Researchers from the Digipesca team discuss the implementation of the blue economy in the Western Mediterranean
On 22 June, the UPV Digipesca research team participated in the WestMED Skateholder Conference 2023, held in Malta. It is an annual summit, sponsored by the European Commission, which has been organizedsince 2017 with the aim of strengthening ties between the maritime projects developed in the different countries belonging to the Western Mediterranean area, and in some Atlantic countries as well. It brought together fiftyprofessionals from different fields – scientists, researchers at oceanographic institutes, businesspersons, diplomats, consultants, government members, etc. – representing the WestMED member countries (France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia).
After the welcoming session, the first presentations addressed the progress achieved so far by the different states in relation to the priorities of WestMED, with an emphasis on the blue economy and sustainability objectives. Then the event split into several thematic sessions. Our colleague Lluís Miret, a researcher and professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), who, together with Paloma Herrera, leads the project ‘Digitalization and valorization of fisheries in the Spanish Mediterranean’, participated in session 2, on ‘Maritime clusters’.
These ‘Maritime clusters’, based on the concept of the agglomeration economy, seek to generate specialized spaces in the blue economy, where the optimal conditions exist for the creation, consolidation and development of different industries linked to the marine environment.
Researcher Meritxell Maimi participated in session 4, on the ‘Community of practice on marine spatial planning in the Mediterranean’. The objective was, in this case, to identify aspects that facilitate marine spatial planning (MSP), i.e., mapping the Mediterranean and dividing it into different economic use zones. It was concluded that there is a problem of coordination between the Mediterranean countries, as each one has its own way of doing things. It is therefore essential to generate a more continuous thread of approach and execution that will help participating countries coordinate better in the future.
In the event’s closing session, five awards, divided into four categories, were presented to the best projects financed by the European Commission and aiming to promote blue growth in the Mediterranean. Additionally, the conference attendees voted which one of the award-winning projects they considered the best, and this recognition went to the “We are blue schools” project, coordinated by the SEA TEACH association, and based on the implementation of training sessions in schools.
Digipesca is a project financed by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food through the NextGenerationEU funds. It works with different universities and companies in Spain – the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Universidad de Murcia, IMEDEA UIB CSIC, the Universitat de Girona, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the Universidad de Cádiz and Blue Room Innovation – in order to promote the inclusion of the fishing sector in the blue growth line. We hope that our participation in the WestMedConference in Malta can contribute to generate new alliances,and allow us to meet other successful projects, share our progress and move towards sustainable fishing.
