Conclusions:

The coastal communities’ development is mainly based on the following aspects and challenges:

• Community empowerment for community awareness, ownership and actions that aim at a change;
• Encouraging participatory approach for improving governance;
• Building clusters for achieving sufficient critical mass of SMEs to address their research and innovation needs and for an efficient transfer of the results;
• Promoting the role of aquaculture and its environmental services for the fishery sector;
• Boosting the value chain of the local fishery products;
• Favoring cooperation actions for the transfer of knowledge and share of models, methodologies and best practices;
• Investing in nature and culture for ensuring a durable economic and social growth of the communities.

Presentations

Rigers Bakiu – Agricultural University of Tirana-Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Albania

Antonio Errico – Magna Grecia Mare Association, Port Museum of Tricase, Italy

Imad Lahoud – Ministry of Agriculture Dept. Fisheries, Lebanon

Giovanni Tumbiolo – Fishery and Blue Growth District, Sicilian Region, Italy