Success stories

Along the coast of Cádiz in southern Spain, producer organisation OPP72 is helping small-scale fishers secure fair markets and protect their future. Established in 2010, this organisation brings together around 70 producers and 59 vessels from the ports of Conil, La Atunara, and Rota.

Europe’s outermost regions are known for their natural and cultural richness, yet they face important challenges linked to seasonality, accessibility and environmental vulnerability being exposed to the impact of climate change.

Fishers are a cornerstone of Germany’s Baltic coastal communities, but as fish stocks dwindle and profits shrink, many are being forced out of the industry. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the EU-funded Sea Ranger programme offers a bold solution

On frozen Lake Inari in northern Finland, small-scale fishers are sustaining a generations-old way of life. As climate change is making their livelihood increasingly uncertain, the Sámi Education Institute is helping them adapt.

At the northern tip of Denmark, the Port of Skagen, the nation’s largest fishing port, is shifting to cleaner energy. With EU support, the port is moving away from diesel-powered generators and installing fully electric power coming from shore for the energy-intensive unloading process

Onake, an artisanal smokehouse in Saint-Jean-de-Luz in France’s Basque country, has built a reputation both nationally and internationally thanks to its focus on high-quality smoked salmon, trout and other seafood from the Basque region.

Portugal-based company SeaForester is restoring Europe’s lost kelp forests using a simple, scalable method: it grows kelp seedlings on small stones in land-based nurseries, then deploys them from fishing boats. This innovative approach facilitates large-scale regeneration of marine habitats.

Technologies deployed in underwater missions are essential to a range of strategic blue economy sectors, including offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, marine biodiversity conservation and underwater cultural heritage.

For more than 30 years, EU funding has helped support the transformation of Bremerhaven’s abandoned harbour into one of northern Germany’s most popular visitor attractions.