Success stories

Fishers can lack the necessary time to follow the ever evolving societal needs and legislative evolutions in fisheries. In the Netherlands, the Vistikhetmaar (“I fish I knew”) project set up a website to provide fishers and fishing academies with a “one-stop shop” presenting tailor-made,

Small-scale fisheries account for 85% of all fishing vessels in the EU but they are currently not monitored: it is difficult to know where and when they fish, and how much. This represents a challenge  to manage fish stocks in a sustainable manner.

In the Gulf of Cádiz in Spain, coastal fishers have teamed up with three fisheries local action groups (LAGs) to sustainably manage the local fisheries and ensure the fisher’s livelihood in the future. At the same time they have developed an app, ProPesca, to facilitate the lives of the coastal

Italian start-up h2boat has developed a very promising hydrogen technology which reduces the CO2 emission of maritime transport. With the help of the EU initiative BlueInvest, it has received coaching to expand its business.

Christer Wannebro had been a pig farmer for 25 years. In 2018, his stables needed  renovation, and he felt a strong curiosity to start something new professionally. In that year, he took part in a seminar about circular on-farm aquaculture and decided to give it a try.

The wind is a free and sustainable energy source offering maritime activities a tremendous opportunity to move away from fossil fuels. The Skravik project, based in Finistère in Brittany, is reviving wind propulsion for artisanal fishing. Thanks to EU support, the project has been able to fund its

Small-scale fisheries often dominate the livelihoods of coastal communities and local economies. This is certainly true on the Swedish island of Gotland, whose fishing communities fishers date back generations. In recent years, however, stocks of Baltic cod, salmon and herring have declined and

In Europe, seaweed farming is not exploited to its full potential, due to the usually small scale of the enterprises, the limited number of seaweed species and traditional growing techniques.

Today, 25% of seafood consumed in Europe comes from aquaculture, but only 10% comes from EU aquaculture. There is a huge growth potential. Aquaponics Iberia benefited from the EU BlueInvest mentorship programme to develop its business.