The 28 partnerships gathered to implement local development strategies for aquaculture and fishing activities
Venice, March 25, 2026 – The effects of climate change, the spread of invasive alien species, the evolution of fish markets, and now rising energy costs: these are some of the main critical issues and challenges that are seriously hindering the fishing and aquaculture sector. The only way to address them is through cooperation between territories, local communities, businesses, and fishermen. This is the central theme of the second National Seminar of the Galpa—the Local Action Groups committed to implementing community participatory local development strategies (LDS)—which opened yesterday afternoon in Venice at the Don Orione Artigianelli Cultural Center.
Entitled "Galpa Network: Cooperation for Local Development in Fisheries and Aquaculture Areas," the initiative is promoted and organized by the National CLLD Network of Galpas as part of the Feampa (European Fund for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture) 2021-2027 national program, in collaboration with the Veneto Region and the Venice Flag, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF), and the patronage of the Veneto Region, the Municipality of Venice, the Metropolitan City of Venice, and the Municipality of Cavallino-Treporti in Venice.
Gathered in Venice, the 28 Galpas active in all of Italy's coastal regions are called upon to implement local development strategies, supported by the European Union through the Feampa 2021-2027 national program. Translated into concrete objectives in Local Action Plans (PAs), these are bottom-up strategies, developed based on the priorities identified by established local partnerships for the territories and aimed at promoting a sustainable blue economy in coastal, island, and inland areas, innovating seafood processing, and fostering the integration of fishing and aquaculture with other Blue Economy sectors.
Overall, the GALPA system has approximately €107.3 million available for the implementation of its PAs, of which €53.65 million is the EU share and the remainder is provided by Masaf and the Regions. For the two Veneto GALPAs, over €6 million has been committed to implementing their respective PAs, compared to the total €8.5 million allocated, including EU, Masaf, and Regional resources. 30 projects were submitted and approved for the Venetian Flag and 24 for the Galpa Chioggia and Po Delta projects.
Opening the seminar yesterday afternoon, Antonio Gottardo, president of the Venetian Flag, emphasized: "Faced with the many serious crises facing the fishing and aquaculture sectors, we firmly believe that cooperation is the only way forward, and we must forge it together. Fishing is, in fact, a largely individualistic sector, but standing alone today risks remaining at the bottom of the economic and commercial chain. This is why we are instead setting ourselves the goal and commitment to create a system and build critical mass, to address the challenges ahead but also to guide supply chain policies in a unified and cooperative manner."
Dario Bond, Councilor for Agriculture, Forestry, Mountains, Hunting Policies, and Fisheries for the Veneto Region, spoke at the opening of the meeting, saying: "The fishing crisis is one I saw firsthand at the port of Pila, where, due to a series of natural, geological, and hydraulic coincidences, there are rivers of sand that must be removed to make room for the passage of vessels. In a short time, and with the crucial involvement of the Prefect of Venice, we were able to secure an emergency contract for the de-graveling of the port. We started with Pila because it is a busy and important fishing port, which also generates significant revenue, but this is only a representative example of the broader crisis the sector is experiencing, which we can and must address only by working together as a team.
Representing the City of Venice, Councilor for Trade and Productive Activities Sebastiano Costalonga spoke, reiterating the city administration's strong support for the fishing industry. He said: "The profoundly difficult situation facing our fishing communities represents not only an economic but also a social emergency, with significant impacts on many local families. In this context, the role of the Galpa (Italian Fishing Associations) becomes fundamental: models such as fish tourism and the short supply chain represent not only traditions to be protected, but concrete development opportunities, capable of making the sector more resilient to global crises. Venice, chosen as the venue for this important event, with its history inextricably linked to water, confirms itself as the ideal place to outline the future prospects of fishing in view of 2027."
"We are in a moment of great difficulty for the sector, because the costs our fishermen must bear are enormous," emphasized Graziella Romito, Director General of the Directorate of Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry. "This is undoubtedly one of the most urgent priorities, and the Government recently addressed this by reducing fuel taxation. On the other hand, from a long-term perspective, we certainly need to intervene to restructure the sector, for example by encouraging the conversion of the fleet to one with a lower energy impact... In short, we need to think more broadly, and in this context, we certainly need to work at a negotiating level with the European Commission to guarantee the fishing sector sufficient resources." And regarding the central theme of cooperation, Romito added: "The cooperation system is fundamental, as demonstrated by the work of the Galpa, which is able to bring together a whole range of local stakeholders, listening to their needs and identifying the necessary lines of action."
Francesco Terenzi, coordinator of the National Galpa Network, also provided an initial assessment of the implementation of the development strategies supported by Feampa. He explained: "The situation is quite positive: almost all resources have been committed to the 28 Galpas, and all are showing progress in spending. Among the priorities for this next phase are undoubtedly promoting cooperation, on the one hand, and improving project monitoring, now focused on financial progress, on the other. This will place greater emphasis on qualitative data to measure the effectiveness of strategies in the regions, and also to begin positioning the new Galpas for the next 2028-2034 programming period."
This event represents an important opportunity for discussion between Galpa, local and national institutions, and other stakeholders, to leverage existing cooperation experiences in various regional contexts, foster synergies, and initiate new partnerships with emerging projects. Among the cooperation initiatives discussed in recent days is the "Cultural Heritage of Fisheries" (PCP) project, the candidacy process for Italian fishing with traditional gear in lagoons and at sea as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage site. Launched at the G20 Caorle Beaches Summit in 2024 with the involvement of six different regions (Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia Romagna, Marche, Tuscany, and Abruzzo), the project, led by the Venetian Flag and now entering a further phase, is relaunching its call to action from Venice to institutions, administrations, and partners to expand the partnership in support of the candidacy.
Tomorrow, Thursday, March 26, the delegations will visit the fish tourism and fishing tourism businesses in the northern Venice lagoon, the "Casa della Pesca" in Cavallino-Treporti, and the "Isola di Burano" to learn firsthand about some of the best practices resulting from the efficient management of local action projects supported by European programming, which have had concrete impacts on businesses and the local area.
Flag Veneziano Press Office – IKON Comunicazione by Marta Giacometti
Tel. +39 049 8764542 - Cell. +39 338 6983321 – Email ufficiostampa@ikoncomunicazione.com
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