BLUE ECONOMY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN This report was prepared by eco-union: Kristian Petrick, Jérémie Fosse, Heloïse Lammens, Fabio Fiorucci under the supervision of Raffaele Mancini and Alessandra Sensi (Union for the Mediterranean). Acknowledgements: special acknowledgements to the experts and organizations that provided valuable inputs to the content of this publication and took part in the review process. In particular, Rosemary Montgomery, Julien Le Tellier (UN Environment/Mediterranean Action Plan Coordinating Unit), Mauro Randone (WWF Mediterranean Programme), and Najib Saab (Arab Forum for Environment and Development). With the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency Disclaimer: This publication collects qualitative/quantitative information on the current status and potential of the blue sectors in the UfM region with a particular focus on the Mediterranean countries. The information and views set out in this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Union for the Mediterranean and donors involved. 2 | Blue economy in the Mediterranean Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................5 1.1. The Blue Economy .............................................................................................................................. 5 1.2. Institutional Frameworks ................................................................................................................... 6 1.3. Sectors overview ................................................................................................................................ 7 Status and potential of the Blue Economy in Tourism ....................................................................... 11 2.1. Overview .................................................................................................................................... 11 2.2. Current status ............................................................................................................................ 12 2.2.1. Tourism’s increase in the Mediterranean area ..................................................................... 12 2.2.2. Central role in the region’s economy .................................................................................... 13 2.2.3. Valuable world heritage sites ................................................................................................ 14 2.3. Challenges .................................................................................................................................. 14 2.4. Opportunities and benefits ....................................................................................................... 16 2.4.1. Cost reduction through energy savings ................................................................................ 16 2.4.2. Market differentiation and revenue increase ....................................................................... 18 2.4.3. Other potential benefits ........................................................................................................ 20 2.5. Outlook ...................................................................................................................................... 20 2.5.1. Expected trends .................................................................................................................... 20 2.5.2. Critical issues ......................................................................................................................... 22 Fisheries and Aquaculture in the context of Blue Economy ................................................................ 24 3.1. Overview .................................................................................................................................... 24 3.2. Current status of fisheries ......................................................................................................... 25 3.2.1. The fishing fleet ..................................................................................................................... 26 3.2.2. Landed value of fisheries....................................................................................................... 29 3.2.3. Fisheries employment ........................................................................................................... 30 3.2.4. The role of small-scale fisheries ............................................................................................ 31 3.3. Challenges of fisheries ............................................................................................................... 32 3.4. Current status of aquaculture ................................................................................................... 34 3.5. Challenges of aquaculture ......................................................................................................... 36 3.6. Outlook ...................................................................................................................................... 38 Union for the Mediterranean | 3 Operationalize sustainable Blue Economy in Maritime Transport ...................................................... 39 4.1. Overview .................................................................................................................................... 39 4.2. Current Status ............................................................................................................................ 40 4.2.1. Volume of traffic ................................................................................................................... 40 4.2.2. Economic value and employment ......................................................................................... 41 4.3. Challenges .................................................................................................................................. 42 4.4. Outlook ...................................................................................................................................... 43 Blue Economy emerging sectors: Shipbuilding and Recycling ............................................................. 47 5.1. Overview .................................................................................................................................... 47 5.2. Current status ............................................................................................................................ 47 5.3. Challenges and outlook ............................................................................................................. 49 Blue Energy...................................................................................................................................... 52 6.1. Overview .................................................................................................................................... 52 6.2. Current status ............................................................................................................................ 52 6.3. Challenges and Outlook ............................................................................................................. 55 6.3.1. Renewable energies .............................................................................................................. 55 6.3.2. Critical issues ......................................................................................................................... 58 Other Blue Economy sectors ............................................................................................................. 59 7.1. Bioprospecting ........................................................................................................................... 59 7.1.1. Overview ............................................................................................................................... 59 7.1.2. Current status ........................................................................................................................ 59 7.1.3. Challenges and Outlook ........................................................................................................ 61 7.2. Deep-sea Mining ........................................................................................................................ 62 7.2.1. Overview ............................................................................................................................... 62 7.2.2. Current status ........................................................................................................................ 62 7.2.3. Challenges ............................................................................................................................. 63 7.2.4. Outlook .................................................................................................................................. 64 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................... 65 Annex: References ........................................................................................................................... 67 4 | Blue economy in the Mediterranean Introduction 1.1. The Blue Economy The Blue Economy is “the set of human activities depending on the sea and/or underpinned by