Strategic Blue Transformation of Aquatic Food Systems: Prerequisites for Partnership and Sustainable Development

• Date: 2025
• Main Authors: Iermakova, Olga, Shershun, Olha, Polychronidou, Persefoni
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dr. Viktor Koval 2025
• Subjects: Aquatic Food Systems; Aquaculture Clusters; Blue Economy; Sustainability; Water Ecosystems.
• Online Access: https://ees-journal.com/index.php/journal/article/view/318
• Journal Title: Economics Ecology Socium

Introduction. This study focuses on exploring the opportunities for the “blue” transformation of aquatic food systems in Ukraine and Greece, drawing on international experience. It emphasises that, in global practice, countries face significant challenges in developing comprehensive blue economy strategies, while their effectiveness depends on institutional mechanisms and innovative approaches. Aim and tasks. This study aims to analyse international approaches and assess the opportunities for implementing an effective “blue” transformation of aquatic food systems in Ukraine and Greece. The tasks include comparing existing strategies and practices, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of national models, and justifying institutional and cluster-based mechanisms that can enhance investment attractiveness and ecological sustainability. Results. The analysis revealed that Greece possesses substantial practical experience in aquaculture and well-developed institutional forms of cooperation, including sectoral associations and innovation clusters integrated into European support mechanisms. According to the analysis, Greece maintains stable production at around 120-140 thousand tonnes per year. In contrast, Ukraine’s marine aquaculture output remained below 5,000 tonnes until 2016, after which official data are unavailable, illustrating a complete loss of national mariculture reporting and control. This study substantiates the relevance of establishing a Greek-Ukrainian innovation cluster in aquaculture as a tool for internationalisation and integration into the European sustainable development framework. Conclusions. It demonstrates that both countries must consider the proven effective experience of states that already have national blue economy strategies. The comparative analysis showed that the aquaculture sector in Greece generated USD 810 million in 2022 at 2020 prices, whereas the aquaculture sector in Norway generated over USD 10 billion at 2020 prices. These results confirm the significant productivity gap between leading and peripheral countries, underscoring the strategic importance of establishing transnational innovation clusters to close this gap. The application of the cluster model and international cooperation instruments creates a foundation for shaping competitive and ecologically balanced aquatic food systems.