Orbetello (GR) – The extensive project dedicated to the conversion of the historic Orbetello plant is underway. interview with Claudio Pedroni, President of OP Del Pesce and Vice-President of the Italian Piscicoltori Association (API), with responsibility for mariculture, published in the February 2026 issue of the magazine Mondo Agricolo.
The article, titled “Orbetello capital of vaccines”, The project will lead to the creation of the first Italian health and vaccine hub entirely dedicated to vaccinating farm-raised fish for the national aquaculture industry.
A vision that anticipates the future
“In Northern European countries such as Norway – explains Pedroni in the interview – Salmon farming has been mandatory for years thanks to a state law. This has enabled the use of antibiotics to be reduced in a short time, making the animals stronger and more resistant to new diseases and greatly improving the health situation. Production has increased exponentially, reaching six figures. A true industrial conversion of the farming activity.”
“In Italy there is no mandatory vaccination requirement – he continues – But I believe that this should be a practice that should be spread as widely as possible and as soon as possible. Hence the idea of transforming the historic Orbetello facility into a health-vaccination hub.”
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An infrastructure at the service of the entire sector
OP Del Pesce, the first national producer of marine fish species with approximately 4,500 tons per year of eels, orades, lampreys and sea bream, has initiated an important investment to convert the historic production site.
“This project is not designed for our internal use – emphasizes Pedroni – but for the entire Italian aquaculture industry. In this hub, we plan to store 20 million fry that will be vaccinated by teams of professional staff capable of vaccinating 10,000 fry per hour. They will then be available for our farms and those of other operators who request them, that is, for anyone who wants to buy vaccinated fish.”
Preserving history while innovating the production model
The interview also explains the strategic value of the conversion of the Orbetello plant, a symbol of the birth of Italian marine fish production in the 1970s.
“Today that form of production is no longer economically sustainable. – says Pedroni – due to high energy costs and an increasingly competitive market. Reconverting this plant means keeping a historical structure alive, which would otherwise be destined for closure, in a territory where maritime shipping is gradually disappearing.”
“Even in the absence of a regulatory obligation, this choice anticipates the future: it is a vision that looks beyond the immediate present and lays the foundations for a more secure, structured, and responsible production model.”
Link to download the entire February 2026 issue: https://www.confagricoltura.it/ita/mondo-agricolo
