The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food Sovereignty has specified that the aquaculture installation project off the coast of Adeje does not yet possess the necessary permit for its execution. The project, located in ZIA-TF-5, is subject to the completion of all environmental and sectoral procedures mandated by current regional, state, and European regulations before a final decision can be made.
This clarification follows criticism from the Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature (ATAN), which has questioned the project's processing and requested its definitive suspension. The environmental organization argues that the procedure advanced without prior consultation with the state body responsible for managing the affected protected area, the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip.
The project was awarded in February to Socat Canarias SL following a public tender. The plan involves the installation of 24 production cages, each 25 meters in diameter, arranged in two permanent structures measuring 100 by 600 meters, covering approximately 45 hectares of seabed. The company anticipates an annual production of 3,000 tons of sea bass, gilt-head bream, and greater amberjack.
The General Directorate of Fisheries emphasizes that the resolution approved in February 2026 merely selected the winning project for this aquaculture zone and does not constitute authorization for the installation or operation of the marine farm. The file must still proceed through its administrative course.
Furthermore, Fisheries has refuted accusations of withholding information from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco), stating that it has sent a report on the status of the file and pending procedures to the Subdirectorate General of Biodiversity.
The core of the conflict lies in the project's potential impact on the Special Conservation Area (ZEC) ES7020017 Teno-Rasca Marine Strip, part of the Natura 2000 Network. ATAN points out that an official letter from Miteco dated June 15 indicates that the Subdirectorate General of Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity became aware of the file on May 22, following the opposition decree approved by the Adeje City Council. The association criticizes that this body, responsible for managing the ZEC, was not consulted during earlier stages of the regional processing.
The Canary Islands Government, however, maintains that the existence of this protected area is included in the zone's aquaculture planning and the tender's bidding rules. The Teno-Rasca Marine Strip, located in the southwest of Tenerife, is a protected area due to the presence of species such as the common bottlenose dolphin and the loggerhead sea turtle, as well as habitats like sandbanks. ATAN warns that the project area overlaps with this Natura 2000 Network zone, identified as an area with frequent sightings of these species.
The environmental organization insists that a Special Conservation Area should prioritize environmental protection over industrial exploitation. The General Directorate of Fisheries states that the file is currently undergoing analysis of the objections, observations, and reports submitted during the public information period. Subsequently, additional information may be required, and the simplified environmental impact assessment procedure will be initiated.
During the environmental assessment, mandatory reports will be requested, including those related to the Natura 2000 Network and the Marine Strategy of the Canary Demarcation. ATAN submitted objections in April, highlighting the absence of an environmental impact study and potential deficiencies in the documentation, which they deemed incomplete and partially censored. They also criticized that the physical inspection of the file was directed to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, hindering public participation.
The delimitation of Aquaculture Interest Zones, included in the Canary Aquaculture Planning Regional Plan (PROAC) concluded in 2018, was a planning process involving various administrations and sectors. The ZIA-TF-5 is situated off the coast of Adeje, between Playa del Veril and Playa de Troya.
Miteco has requested the complete project documentation from the Canary Islands Government, including preventive, corrective, and compensatory measures, and the environmental monitoring plan, to issue its impact report on the ZEC.
