This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 5 2026.
The Xunta de Galicia is investing more than €680,000 in an aquaculture research project designed to help the sector adapt to climate change. Funded through the regional government’s Nexos programme, the Mitakua project will combine biosecurity, nutrition, and production-system research to improve resilience under changing environmental conditions. A central element will be the development of a monitoring programme for potential pathogens and other biosecurity risks affecting farmed species. Researchers will also assess feeds and ingredients that could help fish cope with thermal stress during periods of high water temperatures. In parallel, project partners plan to design recirculating aquaculture systems for marine species that are better adapted to climate-related changes in water chemistry and biology.
The initiative brings together aquaculture companies and research organisations, and includes a programme to disseminate its findings to industry, public authorities, and the scientific community. The wider 2026–2028 Nexos funding call supports 37 projects involving 138 companies, with €22.6 million in regional and European funding expected to mobilise almost €40 million in total investment.
