Interview: EU algae initiative helps fishermen become ocean farmers

Despite decades of efforts to manage marine resources, European fish stocks remain under pressure. The EU supports fishermen who choose seaweed farming as an alternative source of income.

With fish stocks declining and marine ecosystems suffering, there is growing belief that some European fishermen could help reverse the trend by expanding into seaweed farming. In many regions, this emerging sector can provide a promising alternative income, creating new jobs for coastal industry professionals, while ensuring healthy local seafood and helping to restore ocean biodiversity.

This shift towards regenerative ocean farming is crucial EU Algae Initiative , which funds pilot projects to help fishermen transition to sustainable practices. The initiative is part of a wider EU strategy to develop a sustainable and profitable algae industry, with the European seaweed market expected to reach €9 billion by 2030, driven by high demand in the food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and energy sectors.

In recent “Seapoz-24” conference in Ireland, “Ocean” talked to Felix Leinemann, head of the department for Blue economy sectorsAquaculture and Marine Spatial Planning in the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission.

Stimulating the blue economy

“EU algae initiative is an action plan to increase the sustainable production and consumption of algae in Europe. We address this through 23 activities in different areas. We look at regulation, we look at the business environment and how we can help the sector improve. We look at social awareness, consumer awareness and finally also knowledge gaps, because there are many things we still don’t know.

“Demand could increase sixfold over this decade. Therefore, it is necessary that we also produce our own seaweed. The Atlantic and North Sea are ideal conditions for growing seaweed. And that’s where we need to do more. Of course, we do not want to force fishermen to do something else, but we see it as an offer to diversify their activities and income.

Alternatives to aquaculture

“And this is actually one of the actions envisaged in the EU Algae Initiative Action Plan – to help fishermen become renewable ocean farmers. This is just a reflection of the reality that there are fewer fish in the waters, not necessarily because of overfishing, but also because of pollution or agricultural sewage, especially if we look at the Baltic Sea. And the fishermen’s craft and knowledge of the sea are very important when doing this type of work,” Leinemann said.