The first MarineGuardian scientific article has been published in the ICES journal of marine science, written by Freya Snow, Paul D. Winger, Tomas Araya- Schmidt and Geneive Peck.
Abstract:
Entanglement in vertical buoy lines from fixed-gear fisheries remains a primary threat to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis, NARW).
Low breaking strength (LBS) components are used in some fisheries to reduce entanglement severity, but routine hauling forces in deepwater fisheries often exceed their safe working limits. Time-tension line cutters (TTLCs) offer an alternative for deepwater fisheries that do not weaken the vertical buoy line.
We conducted 400 tests to quantify TTLC performance under laboratory conditions, including an assessment of repeated use, tension, and water temperature on time to cut (TTC). Our results showed that the baseline TTC varied among units, but when this was taken into account, we found that a) 70% of the units exhibited no statistically significant change in TTC across repeated use, b) higher tensions and repeated activation shortened TTC, and c) water temperature had a strong inverse relationship, with colder temperatures significantly increasing the TTC for all units.
These findings provide critical guidance for tuning TTLC design and evaluating their suitability for safe, effective deployment in deepwater fixed-gear fisheries.
At the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance Forum 2026, held from 13–17 April in Salvador, Bahia, the MarineGuardian Project proudly supported one of the most impactful outcomes of the Intergenerational Ocean Hackathon: the resounding success of the Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) team in Challenge 4, “Connecting Data to Decisions for Small-Scale Fisheries and Aquaculture.”
Co-sponsored by International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the challenge tackled a critical global issue— how to transform complex and fragmented ocean and climate data into practical, actionable decisions for small-scale fisheries (SSF) and aquaculture operators.
From Data Overload to Real-World Decisions
Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture are vital to coastal livelihoods across the Atlantic basin. Yet, as highlighted during the challenge, the barrier is no longer data scarcity—but the difficulty of translating diverse data streams into clear, timely, and context-relevant decisions. Climate change further intensifies this gap, shifting environmental baselines and increasing uncertainty for fishers and managers alike.
The ECOPs team responded with an innovative prototype: a Decision Support Tool (DST) for Small-Scale Fisheries, designed to bridge this gap. Their solution integrates and builds upon key MarineGuardian technologies—Catch Advisor, AI-Decide, and Eco Guide—bringing them together into a unified, user-oriented system.
Elevating MarineGuardian Solutions
By combining these tools, the ECOPs moved beyond individual applications toward a cohesive platform that enables:
Data-driven decision-making on gear selection, fishing areas, and seasons
Climate-aware insights, incorporating risk, resilience, and ecosystem sensitivity
Biodiversity-positive practices, supporting sustainable marine resource use
Accessible, mobile-friendly interfaces, suitable for use directly by fishers at sea
This integration marks a significant step forward for the MarineGuardian Project, demonstrating how its solutions can be scaled and adapted for real-world implementation across diverse contexts.
A Human-Centred Approach
A standout feature of the winning proposal was its focus on usability and storytelling. The team illustrated their solution through the experience of “Bruno,” a local fisherman, showing how daily decisions—where to fish, which gear to use, when to go out—could be improved through accessible, tailored insights.
This approach underscored a key message of the hackathon: data only becomes valuable when it is usable and relevant to the people making decisions.
Recognition and Collaboration
The ECOPs team’s work earned the Hackathon Champion Award, taking top recognition across all categories. Their achievement reflects not only technical excellence, but also the collaborative spirit fostered by the AAORIA Forum.
The success of Challenge 4 was driven by an outstanding and truly international team of Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs), including Jasleen Jawanda, Ariadna Gorostegui Valenti, Ben Hunter, Wiam Touzani, Robert Mussgnug, Pablo Marro, Ramón Sancha, Conway Holroyd, Peter Teye Busumprah, Mariana Bordes Bueno, Gianluca Ristori Ramos and Amanda Lima. Bringing together diverse expertise across marine science, data analysis, technology, and stakeholder engagement, the team demonstrated exceptional creativity, teamwork, and dedication under pressure. Their collaborative spirit and ability to translate complex scientific concepts into a practical, user-oriented solution were central to the development of the Decision Support Tool for Small-Scale Fisheries.
Supported by a dedicated group of mentors and experts—including Harald Hasler-Sheetal and Caecilia Manago, who lead the Impact Maximisation Work Package within the MarineGuardian Project, alongside Trevor Swerdfager, Alberto González Díaz, and Tania Montoto—the team exemplified the power of intergenerational collaboration, transatlantic partnership, and science diplomacy.
The Intergenerational Ocean Hackathon was made possible thanks to the commitment and coordination of the organisers from the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance and the OKEANO Project, with key contributions from Laura Mc Donagh, Niall McDonough, Lavinia Giulia Pomarico, Lisa Picatto, Gwenn Taburet, Florence Coroner, and Sieglinde Gruber, the heart of the AAORIA ECOPs initiative.
The event was hosted by Brazilian partners, including the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and SENAI CIMATEC, whose support ensured a dynamic and inspiring environment for innovation. Their collective efforts created a platform that not only fostered cutting-edge solutions, but also strengthened international collaboration and reinforced the role of science diplomacy in addressing global ocean challenges.
Looking Ahead
The success of Challenge 4 highlights the growing importance of tools that connect science to action. For the MarineGuardian Project, it represents a major milestone in advancing the practical application, uptake, and impact of its solutions.
As momentum continues through upcoming initiatives linked to ICES and broader ocean innovation programmes, the vision is clear: empower ocean communities with the tools they need to navigate a changing climate and build a more sustainable future, aligned with the EU Ocean Pact and UN Ocean Decade, providing the solutions we want for the ocean we need.
MarineGuardian remains committed to supporting this journey—transforming data into decisions, and decisions into impact.
In mid-April 2026, the CCMAR team completed a training session in Faro where Prof. Carlos Silva from NOVA University Lisbon joined to be trained as the facilitator. The session covered the Conceptual Mapping and Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping methodology developed by the SINTEF Ocean team — the standardised approach applied across all six MarineGuardian case study regions.
With the methodology in hand, the team moved on to the stakeholder workshop.
The Workshop: Imagine a future where cetacean bycatch in beach seine fisheries has disappeared
At the heart of the MarineGuardian stakeholder methodology is a deliberately provocative question. Rather than asking participants to diagnose today’s problems, facilitators ask them to imagine a future where those problems have already been solved — and work backwards.
In Faro, that question was:
“Imagine it’s 2030, and cetacean bycatch in the beach seine fishery — arte xávega — has been completely solved. How did we get there?”
Participants — predominantly fishers with direct experience of the arte xávega fishery — explored seven key drivers of change that could influence that outcome: regulation, technology, markets, research, industry, fishing areas, and climate change.
Two drivers stood out as the most influential:
Regulation emerged as the primary force shaping behaviour, incentives, and long-term direction. Participants recognised that without the right policy framework, even the most effective technological solutions struggle to gain traction in real fishing conditions.
Technology came close behind — with specific solutions such as acoustic deterrents (pingers) and drones identified as promising tools already within reach.
The main discussions
The discussion highlighted how public perception and social media are now powerful forces influencing decision-making in marine conservation.
At the same time, there’s a growing shift toward economic diversification—moving beyond intensive fishing toward models that combine cultural heritage, sustainability, and tourism.
One of the most impactful ideas proposed was compensation per haul:
A financial mechanism that compensates fishers when they interrupt a haul to save a marine animal.
By removing the economic cost of doing the right thing, this approach creates a true win-win:
Supporting fishers’ livelihoods
Strengthening biodiversity protection
The takeaway
Solving complex challenges like bycatch requires alignment between policy, innovation, and human behaviour. This workshop showed that a sustainable and thriving future for beach seine fisheries is not only possible—it’s already being designed.
What comes next
This workshop is the first step in a longer conversation. Later this summer, field tests of specific bycatch mitigation technologies will take place — generating new data that will feed back into the stakeholder process.
In approximately two years, the same communities will be brought back together for a second round of workshops. The goal will be to go deeper — and to see how perceptions have shifted in light of what has been learned and tested in the intervening period.
This workshop was conducted as part of the MarineGuardian project’s stakeholder engagement programme, led by the SINTEF Ocean team. The CCMAR case study focuses on cetacean bycatch mitigation in Portuguese beach seine fisheries.
The “GEAR-UP” initiative, is a joint action driven by the triad of sister projects MarineGuardian, EcoCatch, and Sea4Future, has reached a key milestone with its official endorsement under the UN Ocean Decade. The recognition, combined with a strong presence at European Ocean Days, highlights the growing role of coordinated, cross-project collaboration in advancing sustainable ocean solutions.
UN Ocean Decade Endorses GEAR-UP
The endorsement of GEAR-UP under the UN Ocean Decade marks an important step for the triad, formally recognizing the joint efforts of MarineGuardian (Led by Matís), EcoCatch (Led by DTU Aqua), and Sea4Future (led by University of Alicante) in advancing innovative fishing gear solutions through a collaborative framework.
By bringing together three complementary projects, the initiative demonstrates how clustering expertise across regions and disciplines can accelerate progress toward shared ocean sustainability goals. The endorsement not only validates the scientific and practical relevance of the work but also positions the triad within a global network of initiatives contributing to the Ocean Decade vision.
European Ocean Days: Interactive Innovation at the EU Mission Forum
The triad’s momentum continued at European Ocean Days, where their work was prominently featured during the EU Mission Forum on March 2nd. Represented by Cesar Bordehore (University of Alicante) and Caecilia Managò (ICES) at a joint stand, the three projects showcased jointly their solutions to a diverse audience of policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders.
A key highlight of the stand was the use of interactive augmented reality (AR) goggles, which allowed visitors to engage directly with innovative fishing gear solutions in an immersive environment. This hands-on experience brought the projects’ work to life, illustrating how innovation can translate into practical applications and reinforcing the value of presenting joint outcomes rather than isolated project results.
From Actions to Impact: Presenting a Clustering Approach
On March 3rd, Caecilia Managò presented the triad in the workshop “From Actions to Impact: Tracking the progress of EU Mission ‘Ocean and Waters’,” with a focus on the clustering approach for impact maximisation. By working as a cohesive unit, the triad demonstrates how collaborative frameworks can improve efficiency, scalability, and policy relevance.
At the European Ocean Days, Massimiliano Nannini from Liguria Region and City of Genova, Italy, remarked:
“We have heard from so many projects, but we need to see how we can bring these together to foster impact.”
With the TRIAD, the team already puts this concept into practice through clustering—addressing the joint challenge of strengthening sustainable fisheries and protecting marine ecosystems through close collaboration.
This clustering approach was presented as a practical example of how aligning projects can amplify results, moving beyond individual outcomes toward system-wide impact within the EU Mission “Ocean and Waters.”
Strengthening Collaboration for Ocean Solutions
Together, the UN Ocean Decade endorsement and the triad’s active participation at European Ocean Days underline the importance of collaboration in tackling complex ocean challenges.
This is also strengthen by the policy brief on Horizon project clustering for impact led by Ivo Grigorov, edited by Caecilia Managò and where multiple colleagues contributed which explicitly support multiple AAORIA priorities on research and cooperation between Atlantic states.
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.
The first week of March 2026, SINTEF – who leads the work on stakeholders and governance in MarineGuardian – held a training workshop in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, with partners in the MarineGuardian project, preparing their teams to run stakeholder workshops. In the Newfoundland case study, the project is working with industry to explore gear innovations designed to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining viable fisheries.
: Paul Winger, MUN; Rachel Haug Fossbakk, SINTEF; Shannon Bayse, MUN; and Tomás Araya Schmidt, MUN
These gear innovations include technologies and gear improvements aimed at reducing whale entanglement risks in fixed fishing gear used in trap and pot fisheries such as snow crab and lobster; improving the selectivity of trawl gear to reduce bycatch of non-target species in shrimp and groundfish fisheries; and minimising seabed disturbance caused by bottom trawling. These solutions are not purely experimental — many already exist at lower technology readiness levels (TRL) today. As such, the challenge is not simply whether they work, but whether they can realistically be adopted in fisheries in the region, and what barriers need to be overcome to ensure their implementation.
To understand the trade-offs associated with adopting these solutions, MarineGuardian will run a series of stakeholder workshops across all six case study regions during the spring of 2026. The aim of these workshops is to compile expert knowledge about precisely what the barriers are that may prevent the adoption of new fishing practices, including for example operational barriers such as how the gear performs in real fishing conditions; economic barriers such as costs, profitability and investment risk; cultural barriers including fishing traditions or resistance to change; and institutional barriers such as regulations, monitoring, or licensing conditions.Understanding these barriers is essential for identifying solutions that are not only environmentally effective, but also feasible for the fishing industry to adopt.
From Conceptual Mapping to Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping
The workshop in Newfoundland trained partners from Memorial University in the methodology that will be used in stakeholder sessions across all case areas, ensuring cross-case comparability. The process consists of two stages: Conceptual Mapping followed by Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM).
In the Conceptual Mapping stage, participants first work together to map the system that influences the adoption of new fishing technologies. Participants are asked to imagine themselves 40 years into the future, where today’s environmental challenges have been solved, and work backwards to identify what changes would have needed to happen to reach that outcome. To do this, they consider how key drivers may have changed, including 1) regulations, 2) markets, 3) technology, 4) access to fishing areas, 5) research, 6) climate change, and 7) industry.
Training exercise of the conceptual mapping stage – Rachel Haug Fossbakk – SINTEF
This exercise is followed by a second stage where facilitators apply Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping. In this stage, participants assign strengths to the relationships between variables in the system, representing how strongly one factor influences another. The results will allow researchers to explore how different policy interventions or management strategies might influence outcomes.
These results will matter because fisheries systems are complex, and decisions about adopting new technologies are influenced not only by environmental concerns, but also by economics, regulations, and the operational realities of fishing. By facilitating stakeholder-driven perception workshops with participants from the fishing industry, MarineGuardian aims to better understand the barriers and trade-offs associated with implementing the sustainable fishing technologies being developed in the project.
Over the coming months, similar workshops will take place across all MarineGuardian case study regions, helping to identify realistic pathways toward more sustainable fisheries in all six case areas.
Last month, MarineGuardian reached a key milestone in the development of Optigear with the installation of Trackwell’s Hafsýn fleet management system onboard the vessel Þorún (research vessel from the Marine and Freshwater institute in Iceland). This marks the beginning of the first operational data collection phase in advancing Optigear toward commercial deployment.
By integrating Hafsýn with Optigear, captains could now receive live operational feedback designed to support:
Minimizing fuel consumption
Reducing seabed impact
Extending the lifespan of fishing gear
What is Optigear ?
Otigear is an AI-based decision support system to optimise gear usage parameters in relation to their own past observed catch, fuel usage, and environmental impacts across fisheries and vessels. Optigear is connecting and integrating data from the automatic trawl winch (ATW) system and integrated gear sensors, GPS, environmental sensors onboard the vessel.
It is also linked to catch logbooks, incorporating data such as gear type, haul information, and captain records. Equipped with a basic reporting interface for analysing measurements and relationships between variables, the system is designed to automatically upload vessel data to a land-based platform for further analysis.
Computer overview of Hafsyn and Optigear
The otter door pitch and roll
What was tested ?
This first deployment was designed to move Optigear from theory into practice. Rather than testing in controlled conditions, the system was implemented onboard a research vessel. A key focus was ensuring that all sensors and onboard systems communicate seamlessly — validating the integration of gear sensors, vessel systems, and data pipelines so that information flows reliably from sea to the analysis platform.
At the same time, the team began establishing baseline operational parameters by collecting reference data from real fishing operations. These baselines will serve as performance benchmarks for future commercial deployment. The phase also generated essential ground-truthing data, allowing MarineGuardian to verify system accuracy under real fishing conditions.
Overview of the trip done by Þórunn for the test of Optigear.
This is a key step toward scalable, data-driven fishing operations, so stay tune for further updates !
As part of the MarineGuardian project, our partner Sjókovin has been actively engaging with the Faroese public to share knowledge about marine research, innovation, and EU-funded collaboration.
How were local communities engaged in 2025?
First, in March 2025, following the acceptance of the MarineGuardian project, Sjókovin celebrated its 5th anniversary with a public conference that brought together researchers, stakeholders, and the wider community. During the event, all newly approved Horizon Europe projects (MeCCAM, OCCAM), including MarineGuardian, were presented to an audience of around 100 participants, highlighting the role of research and innovation for sustainable marine futures.
Outreach continued throughout autumn 2025, when Sjókovin hosted visits for students. Twice, on October 8th and November 13th, local students had the opportunity to visit the cluster.
During those visits, participants were introduced to Sjókovin’s EU projects, with MarineGuardian featured as part of the programme. In total, around 60 participants took part in these sessions, fostering dialogue with the next generation of marine professionals.
To end the year, at Jobmatch 2025 in december, Sjókovin met with a wide range of people interested in learning more about research careers and ongoing innovation projects. With more than 500 participants attending the event, Jobmatch provided an important opportunity to showcase MarineGuardian to a broader audience.
What are the next milestones for 2026 ?
In August 2026, Faroe Islands will host the international institute of fisheries Economics and trade conference (IIFET 2026), focusing on global dialogue for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.
MarineGuardian has been invited to contribute to the special host session “Innovation to Reduce Climate Change Impacts to and from Fisheries”, further strengthening the project’s international visibility and local relevance.
Abstract submissions for the conference are open until 15th of February 2026 – try to secure your spot !
Through all these activities, Sjókovin plays a key role in connecting MarineGuardian with communities, students, and stakeholders in the Faroe Islands ensuring that research outcomes are shared, discussed, and rooted in local contexts.
Last summer, the MarineGuardian project took a major step forward during a real-world research campaign at sea — combining artificial intelligence, marine science, and fisheries sustainability.
From 6 to 17 September, onboard the research vessel Miguel Oliver (a ship belonging to the General Secretariat for Fisheries of the Government of Spain) scientists and engineers from CSIC worked in the Cantabrian Northwest national fishing grounds (ICES divisions 8c and 9a), carrying out bottom-trawl operations under real fishing conditions with different selective gears.
Research vessel Miguel Oliver – belonging to the General Secretariat for Fisheries of the Government of Spain
During the campaign, the scientists deployed iObserver 2.0, an electronic observer system installed over the conveyor belt in the fishing sorting area which automatically takes pictures during fish separation. Each picture is analysed using an Deep Learning (DL) image recognition model and, for each individual:
Identifies the species.
Estimates fish length and weight.
It then combines the DL output of all pictures to generate a catch report for the entire haul.
iObserver – electronic observer system set over conveyor belt on fishing vessels – advanced by CSIC
During the survey, we began developing BenthoSearcher 2.0, an advanced AI and computer vision tool, built based on the iObserver 2.0 hardware and designed to automatically detect and identify benthic species living on the seafloor. It will quantify the presence of PETS and VMEs even in complex fishing environments. When deployed on commercial vessels, the system will deliver near real-time maps that support more sustainable fishing, help avoid unwanted catches, and enhance marine habitat cartography.
Building the foundations for AI
A key objective of this trial was data collection and starting to generate a new dataset of benthic invertebrates images (by using the iObserver 2.0) that serve as indicators of VMEs (Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems) and PETS (Protected, Endangered, and Threatened Species), which will later be used to train and validate new AI algorithms to identify (and quantify) these species.
Hundreds of benthic invertebrates were carefully used for training of the AI by:
Identifying them by experts,
measuring and weighing them,
photographing them from multiple angles and positions, to create a high-quality image dataset for training future AI models by maximising the visual variety of images.
Both individual specimens pictures and multiple specimens, with and without overlap were taken to enhance the algorithm robustness and recognition accuracy. In total, more than 1,700 training images were collected, covering emblematic species such as corals, sea pens and other sensitive benthic invertebrates.
Leptometra celtica – Source: British Marine Life Pictures – Copyright: Jason Gregory
Lophelia Pertusa – Source: Publication DOI: 10.13140/2.1.3230.6247 – Copyright: Rebecca E. Ross
Why does this matters ?
By enabling near real-time identification of sensitive marine habitats and species during fishing operations, tools like BenthoSearcher 2.0 can:
support more sustainable fishing practices,
help avoid unwanted catches,
strengthen the protection of vulnerable ecosystems.
What’s next ?
The data collected during this campaign will now be used to train and validate new AI algorithms to identify (and quantify) these species which will serve as the base for the BenthoSearcher 2.0.
At the Healthy Seas and Waters by 2030 conference in Trondheim, Norway on December 4th 2025, policymakers, researchers, and industry partners gathered to discuss the actions needed to secure healthy marine ecosystems for the future. One theme cut clearly across the conference program: Europe needs innovative, scalable solutions across all ocean industries that can support both productive bioeconomic activities while also ensuring sustainable ocean biodiversity.
In the session “Climate-Neutral Blue Economy”, SINTEF Ocean Chief Scientist Rachel Haug Fossbakk presented the MarineGuardian project, and how its 21-partner consortium is addressing exactly these challenge through more than 40 targeted innovations aimed at reducing environmental impacts, improving data access, and strengthening long-term sustainability in the fisheries sector in the Arctic/Atlantic sea basins.
Here are five key insights from the conference — and how MarineGuardian is contributing to the transition.
1. The urgency is real — and solutions must be implemented at scale
Europe’s coastal ecosystems are under increasing pressure. Today, 79% of coastal seabed habitats are affected by bottom-trawling, 38% of global fish stocks are overfished, and over one million protected or vulnerable species are taken as bycatch each year.
MarineGuardian’s work responds directly to this reality. By combining technology, data, and operational strategies, the project aims to reduce bycatch, protect sensitive habitats, and improve efficiency in fisheries — helping move the sector toward climate neutrality and ecological resilience.
2. MarineGuardian supports both global and the EUs biodiversity and sustainability commitments
The project aligns closely with several targets defined in the EU Nature Restoration agenda and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including the 30×30 goal of 30% protection of land and sea by 2030, but also ensuring continued sustainable use of marine resources, and the adoption of nature-positive industry practices.
MarineGuardian contributes by developing:
Selective and low-impact fishing solutions;
Real-time monitoring and reporting systems;
AI-driven decision support tools; and
Guidelines and operational strategies to integrate new technologies into real fishing operations
Together, these innovations help bridge the gap between policy ambitions and practical implementation, which is also critical when high level ambitions at global arenas need to be translated to local realities.
3. Co-development with users is essential — and central to the MarineGuardian project
A key message from the presentation by Dr. Fossbakk, who is also leader of WP1 in MarineGuardian on Multi-level governance and stakeholder co-production of knowledge was that technology uptake depends on understanding real operational needs with industry and technology partners and end users – across different geographical locations and fisheries. MarineGuardian therefore works closely with:
fishers and vessel operators
technology and gear developers
managers and policymakers and
scientific experts and training providers
The project’s six case studies – spread across European fisheries along the Arctic/Atlantic sea absin, as well as a case in Canada – ensure that solutions are tested under diverse environmental, regulatory, and operational conditions. This approach strengthens both relevance and scalability of the innovations developed in the project.
4. Backcasting helps identify what must change for innovations to succeed
MarineGuardian uses a forward-looking approach known as backcasting. When using this method, we ask stakeholders to envision themselves in a future 2040 scenario where monitoring systems, AI tools, and advanced sensors are standard and accepted equipment across the fishing fleet in all areas. Stakeholdres are then asked to consider how we reached this future scenario, and identify the steps that would have needed to have been taken to make that scenario achievable.
In a first overarching workshop, with the transdisciplinary consortium of the MarineGuardian project as stakeholders, results highlighted the importance this group placed on the need for the following aspects to be achieved for the successful and effective implementation of the 40+ innovations of the project, namely:
supportive regulatory frameworks
market and value-chain incentives
technological readiness and affordability of innovations
flexible access to fishing grounds and
strong engagement from industry stakeholders
By working backwards, the MarineGuardian project participants – representing industry, technology, regulatory agencies and scientists – emphasized what barriers must be addressed to enable real-world adoption. This methodology will in the next six month also be used in all six case areas – ensuring cross-case methodological comparability.
5. CatchScanner illustrates how research–industry collaboration accelerates progress
The presentation also featured an example of one of these innovations, namely the CatchScanner developed by Melbu Systems, with research collaborations with SINTEF Ocean. This is an example of how innovations emerges when industry experience and research expertise converge, and industry become parts of research projects.
Using 3D imaging and artificial intelligence, the CatchScanner can identify species and estimate size and weight in real time of fish that are brought on board the fishing vessel, offering a more reliable, cost-effective solution for onboard catch registration. In the future, once widely implemented, this technology will support compliance by design, improve data quality, and help fishers reduce unwanted catch of juvenile or vulnerable species – while also making fishing operations more effective and less uncertain in terms of weight estimation and possible fines. Melbu Systems’ rapid development in northern Norway furthermore also demonstrates how technological innovation can also create local economic value and support resilient coastal communities.
Looking ahead
A sustainable fisheries sector that contributes to food security, supports coastal communities, and meets global and regional biodiversity and climate objectives is within reach — but only if we equip users with the right tools and the right knowledge at the right time. MarineGuardian’s 40+ innovations are designed to make this transformation operational, by providing the technologies, data systems, and governance insights needed for more selective, transparent, and environmentally responsible fisheries.
This aligns directly with the ambitions of the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters”, which calls for measurable reductions in pollution, regeneration of marine and freshwater ecosystems, and a sustainable, carbon-neutral blue economy. The conference made one thing clear: the solutions are emerging, the momentum is building, and MarineGuardian stands as a concrete pathway for turning Mission Ocean goals into real change in the Arctic and Atlantic sea basins.
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