What is GEAR-UP?
GEAR-UP (Gear Up Towards Sustainable Fisheries) is a recognised UN Ocean Decade Action, led by ICES under the Ocean Decade SMARTNET Programme. It builds on the combined expertise of three complementary Horizon Europe projects: MarineGuardian, ECO-CATCH and SEA4FUTURE to accelerate the development, testing and uptake of innovative fishing technologies that reduce bycatch, protect vulnerable marine species and support climate-resilient fisheries.
Rather than working independently, the three projects coordinate research, communication and capacity building across Europe’s major sea basins, creating a common framework for innovation and impact. This action is active from October 2025 until May 2030.
Why a triad of projects ?
Each of the three project, is working on advancing solutions towards more sustainable fisheries covering three different sea basins from the Atlantic and Arctic (MarineGuardian) to the North sea and Baltic sea (Eco-catch) and the Mediterranean sea (Sea4Future). The projects are therefore addressing specific challenges related to their sea basin. However, some of the challenges are happening in all three sea basins, and by joining forces, the TRIAD combine expertise from different fisheries, ecosystems and stakeholder communities to create solutions that are transferable, scalable and internationally relevant.
This approach allows us to :
- jointly engage fishers and industry
- coordinate policy recommnedations
- share knowledge and avoid duplication of effort
- maximise our impact
Meet our two sister projects
Eco-catch aims to reduce bycatch and improve the sustainability of fisheries in the Baltic Sea and North Sea through innovative fishing gears, smart monitoring systems and decision-support tools. It develops, tests and demonstrates selective fishing technologies, including bycatch reduction devices, alternative fishing gears and digital tools that help fishers improve sustainability while maintaining economic viability. The project is coordinated by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Aqua).
Sea4Future aims to transform Mediterranean fisheries through ecosystem-based management, innovative fishing technologies and improved protection of marine biodiversity. It develops and demonstrates solutions including selective fishing gears, environmental DNA (eDNA), acoustic deterrents, fuel-efficiency measures and decision-support tools to reduce fisheries’ impacts on vulnerable species and habitats. The project is coordinated by the University of Alicante (Spain).
On the map below, you can see the sea covered by the three projects.
Joint activities conducted under the TRIAD / Gear – up approach
Joint webinars
Twice per month, in collaboration with the other bycatch related projects, webinars are organised to share the latest advances and hear about the different approaches that are conducted in the other projects, the Joint webinars on fisheries bycatch are held. To learn more about the latest sessions or access some of the public recordings, click on the picture below.
Attendance to conferences and international events
The TRIAD has participated since its formation, in numerous events, showcasing how the collaboration can make fisheries more sustainable across different sea basins. From The EU presidency events, to European Ocean days, ICES ASC and European maritime Days, the initiative have been showcased throughout workshops, presentations and holding booths.
Visit our news page to discover more in details the different events attended, and the coming ones.
