Creation of the Swiss aquaculture coordination centre: Report on the methodology, strategy, and establishment of the legal structure

Swiss aquaculture, while a small sector, has experienced rapid growth in recent years and is diversifying through new production methods. This growth presents challenges and uncertainties for producers and authorities along the value chain.
A workshop organised at FSVO on 4 July 2018 was the starting point for getting a structure on track, supposed to help the aquaculture sector in Switzerland to structure and organize itself efficiently to prepare for the future challenges. The event provided an opportunity to gather initial ideas on what thematic areas a coordination centre should cover. The main conclusion was that the representatives of the various groups involved in aquaculture sometimes have very different requirements and interests. There were also differences within the different groups. However, certain tasks, such as the creation of an information platform, were considered important by the vast majority of those present.
It was now clear that there was an interest and need for such a structure, but that defining the tasks and creating such a centre would not be easy.
A working group made up of several players wishing to take the discussion further was therefore set up to define the steps needed to establish a coordination centre. A project proposal was sent to the FSVO.
The FSVO financed a first study in 2019-20, culminating in a report published in 2021. The results of this report can be interpreted as a representative picture of the current situation of the aquaculture sector in Switzerland and of the needs of the sector. The high response rate to the survey and the subsequent discussions have shown that the stakeholder groups are sensitive to the issue and support the idea. As expected, there were still major differences of opinion between the actors about what the main tasks of the coordination body should be and who should finance what.
The study highlighted the necessity of such a single point of contact to professionally structure and support the growth of the emerging sector. Therefore, the FSVO decided to support the creation of the Swiss aquaculture coordination centre further.
This second project focused on the creation of the coordination centre itself. More specifically, the tasks have been
• the precise definition of the goals of the coordination centre while considering the tasks that are already covered by the existing organisations
• the creation of a website for the coordination centre providing a real value to the community with important general information on aquaculture and information on more specific topics
• the search for independent funding to ensure the continuity for the future, in particular through the development of non-existing services
• the creation of the legal structure and definition of the team members to support it