Imagine a smart filter for the ocean that lets fishers catch only what they want and leave the rest untouched. It's like upgrading an old vacuum cleaner to a precision tool that doesn't damage the carpet. This effort also creates a digital paper trail for fish, making it easy to prove the seafood was caught responsibly.
Fishing operations currently cause significant environmental damage, with 79% of EU coastal seabed habitats disrupted. This leads to overexploited stocks and inefficient catches that threaten the long-term economic viability of the seafood sector.
The project is delivering selective fishing gear, best practice guidelines for catch handling, decision support systems for fishers, and data sharing tools for sustainability reporting.
If you are a fleet operator dealing with high rates of unwanted juvenile fish in nets — this project developed innovative fishing gear and strategies that reduce incidental catches. This helps you avoid wasting fuel on low-value catch and protects the stocks you rely on.
If you are a seafood retailer dealing with complex corporate sustainability reporting — this project developed new data sharing methods for value chains. This simplifies your ecolabelling process and ensures compliance with biodiversity strategies.
If you are a gear manufacturer dealing with outdated equipment that damages the seabed — this project developed innovative technologies to prevent habitat disruption. You can use these insights to build the next generation of selective, low-impact fishing tools.
Based on available project data, specific pricing for the technologies is not provided; the project is funded by an EU contribution of EUR 8,049,776.
Yes, the project tests solutions in 6 case studies to demonstrate feasibility and a roadmap is being created to show how to scale and replicate them.
Based on available project data, there are no specific details regarding patents or licensing agreements provided in the project description.
The tools are designed to align with the Common Fisheries Policy, EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
The project runs from 2025-06-01 to 2029-05-31, meaning full results and validated tools will be available by mid-2029.
The consortium is highly industry-weighted with 9 industrial partners (43% of the group), including 5 SMEs. This strong private-sector presence, combined with 7 research centers and 3 universities across 8 countries, suggests the project is focused on commercial viability rather than just academic theory.
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