France – 28th and 29th of Jan. 2025

On January 28th & 29th, 2025, Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique and Technopôle Quimper Cornouaille hosted the third knowledge exchange visit of the FISHINN project as part of the Interreg Atlantic Area programme. After field visits to the Basque Country in Spain and the west coast of Ireland, the French partner, in turn, welcomed nearly 30 participants to Finistère in Brittany for two days of joint discussions, field visits, and strategic planning. The event provided an opportunity for local fishing professionals, industry stakeholders, and project partners to exchange knowledge, explore innovative solutions, and strengthen European cooperation in the fisheries sector.

Day 1: Presentations and Field Visits in Cornouaille
The first morning of the event took place in Quimper, the traditional capital of Cornouaille, where partners and stakeholders attended a series of presentations by key local industry actors, including:

• Laminak Energy – Developing renewable energy solutions for the maritime sector.
• Vectura System – Creating intelligent navigation systems for vessels.
• GLAZ – Supporting risk prevention at sea and digital document management for maritime professionals.
• Le Drezen and the Institut Régional des Matériaux Avancés (IRMA) with the project Linc Biomer – Designing biodegradable fishing gear to enhance sustainability.
• La Coopération Maritime – A network of over 150 cooperatives supporting artisanal fishing and marine farming.

These discussions highlighted the importance of technology, sustainability, and economic resilience in the blue economy.

Exploring the Port of Saint Guénolé – Penmarc’h and Furic Cannery

After the morning presentations, the group traveled to the port of Saint Guénolé -Penmarc’h, a key hub for the local fishing industry and the pilot port for the French partners. Known for its artisanal fleet and commitment to sustainable seafood processing, it was the ideal setting to continue discussions on industry best practices.

At the Furic cannery, participants were welcomed by:

• Gwenola Le Troadec, Mayor of Penmarc’h
• Nathalie Carrot Tanneau, Vice-President of the Syndicat Mixte des Ports de Pêche – Plaisance de Cornouaille & Vice-President of the Communauté de Communes du Pays Bigouden Sud
• Emmanuelle Cariou, responsible for fishing, port economy, and GIS mapping at SMPPPC

After an overview of the Cornouaille ports network, Sten Furic, CEO of the Furic cannery, led an immersive introduction on seafood processing, quality control, and sustainability in fish processing.

Closing the Day with Industry Visits and Networking

The day concluded with visits to:

• Tech Sea Lab – A Brittany-based biotechnology company focused on marine and terrestrial plant biotechnologies, developing bioactive ingredients for sustainable applications.
• Les Paniers de la Mer – A social enterprise combating food waste, processing unsold fish into frozen seafood products for food aid organisations, while also supporting social reintegration programmes.

To end the day, the consortium gathered for a stakeholder dinner at a Restaurant in Quimper. This informal yet strategic moment allowed partners to reflect on key takeaways, strengthen relationships, and discuss the next steps for the project.

Day 2: Meeting with Local fishing ecosystem and Guilvinec Field Visit

The second day began at Technopole Quimper-Cornouaille, where participants attended a new round of presentations by key local stakeholders:

• Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) – Supporting local fisheries through communityled projects.
• Comité Départemental des Pêches – Discussing fisheries management and regulatory challenges.
• Demain Saint-Gué – Supporting the sustainable development and revitalisation of the port of Saint-Guénolé.

With these discussions setting the stage for the day’s field visits, the group then headed to the port of Guilvinec, one of France’s largest artisanal fishing ports.

Guided Visit to Haliotika & Fish Auction Hall
At Haliotika –Cité de la Pêche, participants gained insights into the economic, technological, and regulatory evolutions shaping modern fisheries through the museum’s exhibits. The visit provided an overview of fleet management, resource sustainability, and value chain optimisation, offering a comprehensive perspective on industry dynamics

The visit continued with an exclusive tour of the fish auction hall, where, despite the absence of live trading, a detailed explanation from the guide provided insights into:

• Auction mechanisms
• Pricing strategies & buyer-supplier interactions
• The role of digitalisation in seafood markets

Strategic Meeting on Phase 3 of the FISHINN Project
Simultaneously, the project partners held a meeting at the Technopole Quimper-Cornouaille to review project progress and plan Phase 3 of the FISHINN Interreg Project. This phase aims to consolidate the knowledge generated and make it accessible to local stakeholders through an innovation roadmap. By identifying common challenges, the roadmap will propose innovationdriven solutions, supported by a lab based methodology and local transfer plans to facilitate their implementation within regional fisheries ecosystems.

Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique (Juliana Carvajal, Anaëlle Saliou) & Technopole Quimper-Cornouaille (Rozenn Le Vaillant, Justine Schmutz) Team.