Greece formally approved just 7 of 23 applications for aquaculture zones in 14 years

Only seven of the 23 applications to establish Organised Aquaculture Development Areas (POAYs) in Greece received formal approval between 2011 and 2025, according to the Hellenic Aquaculture Producers Organisation (HAPO), known in Greece as ELOPY.

No new POAY was formalised in 2025. ELOPY says the spatial-planning studies had been ready for approval since 2022, after completing consultation, administrative review and environmental assessment, but that the formalisation process remained stalled.

The report puts absorption of the total public budget under Greece’s Programme for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Maritime Affairs (PALYTH) at 17.3% at the end of 2025. Payments for approved projects amounted to €89.8 million.

Separately, in 2026, 105 of the 120 aquaculture investment proposals submitted were approved, with a combined budget of €131 million. Of that amount, €87 million will be funded through PALYTH. The projects are intended to support modernisation, innovation and digitalisation, while delays in spatial planning remain a concern for the sector’s development.

The debate over aquaculture planning has a clear local dimension in the Gulf of Amvrakikos, where expansion plans coexist with the problem of abandoned facilities. An Outlaw Ocean investigation counted 11 abandoned sites in the area. ELOPY says they are not associated with any of its member companies and has announced an initiative to address the issue with the POAY body, public authorities and local representatives.

The two issues highlight the challenges of planning aquaculture development and clarifying environmental responsibilities, although their coexistence does not show that delays in formalising POAYs caused the facilities to be abandoned.