In some cases, the results showed that several stakeholders were ignored at the initial step of aquaculture planning which directly hindered participation. The lesson to be derived is that regional or national interest should never ignore the local level of decision-making – and instead directly jump to higher levels – since this is the level at which the projects will actually be implemented. These facts point to the need for designing and enabling inclusive participatory decision-making procedures that ensure: (i) timely and public provision of transparent, clear and adequate information so that each stakeholder can properly evaluate different development options,

(ii) allocation of public funds for public research and for supporting best practices selleck screening library directed to environmentally and socially desirable outcomes serving collective needs, and (iii) prioritization of local needs and concerns. All of the above transformative arguments are of paramount importance for forthcoming aquaculture policies as in some cases decision-making authorities tend towards eliminating any obstacle to aquaculture unless there are strong conflicts [31]. In line with this, the efforts to decrease the administrative burden of the sector have to be carefully

analyzed. There are two issues related to this objective that shall be distinguished from each other. First, in many countries, several actors complain about the complex and unclear character of application and decision-making structure. Selleckchem Dapagliflozin In many cases, it is not clear where to apply for a new farm or for complaints about its impacts, neither which public body has what authority. Urease Its clarification and simplification would be beneficial for each stakeholder in order to improve the discussion and participation. Secondly, there is the issue of long application periods necessary to obtain a license in Europe. These long periods can be a result of the former, i.e. they may be due to the

complex set of bureaucratic requirements, which do not function properly. However, in many cases, it can also be a result of the need for public consultation, which is crucial to ensure participation and inclusion of several concerns, best practices and social acceptance. Finally, the present study remarks that there are already notable conflicts with a potential to become even stronger, unless the policies encouraging the expansion of marine finfish aquaculture cover all social and environmental aspects. As a consequence, while avoiding the emergence of conflicts – through well-designed public policies – may not be seen as a priority for the European finfish aquaculture industry in the context of stagnation [39], it may become a very relevant issue also for the sector while following the growth objective.