The overall objective of MeCCAM is to develop, implement and recommend climate mitigation and adaptation solutions and increase the resilience and sustainability in the fisheries sector. MeCCAM employs an integrated multi-actor approach to deliver relevant and feasible results to support the fishing industry and policymakers. The outputs include: decision support tools allowing fishers to mitigate and adapt to climate change; innovative fishing gears to improve selectivity, fuel efficiency, and minimise habitat damage; and an environmental impact management software to reduce carbon emissions, and other impacts across the value chain. The solutions will be designed and implemented within six case studies (CSs) which have been selected for their suitability to address a multitude of challenges posed by climate change. MeCCAM also builds adaptive capacity by delivering: climate-informed advice prototypes for CSs; mitigation and adaptation plans at the CS level, as well as general recommendations; CS-specific plans for commercial utilisation of emerging species; and a policy brief on how to improve governance for mitigation and adaptation in the sector. Project outputs will be evaluated for their environmental and socio-economic efficacy in close collaboration with stakeholders. MeCCAM´s evidence-based and demand-driven solutions have a high potential for transferability to various regions and contexts and will provide actors with tools and pathways to advance climate resilience. MeCCAM will, therefore, contribute to the European Green Deal, the Common Fisheries Policy, the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Farm to Fork Strategy, United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals 12, 13 and 14, as well as the Ocean Decade challenges 2, 3, 4, and 6.

MarineGuardian will, through a holistic approach, provide impact-driven solutions to reduce fisheries´ environmental impacts on marine species and habitats in line with the Common Fisheries Policy, Marine Action Plan, EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The seafood sector contributes to global food security, but is largely unsustainable, with 38% of fish stocks overexploited and significant ecological implications. 79% of EU’s coastal seabed habitats are disrupted, and a quarter lost, mainly due to intense bottom trawling. Current solutions for more sustainable fisheries exist but are fragmented and often lack real-time actionable insights for fishers and policymakers. MarineGuardian will advance tools, technologies and operational strategies, and enhance knowledge to accelerate the transition towards sustainable and economically viable fisheries. The project will deliver: 1) innovative technologies to reduce and prevent incidental catches of sensitive species and juveniles, 2) best practice guidelines for reduced discard and damage to catch, 3) decision support systems for effective mitigation measures to protect sensitive marine ecosystems, whilst optimising fishing operations, 4) new methods for data sharing in seafood value chains to ease corporate sustainability reporting and ecolabelling processes. These will be co-developed with fishers, management authorities, and policy makers, tested in 6 case studies to demonstrate their feasibility and ensure long term viability of the European seafood sector. A roadmap for sustainable fisheries will be drawn-up to demonstrate scalability and replicability of the solutions in line with the Mission Ocean objectives. The consortium holds the cross-cutting knowledge and expertise within private and research sectors from across the Atlantic and Arctic Sea basin, needed to successfully reach the project’s objectives and have a long-lasting impact on the seafood sector and marine environment.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a major issue affecting the sustainability of the ocean’s resources: over 19% of the global catches can be attributed to IUU fishing. Though international fishing conventions require that fishing vessels operating in the high seas are registered and have monitoring systems, even the latest solutions for the implementation of these measures, e.g. vessel monitoring systems (VMS), are quite limited: VMSs use GPS positioning to capture data from equipment installed on fishing vessels, but it is the operator who needs to monitor the movement of thousands of vessels on a map and spot irregular behaviors. Moreover, this needs to be confirmed by closer surveillance via boat or plane, making these systems extremely resource and effort intensive. With over 22,000 registered vessels which need to be monitored in the EU, a better solution for identifying and responding to IUU fishing is demanded. Our company, Trackwell (Island), provides our clients with tools to manage their resources, including maritime surveillance, an area in which we have been working for the past 20 years. Our latest development, TrackIUU, is a unique stand-alone application with advanced functionalities: it integrates and assesses new data streams in real-time to calculate an IUU risk indicator for each vessel being monitored and alert operators to high-risk situations. This will greatly increase the efficiency of operators to identify illegal activities of fishing vessels and target them in surveillance and sighting reports. Greater detail in real-time data combined with historical data will help provide the necessary evidence for authorities to prosecute vessels in non-compliance with fishing regulations. By helping reduce IUU fishing activities, TrackIUU will contribute to the conservation of our ocean’s fish stocks, the protection of a fair fisheries industry in Europe and its long-term economic viability.