Hungary 2018

The second annual meeting of the H2020 TAPAS project (Tools for Assessment and Planning of Aquaculture Sustainability) has taken place in Velence, Hungary, between the 20th and 22th of March 2018.

During the meeting, more than 30 researchers from several countries across Europe presented the results obtained over the first two years of the project and drafted a research plan to complete the TAPAS Smart toolbox, a major outcome of the project.

Andreu Rico, from the Ecotoxicology group of the IMDEA Water Institute, presented a position paper on the development of models for the risk assessment of chemicals used in European aquaculture. Furthermore he, together with other colleagues working in WP3, discussed on the results of the several experiments that have been carried out to evaluate the impacts of aquaculture antibiotics on marine biofilms and benthic invertebrates. They also reported on the preliminary results of the case-study carried out in the coast of Murcia looking at antibiotic dispersal and impacts on microorganisms and the benthic environment.

TAPAS is a four-year Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action funded by the European Commission. The full title and main objective of the project is the development of “Tools for the Assessment and Planning of Aquaculture Sustainability”. The project, in which IMDEA Water participates, is formed by 15 partners from 10 European countries. TAPAS is evaluating current aquaculture regulatory practices, methods, tools and technologies used for implemantation, to identify gaps, needs, bottlenecks and propose improved approaches. The overall objective is to establish a comprehensive ‘toolbox’ to support transparent and efficient licensing, that will enhance environment sustainability, aquatic food security and blue growth.