GREEN TO BLUE: UPSKILLING FOR SUSTAINABLE FUTURES IN FISHERIES & AQUACULTURE

GREEN TO BLUE: Upskilling for sustainable futures in fisheries & aquaculture. 

What is it about?

This event is in honour of the finalisation of the European Erasmus+ project ‘Green to Blue’ on improving professional skills of people working in the fisheries and fish farming sector.

More specifically, we worked on orienting adults working in the maritime sector towards a sustainable use of marine resources, in particular through awareness of all the actors around the concept of ‘preservation of the sea’, to generate a new figure of  ‘sentinel of the sea’ of fishers and fish farmers.

Inspired by the European Parliament’s Resolution on ‘Fishers for the Future’ back in 2021, where sustainability is to be achieved in a holistic meaning, together with the improvement of labour conditions, health and safety, social inclusion and a fair standard of living, it is of great importance to improve the training offer for these professionals that play a fundamental role for the social and environmental well being of the coastal communities devoted to fisheries and aquaculture, aside from their direct economic contribution.

So that is just what we did over the last years, we developed a training programme structured to be flexible and adaptable to their daily work. It is unique in the sense that the course jointly trains fishers and aquaculture operators in the Mediterranean sea basin & decision makers and researchers related to the sectors. We undertook training pilots across the Mediterranean: Croatia, Greece, Italy, Turkey, and France.

The Blue Economy is the European Union’s long-term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sector. Environmental sustainability as well as marine environmental awareness and education in the fisheries and aquaculture sector are important components for the long-term survival of the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean sea. In order to achieve blue growth in Europe, highly qualified and skilled professionals are needed.

Training is important since the job has drastically changed over the years. As a result, new knowledge and skills are required for fishers to enable them to play a key role in the transition towards a more sustainable fishing industry. The training provides a basic understanding of the marine environment, fisheries management, economics, relation with society and various other challenges.

This event presents a unique opportunity to highlight the value of enabling in the competences of fishers and fish farmers, as they play a central role in achieving the sustainability goals set out in EU policies. Improving the training infrastructure of fishers in the EU enhances the capacities of the people in the industry and emphasizes the pivotal role of EU policy makers in advocating for vocational education and training, career development, and the growth of a prosperous, societally accepted fishing and aquaculture industry that cares about the well-being of our seas.

Besides, it is also the European Year of Skills which actions to address skills gaps in the European Union and strengthen the EU skills strategy, so we will be celebrating this too given the transversal skills aspect the project brings.

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