DEMONSTRATION: The business case for ECO-CATCH’s solutions

DEMONSTRATION – The business case for ECO-CATCH’s solutions

ECO-CATCH’s demonstration phase will evidence and showcase how the technologies and gears developed throughout the project work to achieve ECO-CATCH’s goals in real-world settings. In this phase the solutions will be refined with the fishing community, to optimise their uptake, and strengthen the business case for their implementation. As part of this, ECO-CATCH will demonstrate the replicability of the solutions, and set out an action plan for upscaling their uptake.

Over the demonstration phase, ECO-CATCH will:

Conduct sea trials of its Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) across five different fisheries in the Baltic and North Sea.
Deliver “operational environment” trials for each technological solution.
Develop fleet-specific business cases, based on the economic and operational conditions of different segments of the fishing industry.
Obtain endorsement from at least 3 national regulatory bodies and 30% of participating fishing fleets to deploy BRDs in ECO-CATCH’s case study fisheries.

How will ECO-CATCH deliver ‘DEMONSTRATION – The business case for ECO-CATCH’s solutions’?

Technical feasibility

DTU, ILVO, IMR, THUN, DTU/EAPO, EGERSUND, EFICE, ATLAS

ECO-CATCH will identify a representative set of field sites in the Baltic and North Sea, where we will collaborate with the industry to test the Bycatch Reduction Devices. The commercial trials will be conducted with five case study fisheries, including a range of vessels and gears, from trawlers to set nets. Each of the devices will be assessed on their feasibility and how they perform against a ‘Technical Feasibility ScoreCard,’ which will form the basis of a business model for each solution.

Economic feasibility

DTU/EAPO, MSC, SLU, THUN, DTU, ILVO

ECO-CATCH will conduct detailed cost-benefit analyses on the new solutions, and work with stakeholders to explore funding opportunities and market incentives for gear switches and sustainable fishing practices. Business models for at least 4 regional case studies will be developed, based on the market potential for the solutions and opportunities for their rollout.

Social feasibility

DTU/EAPO, MSC, GFISH, MWC

A key part of the demonstration phase will be holding workshops and focus groups with relevant stakeholders — fishers and vessel owners — to obtain essential feedback on the benefits and challenges associated with using ECO-CATCH’s solutions. Workshops will be held both online and in person, to allow for active demonstrations of solutions in action and ultimately guide their further development.

Legal feasibility

ISCG, DTU/EAPO, SLU, DTU, ILVO, THUN

ECO-CATCH will deliver a policy roadmap, setting the course for changes to the policy framework which will enable the implementation of innovative gears. To deliver this, ECO-CATCH will organise focus groups with policy-makers, fishers, researchers, and gear developers, and work to identify the new legislative approaches required to undertake change.

Results