FISHINN partners gathered in Britanny for exchanges on innovation in fisheries territories

On 5 and 6 May 2026, the FISHINN consortium gathered in Britanny for two days of exchanges, field visits and collaborative discussions focused on the pilot fisheries territories involved in the FISHINN project across the Atlantic Area.

Project coordinating meeting and field exchanges

The first day of the event brought together the project partners for a consortium meeting dedicated to coordination activities and preparation for the final phase of the project. Discussions notably addressed upcoming deliverables, communication actions, project management aspects and the organisation of the final dissemination activities.

Alongside these working sessions, participants also took part in several field visits within the Cornouaille fisheries territory, allowing them to discover local initiatives connected to fisheries, maritime innovation and aquaculture.

As the French pilot territory of the FISHINN project is centred around the fishing port of Saint-Guénolé-Penmarc’h, the event was organised in this part of Brittany by the French partners Technopole Quimper-Cornouaille and Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique.

Discovering local initiatives in Cornouaille

The field visits offered FISHINN partners a concrete insight into the diversity of activities shaping the local maritime ecosystem and highlighted several initiatives contributing to the resilience and diversification of the fisheries sector in Cornouaille.

In Saint-Guénolé-Penmarc’h, the partners visited Océane Alimentaire, an artisanal seafood cannery closely linked to the fishing heritage of the territory and specialised in the processing of locally sourced fish products. Located directly on the harbour, the company illustrates the strong connection between local fishing activities and seafood processing in the area

The programme then continued at the Port of Loctudy, where FISHINN partners met representatives of the local fisheries interprofessional organisation. Discussions focused on the role of the port within the regional fishing economy, as well as current challenges linked to the fisheries sector and the need to support its long-term attractiveness and sustainability.

Following the visit to Loctudy, the partners travelled to Quimper to discover ENAG, a company specialising in energy conversion and power solutions for maritime applications, including the fisheries sector. The visit highlighted how technological innovation can also contribute to supporting maritime activities and improving the resilience of coastal industries.

The second day continued with a visit to the Langolen fish farm, an innovative aquaculture company, followed by the European Maritime Continuing Training Centre (CEFCM) in Concarneau, a key organisation dedicated to maritime professions, training and skills development.

The programme concluded with a visit to Kaïros, a company developing bio-based and more sustainable solutions for maritime applications through activities linked to sailing and environmental innovation.

Together, these visits provided FISHINN partners with a broader understanding of the innovation dynamics already taking place within the Cornouaille fisheries territory and illustrated several themes currently explored through the FISHINN project, including diversification, sustainability, skills development and innovation transfer.

A transnational forum centred on local innovation roadmaps

The second day of the event also featured the FISHINN Transnational Innovation Forum, organised in a hybrid format with the participation of project partner, associated partners and external stakeholders from across the Atlantic Area.

The forum placed a particular emphasis on Work Package 3 and the development of local innovation roadmaps within the four pilot territories. Through these roadmaps, partners are working alongside local stakeholders to identify territorial challenges, explore innovative solutions and prepare concrete transfer pathways adapted to the needs of each fisheries ecosystem.

The discussions highlighted the diversity of local contexts across the Atlantic Area. However, several common priorities also emerged, including competitiveness, diversification, skills development and the attractiveness of maritime careers.

During the forum, partners presented the progress of the local innovation roadmaps currently being developed within the four pilot territories involved in the project:

• Lea-Artibai in the Basque Country (Spain)
• Cornouaille Saint-Guénolé-Penmarc’h (France)
• Sines (Portugal)
• Kerry (Ireland)

Although each territory is working within its own local context, the presentations revealed several common ambitions: strengthening fisheries value chains, supporting innovation and diversification, attracting new skills and reinforcing collaboration between businesses, research organisations, public authorities and local communities.

Several examples presented during the forum illustrated the variety of approaches currently being explored through the FISHINN project.

In the Basque Country, discussions focused on the development of a Blue Economy Ecosystem Hub in Ondarroa to support entrepreneurship, innovation and talent development linked to maritime activities.

In Cornouaille, partners shared ongoing reflections around the promotion and valorisation of seafood products, including innovative approaches aimed at reconnecting consumers with local fisheries and encouraging new forms of added value within the sector.

Presentations from Portugal highlighted initiatives linked to fisheries tourism, governance and aquaculture innovation, while the Irish roadmap focused on blue economy cooperation, marine innovation and skills development.

Sharing projects and perspectives from across Europe

The forum also provided an opportunity to open discussions beyond the FISHINN partnership through the presentation of several collaborative European initiatives connected to the project’s themes.

Among them, the APPETIT project presented its work on developing alternative bio-based bait solutions for pot fisheries in Brittany, while the Blue Shuttle project shared several initiatives supporting digitalisation and innovation in the blue bioeconomy sector.

Concrete examples presented by Aquaponics Iberia and Nitrogen Sensing Solutions illustrated how smart technologies and innovative aquaculture systems can contribute to more sustainable and resililent maritime activities.

These exchanges helped broaden perspectives on the future of fisheries territories and underlined the importance of cooperation between projects, sectors and regions at European level.

Building long-term cooperation for coastal territories

Over the course of the two days, the event once again demonstrated the value of transnational cooperation in addressing the challenges faced by Atlantic fisheries ecosystems.

By combining local experimentation, peer learning and stakeholder involvement, FISHINN continues to support the emergence of innovation strategies rooted in territorial realities while encouraging stronger collaboration between Atlantic coastal communities.

As the project enters its final phase, partners will continue working on the consolidation of the local innovation roadmaps and on the dissemination of the knowledge and experiences developed throughout the project.

During the forum, partners also announced that the final FISHINN event will take place on 1 October 2026 in County Kerry, Ireland, bringing the project consortium and stakeholders together once again to share the project’s outcomes and perspectives for the future.