Programme

In this session, we will take a closer look at practical technological innovations. Speakers from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain and Germany will each present solutions that help fishermen to operate more selectively and/or efficiently. The Danish ‘Pelagic Excluder’ demonstrates how modifications to fishing gear can reduce bycatch of protected species through iterative design and testing. The Lazos pilot project is investigating loop devices in pelagic longline fisheries for swordfish to reduce bycatch of vulnerable species without compromising the target catch. SmartTrawl from the United Kingdom is an AI-driven in-water sorting system that identifies species and size and opens a hatch to release unwanted catch, thereby improving selectivity and efficiency on board. Daniel Stepputtis (Thünen Institute) will present recent innovations from the German fisheries sector, including developments relevant to demersal and small-scale fleets. 

Speakers: 
•    Denmark: Emil Holm (DPPO) – Excluder device used in the pelagic fishery targeting industrial species for fishmeal and fish oil production
•    United Kingdom: Rosie Asworth (Heriot Watt University) – SmartTrawl
•    Spain: José Carlos Báez (IEO) – Lazos for pelagic longline swordfish fisheries
•    Germany: Daniel Stepputtis (Thünen Institut) – Innovation in demersal and small-scale fisheries in Germany

Hans Polet (ILVO) demonstrates how real-time monitoring, AI analysis and secure data exchange can contribute to evidence-based adjustments to the CFP. In Spain, within the HY2FISH project (ARVI, Spain), a hydrogen-powered demonstration vessel is being developed, aiming to reduce fuel consumption. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to ~40% through hybrid propulsion and optimisations to the hull and energy consumption. Along the Finnish coast, traditional gillnet fishing meets modern IoT in the Fishcounter: a low-cost, solar-powered device that sends real-time images and counts to the cloud, saving fuel and time on unnecessary trips. They together demonstrate that when scientists and fishermen work together, smart solutions can emerge.

Speakers:
•    Belgium: Hans Polet (ILVO) will discuss the potential of data to change the European Common Fisheries Policy
•    Finland: Esa Lehtonen (Natural Resources Institute Finland) & Mikael Lindholm (Söderby Lax) – User-friendly, low-cost IoT fish counter device for trap net fisheries
•    Spain: Juan Pablo Perez Gomez (ARVI) – HY2FISH 
 

After the speakers' presentations, the innovation market will open, where our international innovators will be joined by Dutch innovators to give demonstrations, including Padmos, the Pelagic Freezer-trawler Association (PFA), the Fisheries Innovation Centre, Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, and Weforsea Shipping.