87% of participants in the B2E Workshop “Aquaculture: Myths and Facts,” held at the side event of the United Nations Ocean Conference One Sustainable Ocean, say they are ready to fall in love with sustainable fish production. Also, 89% of all participants are fish consumers.

This was the result of the last question in a series of surveys presented on Tuesday, June 28, at the event considered “a huge success by the B2E team and workshop participants,” revealed Elisabete Matos, Technical-Scientific Coordinator, and Ana Rita Ribeiro, Customer Manager, who led the event.

B2E challenged and invited participants from around the world to identify the myths of aquaculture in their country, based on their culture and personal experience. The ultimate goal was to clarify doubts, open the discussion, and work together to find ways to promote sustainable aquaculture and contribute positively to environmentally friendly food systems and the sustainable use of the ocean and its resources.

The workshop was marked by a massive response with a very participatory audience from three continents, aged between 20 and 50.

See the summary report of the event:

Aquaculture Myths and Facts Workshop

Sustainable aquaculture is a fundamental and ongoing area of work for B2E. Just as aquaculture is not the same everywhere in the world, the myths surrounding it can also differ, and the answers provided in this workshop may serve as a basis for other projects.

It should be remembered that in 2021, the team launched a campaign to clarify the main myths surrounding Portuguese aquaculture, entitled “Oh No! It’s a Myth After All!”, to mark European Maritime Day (May 20).

Although Portuguese and EU aquaculture is of excellent quality, freshness, and safety, most of the population has been living for several years with myths that perpetuate unrealistic ideas, undermining all production, with aquaculture contributing only 20% of total fish consumption in the EU. This is despite the fact that EU aquaculture products are very healthy and nutritious, produced sustainably, using environmentally friendly processes and promoting animal welfare.

In this campaign, B2E identified and worked on four major groups of myths surrounding aquaculture products:

1. quality and nutrition;

2. production, feed, and environmental impact;

3. antibiotics and other dangerous compounds;

4. origin.

The side event of the United Nations Ocean Conference One Sustainable Ocean was organized by Fórum Oceano, Lisbon City Council, and the Foundation for Science and Technology, among other institutions. Check out the event website for more information here.