The EU fisheries sector is still highly dependent on fossil fuels. To reach carbon neutrality in the EU by 2050, it is important to find solutions for fishing fleets, to reduce such dependency and move to renewable and low-carbon energy sources as quickly as possible.
The DecarbonyT project, started in December 2023 and financed under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, is assessing to what extent the use of optimised trawling gears in the Mediterranean and Black Sea can lead to lower fuel consumption.
Promising results with easy-to-implement changes
The project conducted a comprehensive review of existing fishing practices and their carbon emissions and has already some promising results. Initial findings demonstrated up to a 20% fuel savings.
Pilot studies in selected regions tested innovative fishing technologies, with a focus on reducing energy use. Innovations included:
1. advanced trawl designs with high-strength, low-resistance netting materials,
2. more hydro-dynamically efficient otter boards,
3. real-time monitoring tools for fuel consumption and gear performance,
4. an experimental blockchain-based system to track and validate carbon footprint reductions, using digital assets such as non-fungible tokens (a unique digital identifier employed to certify authenticity).
The use of light trawling doors, innovative gear materials, as well as changes in fishing behaviour (such as reduction of speed of vessels) are easy-to-implement changes. They are also suitable for different vessels.
These changes can improve the decarbonisation of the fisheries sector substantially and are gaining the interest of the sector, as acknowledged also by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.
More research for fishing gears needed
However, achieving a substantial reduction in fuel use intensity and the overall carbon footprint has still many challenges. The experimental fishing gears tested in the project have demonstrated lower catch efficiency compared to conventional gears.
This shows the complexity of achieving comparable performance levels between the different fishing gears, also due to the limited timeframe of pilot studies.
Achieving parity in catch efficiency requires a longer adaptation period, underscoring the importance of continued research and gradual implementation.
“Looking ahead, the DecarbonyT Project is actively working on developing pathways to scale its solutions, ensuring their adaptability and applicability across diverse fisheries and geographical regions.” said Antonello Sala, CNR (coordinator of the project).
The European Commission is committed to further test and demonstrate innovations on fishing vessels, as stated in the Communication on the Energy Transition of the EU fisheries and Aquaculture sector in February 2023.
In 2023, the Commission also launched the Energy Transition Partnership for EU fisheries and Aquaculture. It is a collaborative platform designed to accelerate the energy transition in the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector. It brings together stakeholders to tackle technical, financial, and regulatory barriers and create practical, actionable solutions.
Research, innovation and stakeholder engagement
DecarbonyT’s methodology integrates scientific research, technological innovation, and stakeholder participation to ensure effective and scalable solutions.
The project’s main activities are:
- carrying out a detailed literature review, and energy audits to establish baselines in the main trawl fisheries,
- launching ten pilot projects for the testing of gear modifications,
- performing a socio-economic analysis of the results achieved,
- ensuring the fishing industry, gear manufacturers, and relevant researchers are involved in the project.
The project focuses on towed fishing gears and in particular on otter trawls, beam trawls and pelagic trawls, which are amongst the fishing gears with the highest fuel consumption and higher vulnerability to fuel price variation and taxation.
The project works in close cooperation with the fishing sector, fishing gear manufacturers and Mediterranean (MEDAC) and Black Sea (BLSAC) Advisory Councils to ensure the maximum dissemination of the sea trials and results.
More information
Check the project’s website for latest news and outcomes. Have a look at their leaflet for an overview on their activities.