What connects aquaculture students in Spanish estuaries to EU policymakers in Brussels? A continent-wide network monitoring ocean conditions in real time, shaping fisheries policy and driving sustainable investment in Europe's blue economy.
Countless rafts dot the water's surface in the Galician estuaries of northwest Spain. Each one is a platform for growing mussels and other shellfish. For students at IGAFA, one of Spain's leading aquaculture schools, these platforms serve as an outdoor classroom where future marine farmers can learn their trade.
Europe's “blue economy” employs four to five million people across the continent. Aquaculture alone provides tens of thousands of jobs in Spain, France, Greece and Italy, creating demand for specialists who can work at sea, in laboratories, offices and processing plants. The sector produces sustainable, local protein, easing pressure on wild fish stocks and reducing Europe's reliance on imported seafood. Yet growth remains constrained because of factors like market fluctuations and environmental uncertainties that can affect local production.
Even basic water characteristics like salinity can change. In Galicia's estuaries, where ocean saltwater mixes with river freshwater, tides and rainfall cause salt levels to vary, sometimes reaching levels that threaten shellfish survival.
How technology helps
Galician estuaries are continuously monitored through a network of automatic platforms operated by INTECMAR - the Technological Institute for the Control of the Marine Environment of Galicia. The underwater sensors need only occasional cleaning to remove algae. Otherwise they work autonomously, powered by solar and wind energy, transmitting constant readings of temperature, salinity, pH and oxygen levels.
However, the information doesn't stop at regional research institutes. It flows into vast international databases. In Vigo, Galicia's largest city and a major hub of Europe's blue economy, CETMAR channels this data into regional and EU-level decision-making.
JRC: where policy meets science
The data journey continues east to Ispra, a lakeside Italian town that houses the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. Here, Jann Martinsohn leads the Ocean and Water Unit, which analyses information from Europe's fishery and aquaculture sectors, Eurostat, EU agencies, member states and countless other sources. The findings are published annually in the EU Blue Economy Report - a clear, easy to use document that informs policy and guides billions in investment.
"One striking example is obviously the common fisheries policy," says Martinsohn. "The Commission even has the obligation to take up the information we produce." The data also feeds into the Zero Pollution Action Plan and helps shape investment opportunities across the sustainable blue economy.
All this research becomes publicly accessible through the EU Blue Economy Observatory that maintains a free online resource offering charts, maps and current data. "Stakeholders - be it policymakers, be it entrepreneurs - can see what is going on in the blue economy sectors," Martinsohn explains. Interactive dashboards allow users to analyse trends in maritime transport, fisheries, energy and the ongoing energy transition.
Details
- Publication date
- 5 November 2025