Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-16-Speech-4-051"
Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
---|---|
rdf:type | |
dcterms:Date | |
dcterms:Is Part Of | |
dcterms:Language | |
lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030116.2.4-051"2
|
lpv:hasSubsequent | |
lpv:speaker | |
lpv:spokenAs | |
lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, rich Romans at the beginning of our era, between the first century BC and the first century AD, were the first to breed certain species of fish and molluscs. This was practised more, however, as a costly and fashionable pastime than as an economic activity. The sea-fish rearing ponds were then greatly admired for their beauty and as a symbol of the prestige that they represented. Traces of at least 50 fish rearing ponds dating from the Roman period have been identified along the Mediterranean rim.
Later on, particularly in the nineteenth century, some countries developed beds of oysters, which were considered – quite rightly – to be a species of food for the refined palate. Only in the latter decades of the twentieth century, however, did we see the rapid expansion of aquaculture, in response to the danger of fish resources being exploited to extinction. In fact, in 40 years, world fish production has increased fourfold, and today stands at around of 100 million tonnes, and world demand is increasing inexorably, in line with demographic growth.
Although aquaculture cannot replace fishing in the environment, it is, nevertheless, designed to complement and enhance some much-loved and sought after species that today feature on our daily fish menus and that fishing cannot supply in sufficient quantities. In future, aquaculture is bound to grow. What is essentially required is bringing to fish production the same changes that farming and livestock breeding underwent, moving from simple hunting and gathering to the creation and production of animal and vegetable foods. Such changes are not made, however, Mr President, without problems, particularly of an ecological nature, with regard to consumer health protection and even with regard to the well–being of the fish. Mr Martin addresses all of this in a thorough, rigorous and intelligent way in his report, which should become the textbook for aquaculture in the European Union."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples