Projects

NSF
North Sea Fish: innovation from catch to plate


Summary

The approach of the North Sea Fish project was to enhance logistics in the total supply chain of wet fish from catch to plate. This included logistical solutions for fish based regional economies to benefit local communities.

North Sea Fish focused on broadening the supply chain to include alternative sustainable solutions, specialization of activities in parts of the chain and increasing the efficiency between chain parts. These innovations aimed to safeguard the much needed change of fisheries towards a sustainable, consumer-oriented and competitive future.

Duration
02/07/2012 - 30/06/2014
Priority
3 - Improving the Accessibility of Places in the North Sea Region
Area of Intervention
3.3 To promote the development of efficient and effective logistics solutions
ERDF Grant
888,162 €
Total Eligible Budget
1,776,323 €
Lead Beneficiary
Municipality De Marne
Arjan Dijkstra
a.dijkstra@demarne.nl
Tel: +31 595 575 500
Project Homepage
Beneficiaries per Country
The Netherlands
Municipality of Harlingen
Municipality of Sluis
Municipality De Marne
United Kingdom
University of Hull
Belgium
EV-ILVO
VLAGEW
Denmark
Port of Hanstholm
Background and Aim

Aim
North Sea Fish aimed to:

  • Increase the innovative capacity of fishery ports and fish based regional economies across the North Sea Region by promoting the development of efficient, effective and sustainable logistics solutions. The partners aimed to do this by considering the total supply chain of wet fish from catch to plate to benefit local communities.
  • Broaden the supply chain to include alternative sustainable solutions, specialization of activities in parts of the chain and increasing the efficiency between parties in the supply chain.

Background
The need to develop fish based regional economies originates from heavy competition and environmental concerns due to overfishing, which put a lot of pressure on the fishery sector and resulted in severe restructuring, bailouts and a much needed search for new horizons for the surviving fishing communities. Much emphasis has been targeted to nature restoration and protection of the marine environment, policy development to force limitation of fishing by quota, regulation and downsizing the European fishing fleet. Although various instruments are deployed to help the fishery sector to change to more sustainable practices, large parts of the sector struggle to do so.

Some of the former fishing economies have successfully managed to change their economic dependencies towards manufacturing and transportation. Nonetheless, a considerable number of businesses struggle to survive by implementing sustainable production processes to serve the need of their communities. Most remaining fishery economies are relatively rural and are located in areas of economic decline. Fishermen find themselves with a lack of organizational cohesion, inter-sectoral relations and representatives. The deterioration of the degree of organization affects regional communities, decreasing the capacity to innovate and weakening the basis for progressive developments. This has been expressed by difficulties in improving cooperation, ineffective communication and a lack of insight in the future needs of the sector.

The most effective way to increase competitiveness and innovation in fishing economies is to focus on all aspects of the supply chain from catch to plate. As fishing is not limited to domestic waters, the only way to achieve this is by transnational cooperation and effective standardization by partners involved in all elements of the supply chain. The ties of parties involved in North Sea fishing are close, as profit is dependent on a large number of fishing vessels, ports and industrial processors –all interacting to get quality wet fish fresh and within time on Europe’s plates.

The North Sea Fish project promoted the use of available resources across the North Sea Region to generate the much needed innovation. Logistics from catch to plate could only be improved by way of:

  • the standardization of processes and monitoring criteria
  • the joint development of alternative channels to meet consumers demand
  • increased attention for sustainable and flexible production
  • Increased innovative capacity of fish based regional economies by means of specializing within the wet fish supply chain
  • Increased innovative capacity of fish based regional economies by means of broadening the wet fish supply chain
  • Contribution to the sustainable transition of fishing, by implementing concrete strategies, technologies and methods
  • Communicate North Sea Fish in such a way that other regions with fishery economies in (and outside) the NSR can benefit and take advantage from the outcome and results of North Sea Fish
Project News
Events
North Sea Fish Final Conference
Dates: 16/09/2014 - 17/09/2014
NSF network meeting
Dates: 25/10/2013 - 25/10/2013
Start conference North Sea Fish
Dates: 18/04/2013 - 18/04/2013

Waalkens

Harm Post

NSF in Bremen

Seafox at final conference

Hanstholm fish and people

Speakers at final dinner

Fisheries in Municipality of Sluis

Event Calendar
Events Archive

06/07/2015
30/06/2015
18/05/2015
21/04/2015
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