Traditional extensive coastal and semi-intensive aquaculture systems in Southern Europe are facing difficulties, especially due to increased competition for coastal areas by other candidate users and market competition, due to low-price products from intensive aquaculture. However the positive effects of extensive and semi-intensive aquaculture in coastal areas – including environmental protection and restoration in areas of particular ecological interest, employment opportunity and development in rural and coastal areas - have been clearly recognised within EU policy.

The final goal of the SEACASE project was to develop effective tools for maintenance of competitiveness, productivity, profitability and thus sustainability of extensive and semi-intensive aquaculture production in Southern Europe, while minimizing its environmental impacts and improving the quality and public image of its products. The project was based on case studies covering a wide variety of production systems and geographical locations (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece), although some basic technological improvements were also studied.

Environmentally friendly farming protocols were analyzed and/or developed and certification possibilities assessed and proposed for voluntary use by the industry. Quality markers were studied in order to be able to differentiate aquaculture products from extensive and semi-intensive systems from the ones produced in intensive systems. Some of such markers may also facilitate product traceability. A socio-economic assessment of the selected production systems were produced. A patrimonial audit of traditional extensive and improved extensive systems was implemented over the case study of integrated eel fisheries and oyster refinement.