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.