KNOW2PROTECT – Know to protect
Pleamar program
The project continues the work that FEDEPESCA began in 2014 with the Pescaverde project, presenting a series of actions aimed at highlighting European and Spanish aquaculture and sustainable fisheries through awareness-raising measures, aimed at both citizens and the fisheries and aquaculture sector itself, to raise awareness of the importance of protecting and recovering marine biodiversity.
On the other hand, the obligation to land fishery products – the aim of which is to put an end to the return of marketable fish to the sea – is the great challenge for the sector. For the success of this policy, it is necessary to encourage the commercial exit of those discards that, although commercially viable, are not able to be used due to lack of knowledge on the part of the consumer or the marketers.
From this need arises the opportunity to promote sustainable but unknown fishing and aquaculture species. Among the actions proposed, a working group of experts has been created to identify these species and test their introduction into the fishmongers, accompanying these actions with training for fishmongers about the product and making the product known to the consumer through recipe books. Finally, to collect impressions on the acceptance of a European organic label, opinion surveys have been carried out among the sector and consumers.
Line of action:
Marine ecosystemsStatus:
FinalizadoExecution date:
2018General Objective:
To value European fisheries and aquaculture, as well as to raise awareness and promote sustainable fisheries and aquaculture products.
Specific objectives:
- Enhancing European fisheries and aquaculture
- Raising awareness of marine biodiversity in the fisheries and aquaculture sector and consumers
- Promoting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture species
- Disseminate the project
The creation of the working groups to identify sustainable fisheries and aquaculture species facilitated the meeting between agents of the administration and both sectors, leading to the sharing of diverse perspectives and reaching a consensus on the approach and contents of the materials to be designed and distributed.
The project has resulted in:
- The creation of a guide on sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in Europe, aimed at both the sector and the end consumer. This document has obtained a high number of downloads in the Know to protect project section on the pescaverde.org website.
- The brochure Marine Biodiversity: one of the Seals of Identity of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector as a useful tool for bringing the concepts of biodiversity and the Natura 2000 Network closer to society
- Three audiovisual pieces on good environmental practices and the commitment to marine biodiversity in the fishing chain
- A recipe book on species to be discovered and pilot experiences of introduction of little-known species, with no quota limit or with a completed cultivation cycle. Three species stood out: the sea nettle (Anemonia sulcata), the marujito (Patagonotothen longipes ramsayi) and the toothfish (Merluccius polli).
Four pilot projects have also been carried out in fishmongers and markets in the Community of Madrid, where the nettle was announced. Consumers obtained a sample and took a questionnaire to assess the market introduction of this product. The result of the activity has been very positive, both for the nettle producer, as well as for the fishmongers and consumers.
Finally, surveys were carried out to assess the acceptance of a European organic label, in which it was found that 46.5%, out of a total of 501 people, consider fishing to be an unsustainable activity. In addition, it was observed that fishing has a more negative view than aquaculture; that sustainable products do have a positive influence on the purchase decision and that consumers trust products certified with a European sustainability label.
KNOW2PROTECT – Know to protect
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