social acceptability of aquaculture products, higher revenues for producers and better quality for consumers. The Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Services data for aquaculture site selection and the Blue-Cloud project for cage detection were also presented– after which a Q/A session followed to conclude the seminar. The timeliness of this seminar, at a moment when AZA establishment is being increasingly embraced by relevant stakeholders, was recognised, as well as other conclusions related to the importance of GIS application in determining sites for AZAs and the need for immediate action at the local level to move forward in these processes.