Inauguration of the Aquaponics Training Facility at the University of Montpellier

[Press Release] - Published on July 3, 2023 in the Press Room

On Wednesday, July 5, 2023, starting at 11 a.m., the University of Montpellier will inaugurate its brand-new aquaponics training facility at the Mediterranean Coastal Environment Station in Sète, in the presence of Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier; Éric Servat, Director of the Montpellier Environmental Research Observatory (OSU OREME); Laurence Weil, Director of the Continuing Education Department (SFC UM), and François Pierrot, Deputy Director of the Committee for Strategic and Structural Investments. 

Aquaculture is a sector that is growing at a rate of 5 to 10 percent per year worldwide, with an annual production of approximately 125 million metric tons. For several years now, aquaculture production has exceeded wild-caught fish production. This booming sector aims to reach 200 million metric tons per year by 2030 and employs 70 million people.

To provide training and help professionals in this field develop their skills, the University of Montpellier is opening an aquaponics training center.

Meeting Market Needs

The professional training program in aquaculture offered by the University of Montpellier’s Continuing Education Department (UM), based at the Mediterranean Coastal Environment Station (SMEL) in Sète, covers planning, operations, and development activities related to living aquatic resources and the management of their environment (aquaculture, aquaponics, recreation and cultivation, public aquariums, etc.).

The foundation for the development of this training program is to meet market needs, leverage knowledge derived from research, draw on the expertise of researchers and our transnational professional network, provide multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary skills, and apply them throughout the training programs. This comprehensive approach was designed within the regional ecosystem, which brings together research and higher education institutions specializing in Mediterranean and tropical agricultural development (IFREMER, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, IRSTEA, INRAE, etc.). 

Keywords: Agriculture, Training, Innovation