Podcast Summary: Hoy por Hoy | Economía azul, la música de Laura Gallego, la lectura de Paqui Ayllón y concursazo desde Cádiz

Date: September 26, 2025
Location: Palacio de Congresos de Cádiz, Blue Zone Forum Navalia Meeting 2025
Host: Àngels Barceló
Guests: Fran González, Teresa Truchado, Santiago Miranda, Joan y Sara Montaner (Marisma Biomet), Juan Martín Bermúdez (Aponiente/Salarte), Alberto Sánchez (Petaca Chico), Antonio Martínez Asensio, Paqui Ayllón, Laura Gallego (artista), y participantes del concurso local.

Episode Overview

This special episode of Hoy por Hoy brings the radio "into the ocean" live from Cádiz and explores the vibrant intersections of science, innovation, gastronomy, literature, and local culture through the lens of the emerging “economía azul” (blue economy). Set at the Blue Zone Forum Navalia Meeting, the episode features hands-on demonstrations, interviews with innovators, musical performances, a literature segment, an inspiring story about accessible reading, and a local competition, all themed around Cádiz’s unique relationship with the sea.

Highlights & Key Segments

1. Introducing the Blue Economy (00:01–18:00)

• Àngels Barceló opens by immersing listeners in the sound of the sea and the scientific mystery still surrounding the ocean:

  "Es el gran desconocido. Se calcula también que en el mar habitan entre 500.000 y 10 millones de especies, que sólo hemos descrito científicamente unas 240.000." — Àngels, (01:10)

• On-site report with Teresa Truchado at the exhibition stands, exploring circular economy solutions with the Biodragon team:

  • Santiago Miranda demonstrates a Canadian peat-based bio-absorbent for oil spills, explaining its transformative potential:

    "Aquí aprovechamos una contaminación y lo pasamos a una oportunidad y obtenemos biocombustible." — Santiago Miranda, (05:30)

  • Biodragon collects waste oil, uses bio-absorbent to solidify it, and then transforms it with organic waste in pyrolysis facilities, producing biofuels and using all resultant energy.

• Fran González (Zona Franca de Cádiz) offers a definition of the blue economy:

  "La economía azul... es la transformación en la generación de oportunidades económicas, pero haciéndolo con una mirada… azul verdosa, turquesa, que lo mezcla con un compromiso social y medioambiental.” — Fran González, (10:00)

  He contextualizes Cádiz as a hub of innovation, with blue economy contributing up to 18% of provincial GDP and engaging sectors like biotechnology, shipbuilding, aquaculture, and water management.

2. Cádiz's Innovation Ecosystem: Marisma Biomet and Salicornia (18:00–37:30)

• Joan and Sara Montaner (Marisma Biomet) showcase salicornia, a resilient sea plant now being cultivated "above" the sea by their startup:

  • Salicornia’s strengths:
    • Survives high salinity
    • Extremely rich in anti-oxidant polyphenols
    • Clinical trials: lowers bad cholesterol and homocysteine, reduces blood pressure
    • Used as salt substitute with 80% less sodium
  • Àngels tastes and discusses culinary use and potential:

    “Es salado y tiene ese gusto marino. Esto lo podríamos encontrar ya en los comercios.” — Àngels, (22:45)

  • Dream: “Que esto sea como la sacarina de la sal.” — Joan Montaner, (23:00)

• Discussion about the Zona Franca's incubator, a modular, container-based innovation hub helping startups find new ways to utilize marine resources.

3. Gastronomy and Marine Resources: Aponiente & Petaca Chico (37:30–57:00)

• Juan Martín Bermúdez (Aponiente & Salarte) and Alberto Sánchez (Petaca Chico), discuss radical innovation in marine gastronomy:
  • Aponiente’s “marine garden” project—transforming abandoned marshland into a productive huerta marina (marine farm).

  “Ángel… le encanta ponerse la camiseta, las botas de agua… y meterse debajo del agua.” — Juan Martín, (42:00)

  • New products: seawater cereal, marine soy, expanded use of red tuna (atún rojo) from Almadrava using nose-to-tail philosophy.
  • Creation of marine charcuterie (jamón del mar, caña de lomo de atún), using tuna as a more sustainable alternative to traditional pork products.

    “Del cerdo hasta los andares, del atún de almadrava hasta los nadares.” — Juan Martín, (50:30)

  • Process is high innovation, lots of trial/error, aims to connect consumers with the sea in new, familiar formats.

4. Literature: The Sea in Books & Accessible Reading (57:00–01:20:00)

• Antonio Martínez Asensio introduces “literatura azul” with readings and recommendations:

  • Classics: 20.000 leguas de viaje submarino (Jules Verne), Moby Dick (Melville)
  • Spanish maritime life: Gran Sol (Ignacio Aldecoa)
  • Maritime nostalgia: Las reinas del mar (Mauricio Wiesenthal), including a poetic excerpt about Cádiz.

• Paqui Ayllón, the blind “lector voluntaria” and president of Hipatia, shares her journey of reading to others as therapy:

  “La lectura es terapéutica para uno mismo y leer en voz alta a colectivos en códigos de exclusión social… porque la lectura les cuida.” — Paqui, (01:11:00)

  • She uses screen readers and digital tech, transforms neutral audio into emotional reading, and emphasizes the medicinal role of words and poetry.
  • Live poetry reading of Alberti’s El Bosco—Paqui urges the public to “close your eyes” to visualize art through sound.

5. Live Music: Laura Gallego in Performance (throughout, esp. 01:30:00 & 01:55:00)

• Two powerful live performances by Laura Gallego, who declares:

  “Nos estamos viendo en peligro de extinción las folclóricas… Estoy reivindicando que la copla sigue estando de rigurosa moda.” — Laura Gallego, (01:56:00)

• She shares her tour plans, discusses the role and perception of copla, and brings the show to life with her singing.

6. Cádiz-Style Fun: Live Competition (01:25:00–01:50:00)

• Playful local quiz between Coqui (retired teacher, carnival performer) and Dani (honorary Doctor Cádiz 2025):
  • Challenges: guessing product prices (Funko Pop Camarón, carnival whistle, tuna preserves), word-games, rapid-fire local trivia, pop-culture questions (Andy & Lucas, Los Rebujitos lyrics), “sopa de letras”, and naming Cádiz-related songs from musical clues.
  • Memorable banter about Carnival traditions and Cádiz humor:

    “¿En Cádiz un pito de carnaval? ¿Tú sabes lo que significa este instrumento musical, sagrado, y código?” — Local, (01:31:00)

  • Ends in a draw with prizes for both.

7. Meta-Radio, Team Banter, and Bloopers (post-01:50:00)

• The episode closes with a humorous, self-parodic segment poking fun at the show’s occasional technical and human errors, referencing the history of “Hoy por Hoy”, on-air slip-ups, team camaraderie, and the enduring presence of Cádiz spirit.

  “Si hemos llegado a 39 años, algo habrá hecho alguien bien… Felicidades, Iñaki.” — Team, (01:57:00)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On biodiversity (Àngels):

  “En el mar habitan entre 500.000 y 10 millones de especies, que sólo hemos descrito científicamente unas 240.000.” (01:10)

• On blue economy’s sustainability (Fran González):

  “La economía azul… con una mirada azul verdosa, turquesa, que lo mezcla con un compromiso social y medioambiental…” (10:00)

• On innovation from waste (Santiago Miranda):

  “Aprovechamos una contaminación y lo pasamos a una oportunidad…” (05:30)

• On food innovation in Cádiz (Juan Martín):

  “Ángel… tiramos todos los alimentos de la tierra al agua y los convertimos en productos alimenticios de altísimo valor añadido…” (49:30)

• On the power of reading aloud (Paqui Ayllón):

  “La literatura, las palabras, la poesía siempre nos cuidan… he aprendido que mi profesión… me podía reinventar y utilizar las palabras como herramientas terapéuticas.” (01:15:00)

• On the future of copla (Laura Gallego):

  “Me he autodenominado así… la última folclórica. Nos estamos viendo en peligro de extinción las folclóricas.” (01:56:00)

Timestamps for Segments

• 00:01–10:00 — Opening: The sea, Biodragon’s demo, circular blue economy
• 10:00–18:00 — Fran González & the big blue economic picture
• 18:00–37:30 — Marisma Biomet: Salicornia health product innovation
• 37:30–57:00 — Gastronomy: Aponiente, marine innovations, Petaca Chico products
• 57:00–01:20:00 — Books about the sea, reading aloud, accessible literature, Paqui Ayllón
• 01:20:00–01:25:00 — Second musical performance: Laura Gallego
• 01:25:00–01:50:00 — Cádiz-local live competition, humor, carnival
• 01:50:00–end — Show team banter, bloopers, meta-radio reflections

Language & Tone

The episode flows with a trademark mix of deep curiosity, local pride, wit, and warmth, combining rigorous, science-driven segments with Cádiz’s unmistakable humor and the heartfelt enthusiasm of its community voices. Music and poetry punctuate the journalistic reporting, making for an engaging listening experience.

In Summary

This special from Cádiz offers a panoramic, up-close view of how communities, startups, and institutions are reimagining their relationship with the sea. The episode dives into sustainability, health food innovation, the preservation and reinvention of culture and language, and the joy of communal experience — all in the spirit of Cádiz. The result is an inspiring, instructive, yet entertaining portrait of both the Mediterranean and Atlantic worlds meeting at Spain's southern shore.