Food production from the Baltic Sea waters is dramatically decreasing. This is caused by overfishing and climate change which affect both the quality and quantity of the fish stocks (e. g. cod, herring, sprat, plaice, sole). As an answer to this situation, the EU implements ecosystem-based management of marine resources by among others, enforcing quota on fishing in the Baltic and limiting traditional activities. On the other hand, the market demand for marine food products is increasing. This creates opportunities for marine-related food production with the use of non-traditional food sources and methods such as sustainable fish aquaculture, macroalgae and microalgae cultivation & harvesting, mussel cultivation, or invasive species-derived food e.g. Round Goby.
Innovating methods and emerging technologies could not only allow for a sustainable fish aquaculture industry in the Baltic Sea but also permit the introduction of new fish species to reduce imports and increase the freshness of the product for consumers. The challenge is to find optimal methods in the Baltic sea conditions for alternative food production, which may provide jobs and income sources for local marine communities that already suffer from diminished traditional marine activities such as fishing.
The project relates directly to the selected objective by formulating marine-derived food production solutions to foster value chains that include coastal communities, SMEs, and other entities involved in the South Baltic supply chain. The seed money project is needed to explore and develop the best way to boost alternative marine-derived food production and enhance local markets and marine identity.
