French aquaculture industry trade body CIPA is calling on authorities to make it easier to get projects off the ground.

Getting approval for aquaculture culture projects often means facing demand after demand with no guarantee that fish farms will get approved, according to CIPA, which represents the interests of fresh and seawater fish farmers, food manufacturers and trout processors.

"Authorization processes are very long and that makes professionals a little bit reticent," CIPA Director Marine Levadoux told IntraFish.

Pierre Fortin, an expert in aquaculture species at French aquaculture nutrition specialists Techna is less convinced by this argument, pointing out that the length of time taken to get projects approved varies from one to another.

He cites the simplification in the way European Union subsidies are distributed as one factor that has helped to speed up both the authorization of both aquaculture and alternative feed ingredients projects.

From a production and feed perspective, among the most promising farmed species being trialed in France are perch, sole and salmon, as well as a handful of shrimp projects in Fortin's view.

In contrast to other nations, 70 percent of seafood eaten in France comes from wild-caught produce and only 30 percent from farmed products.

Although a pioneer in Europe in the field of aquaculture breeding, France nevertheless produces less than 5,000 tons of marine-raised fish.

France has in the region of 500 freshwater production sites operated by around 300 commercial enterprises.

It is now the third-largest European freshwater trout producer with nearly 41,000 metric tons produced in 2018, according to CIPA figures.

Land-based future?

France has currently around 10 commercial land-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) projects, mainly in southern and western France. Among them are hatcheries, research and specialist learning centers.

Consultants at Via Aqua, who produced a study on the industry potential, think there could be room for as many as 30-40 more in France.

CIPA sees land-based RAS as a useful tool for the aquaculture industry, particularly in areas where there is insufficient access to water whether due to a nearby lack of natural resources or extended drought periods.

Levadoux said she does not doubt the Via Aqua figures but warned projects are not without drawbacks.

"We identified that recirculation systems are complex, costly in terms of investment and anyway there is only a small minority of companies that would be able to install them," she said.

Against this background Fortin highlighted the growing trend for aquaponic projects in France, exemplified by the strategy of salmon and trout producer AMP Saumon de France, backed by the financial muscle of international body, face, and fragrance products company L'Occitane.

AMP Saumon de France plans to open 50 such farms in locations across France, including at Aix-en-Provence, Villepinte, Chartres and Paris. Although the company has yet to confirm it AMP Saumon de France's record of strategically targeted acquisitions could be seen as a way around sluggish licensing rule.

Most recently AMP Saumon de France acquired Normandy-based trout producer Pisciculture de l'Eure for an undisclosed amount, lifting annual production to 1,200 metric tons in the process amid increased interest in trout in a changing French market.

"It's true that trout is gaining in noteriety in constrast to salmon, which could prove to be a boost for trout production," Fortin said."There is a change in how trout is being consumed from filet and portions towards smoked trout."

But however the industry manages to gain traction to get projects moving forward, the good news is supermarkets, fishmongers and consumers are willing to pay the same price for fish produced using land-based systems as they are for those grown through "traditional" aquaculture methods, Via Aqua research found.

Aquaculture

France's aquaculture sector wants smoother runway for launch