PrimeFish Project: Linking the Needs of the Producer, Market and Consumers

Suggested Bibliographic Reference: Challenging New Frontiers in the Global Seafood Sector: Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, July 11-15, 2016. Compiled by Stefani J. Evers and Ann L. Shriver. International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), Corvallis, 2016.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.Two thirds of seafood consumed in EU is imported. The EU capture fisheries sector has been stable during the last few years but EU aquaculture has declined. The EU capture fish industry has its main challenges related to the supply of fish because of overfished stocks and extreme seasonality of main species. The main challenges for EU aquaculture are limited availability of sites, complex administrative and legal procedures and limited market differentiation in terms of quality and sustainability. These and other challenges affecting the economic sustainability of European seafood producers are addressed in PrimeFish, a 4 year Horizon 2020 funded research project with 14 participants from Europe. For comparative investigation, PrimeFish has participants from Vietnam and Canada. The overall objective of PrimeFish is to enhance the economic sustainability of European fisheries and aquaculture sectors.<br />The outcome of PrimeFish will be models that can be used, to compare competitiveness and to predict possible "boom and bust" price cycles, for strategic positioning within the value chain, on success analysis for new products and for innovation and price analysis for specific species. The implementation of the simulation and prediction models into a web-based market intelligence toolbox for seafood operators and policymakers is one of the key concepts of the project. The toolbox will provide peer comparison to seafood processors (on a supply-chain level) and to public stakeholders on a country or species level. The toolbox should also support producers in product development and in spotting market needs