CETMAR promotes the MARdePiura project in Peru to strengthen the blue economy and address climate change
The Centro Tecnológico del Mar-Fundación CETMAR, under the Galician Regional Ministry of the Sea, has recently signed a new collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Presidency, Justice and Sports to implement the MARdePiura project (Women, Aquaculture and Institutional Strengthening for the Sustainable Development of the Blue Economy in the Piura Region), aiming to contribute to the adaptation of artisanal fishing and aquaculture to climate change through a strategy focused on diversification and sustainability.
Funded by the Xunta de Galicia through Cooperación Galega and supported by the Peruvian Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) — through the General Directorate of Artisanal Fishing (DGPA) and FONDEPES — the project will continue the work carried out in recent years in the Bay of Sechura, in northwest Peru, with initiatives such as Acuipesca, VerTyCe, and Aquavalora.
In this new phase, CETMAR will work closely with the Artisanal Fishermen’s Social Organizations (OSPAs) dedicated to cultivating the scallop (Argopecten purpuratus). The goal is to enhance the sustainability of the production chain by introducing laboratory-based seed supply systems and strengthening good practice protocols.
This line of action will increase efficiency and ensure greater resilience of the activity in the face of climate change effects, while ensuring resource conservation.
At the same time, the project will continue to support women-led entrepreneurship in Sechura, focused on marketing artisanal fishery products. Through training activities and the preparation of market research reports, product quality standards will be improved and, simultaneously, market positioning in new markets will be encouraged. This approach aims to increase the income of these women and reinforce their role in the local blue economy.
Finally, the project will also emphasize strengthening the technical capacities of public institutions linked to both aquaculture and maritime fishing tourism. Through training actions and inter-institutional coordination tables, measures that promote the sustainability of the aquaculture production system and the creation of sustainable experiential tourism initiatives in the Piura region will be promoted.
This component aims to diversify the local economy and generate development alternatives complementary to artisanal fishing.
With a budget of €106,848.77, the project seeks to increase the sustainability of the fishery and aquaculture value chain, create new business opportunities, and strengthen institutional governance to face the challenges of climate change.
Galicia–Peru Cooperation
The MARdePiura project strengthens the close ties established between Galicia and Peru, which have a collaborative history spanning over 20 years. Since the 2006-2009 Master Plan, Peru has been considered a strategic country for Galician Cooperation, a relationship that continues under the current V Master Plan 2023-2026.
In 2004, the Xunta de Galicia and the Peruvian Ministry of Production signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Fisheries and Aquaculture Cooperation, renewed in 2014 and still serving as the collaborative framework enabling projects like MARdePiura.
