The fisheries and fish farming sector is a sector of high potential with many investment perspectives for the Region of Western Greece.
The sector has a long tradition in Aetolia-Acarnania and its main characteristics are reflected as follows:
- In total, 28 fish farming units are operating in Aetolia-Acarnania, representing 9% of all units operating at national level, ranking the Region of Western Greece in the third place among the 13 Regions
- The Region of Western Greece employs approximately 1,700 employees, which corresponds to 14.3% of the total number of employees in fish farming, ranking the RWG in the second place among the 13 Regions
- Every year 20,000 tons of fish are farmed, which corresponds to 20% of the total quantity produced nationally
- The production of sea bream and sea bass in the Messolonghi Lagoon occupies a large share, not only of the national (25%) but also of the European production (12.5%), with the products coming from the Region of Western Greece being globally recognized for the their quality.
All areas of fish farming development are concentrated in the area of Aetolia-Acarnania:
- Amvrakikos bay, Menidi
- Amvrakikos bay, Paliampela
- Amvrakikos bay, Vonitsa
- Ionian coast Palairos-Plagia
- Ionian coast, Astakos-Mutikas
- Echinades, Ionian coast, South of Astakos
- Patras bay
Why investing in RWG?
Strong brand name: The Region of Western Greece has a strong brand name in Greece, Europe and the USA, with about 80% of the total production being exported to European and American markets. This gives an advantage to business wishing to operate in the region. .
Highly trained human resources: The Regional Unit of Aetolia-Acarnania has a long tradition in the fisheries and fish farming sector, and the human resources of the region are famous for their training and professional experience.
Synergies with the University of Patras: The department of animal production of fisheries and aquaculture, of the University of Patras, is operating in Messolonghi, and could lead to synergies and "explosion" of innovation for new businesses in the area.
OAD: In the next period, 23 Areas of Organized Aquaculture Development (OAD) are expected to be established, in the region of Aetolia-Acarnania and Echinades, . This intervention is expected to give a new impetus to investments in this sector.
Financial instruments: Supportive financial tools are available for investors, in the current and the next programming period, while an important advantage is the existence of a special Business Program provided by the Partnership Agreement (PA).