Project Summary

FRANCE PECHE DURABLE & RESPONSBALE, precondition of a national foundation, based in Etaples (Nord Pas de Calais), a legitimate representative pillar of the fishermen community, actively advocates perpetuation of the craft of fishing by the development of this valuable maritime industry. 

TRANSERNERGY is a one of its kind technologic incubator in Europe, satellite of the University of Gent (Flanders), created by researchers who are authorities in the fields of transport and maritime propulsion using alternative and renewable fuels.
MARINE SOUTH EAST, Southampton based (Hampshire) is a cluster devoted to increase the industrial innovation dynamism of maritime sector companies, to built up skillful multi-sectorial cooperation partnership and to facilitate communication between various engineering networks over Europe.

European fishing sector is facing major survival issue. Companies suffer simultaneously from petrol spike and a drop of fishing resources. Weakened in their business running, ship’s owners are in current lack of financial resources, preventing from renewing an over-aged fleet. The youngest are no longer attracted to take on the job of their fathers.

A world seems to come to its end. Confronted with the environmental evidence, the awareness of the industry is waking up now.

To fix in the past or adopt autistic withdrawal are dead end strategies. Last two decades, sector survival advocacy was based on self victimization. Conservatism conducted to marginalize fishermen in the eyes of public opinion and ecological pressure groups.

Fishermen, ships and fish are nevertheless a whole part of a common culture, shared by the four state neighborhood composing 2Seas territory, where the maritime industry remains a major economic fact.

The project “Fish to Energy and Ecology “(F2E) is a common initiative linking these three trans-border partners wishing to drop innovative bridges between the fishing world and communities and user’s of the coastal area, scientific communities, industries and consumers, targeting urgent and concrete solution for the indispensable evolution of fishing technologic background on the way to sustainable development in 2Seas.

An option for future of fishing may be highlighted by the following equation:

  • Modernized vessels, optimized power production

+

  • use of alternative fuels, controlled consumption, low carbon emissions

+

  • reasonable  catch of resources, affordable foot print on natural environment

=

  • sustainable fishing

=

  • survival of the industry

The project is targeting Interreg 2Seas program to become the frame work of the resolution of this equation.