Romania is the first European Union country to identify a mechanism for compensating aquaculture for carbon sequestration as an environmental service, according to Valentin Toma, director general of the General Fisheries Directorate (DGP) and Managing Authority for the Programme for Fisheries and Aquaculture (AM POPAM).
Toma said Romania developed the approach with support from the Aquaculture Research and Development Institute in Galati, where a team of researchers contributed to a scientific study used to quantify carbon sequestration.
Although European regulations allow for compensation for environmental services, Romania is, according to the European Commission’s assessment, the first member state to develop such an approach specifically for aquaculture. The Managing Authority within the Ministry of Agriculture subsequently consulted the European Commission, which categorised the approach as unique among EU member states, Toma told AGERPRES.
Funding Available For Aquaculture Farms
The call for projects under Action 2.1.4, ‘Environmental services’, opened on 24 July and will remain open until 6 September 2026, with a total budget of EU€14.285 million.
According to Toma, at least 300 aquaculture farms in Romania could be eligible for the scheme, with a similar number of applications expected.
Under the measure, maximum compensation is EU€174.92/ha/year for extensive aquaculture and EU€97.18/ha/year for semi-intensive farms, where feeding is managed.
If applications exceed the available budget, the Managing Authority intends to ensure that all eligible applicants can receive funding by reducing the compensation amounts proportionally.
Toma said this approach would mean that eligible farmers would receive funding rather than some applicants being excluded because of insufficient budget. If a large number of applications are submitted, compensation would therefore be reduced proportionally.
Eligibility Requirements For Farms
The eligible area used to calculate support represents 70 oercent of the water surface area recorded on the aquaculture licence for which compensation is requested. Support may not exceed EU€50,000 per applicant per year, while the maximum public support intensity is 100 percent.
To qualify, farms must be active and carry out aquaculture activities. Simply owning a water surface without conducting aquaculture activities does not qualify for compensation.
Key requirements include holding an aquaculture licence, an environmental permit and the annual environmental endorsement for the year in which compensation is requested. Marketed production must also be between 50 and 1,500kg of fish per hectare per year, calculated against the actual eligible area.
Toma stressed that the scheme is intended for active farms producing fish for sale and that the aquaculture licence, environmental permit and annual environmental endorsement are essential requirements.
Compensation To Support Modernisation
He also said the scheme should not be viewed solely as compensation for aquaculture farmers, but as an opportunity to support future investment. Funding received through the ‘Environmental services’ measure can be used as co-financing for modernisation projects.
The next aquaculture investment measure is expected to launch in September for the fourth time, allowing farmers to use the compensation to help secure funding for modernisation and increased production.
Toma added that the previous call for farm investment attracted only ten projects.
Targeting Potentially Eligible Farms
Romania currently has more than 1100 aquaculture licences. For the new measure, the Managing Authority has identified and directly contacted approximately half of the farms considered potentially eligible through targeted communications with the sector.
The Managing Authority is also conducting an extensive campaign to promote the measure, including through a dedicated webpage, where farmers can access the necessary information and documents and check their project’s eligibility. The same approach will be used for future funding measures under the fisheries and aquaculture programme.
