The journey began at the end of February in Glasgow, during the Ocean Science Meeting. There, the project took the stage through both a poster and a presentation. Esmé Maxwell showcased our work in a poster highlighting SINTEF’s efforts on data-driven fishing optimisation, demonstrating how smarter use of data can improve fuel efficiency, reduce bycatch, and support fishers through decision-support systems. During the session on Innovative and Climate-Informed Technologies for Marine Fisheries and Ecosystem Management, Paul Fernandes from Heriot-Watt University presented the latest advancements in SmartTrawl, illustrating how technology can help shape more sustainable fishing practices.
The momentum continued into the first week of March. At the North Atlantic Seafood Forum, our coordinator Jónas R. Viðarsson chaired the session on White Fish Technology, helping guide discussions on innovation within the sector.
At the same time in Brussels, the European Ocean Days were bringing together the ocean community from across Europe. The MarineGuardian team was there as well, participating in talks and engaging visitors at the Mission Ocean and Waters Forum.
Sharing a booth with our sister projects Eco-Catch and Sea4Future, we introduced interactive ways to explore what a sustainable future for fisheries could look like. A big thank you to Caecilia Manago, Sophie Jensen, and Harald Hasler-Sheetal for representing the project and helping bring MarineGuardian to this event.
It was 2 weeks full of inspiring conversations, new connections, and exciting opportunities for collaboration across projects and disciplines.