Acronym LabMAF
Category
Fisheries
Title Developing a labelling scheme for Mediterranean small-scale and artisanal fish products Programme International Cooperation
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National-European Coordinator Jerneja Penca Coordinator email NA
Coordinator institution
EMUNI - Euro-Mediterranean University (Slovenia)
Institutions involved
LIFE - Low-Impact Fishers of Europe (Spain) ,
NA - MAREPOLIS SAS (France) ,
NA - Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal Rights (Malta) ,
OGS - National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (Italy) ,
UA - University of Aveiro (Portugal) ,
Start year 2019 End year 2020 Funding (€) € 32,000 Website https://labmaf.com/ Summary "Mediterranean small-scale fisheries (SSFs) have always been important to supply local markets with selectively harvested, high-quality and fresh seafood. Moreover, SFFs employ people directly or indirectly with estimated 3 to 5 ancillary jobs ashore for every job at sea. Besides, SFFs conserve an economically and culturally significant heritage of the region.
Their importance is recognized in a number of recent policy objectives aimed to reverse unfavourable policies towards SSFs and integrate them better as to improve in the status of fisheries.
Commercially, SSFs products remain often poorly differentiated from products from largescale fisheries and aquaculture. Freshness, quality and inherent value of SSF products (e.g., authentic cultural aspects, traditionally prepared products, locally produced) are generally under-appreciated. Furthermore, the season-dependent, and quantitatively and culinary varied nature of SSF products is seen as poor opportunities for market development. The current market is dominated by lack of product traceability, missing capacity to meet requests of sensitive consumers, as well as the overdominance of a few established products. In addition, small-scale fishers1
remain the weakest in the value chain, lacking a coherent organisation and the capacity to act, leading to little to no control over prices and accept prices, rather than make prices. In summary, existing organization of value chains and market structures fuel a vicious circle of low profitability and increased vulnerability of
an aging fisher’s workforce, economic uncertainty, environmental risks, consumer alienation and weak trust in institutions.
Responding to these weaknesses, a number of grassroot initiatives have emerged across the Mediterranean. Through a mapping exercise and case studies, the report
showcases the geographic extent and the range of initiatives, as well as the main areas of improvements in the existing initiatives: shortening of the value chain; innovation in the distribution channel (usually using ICT); diversification of products; promotion and education about SSF products; brand development; empowerment of SSF communities through improved leadership, ownership, cooperation and coordination. Shared among these initiatives is a bottom-up approach, responding to specific local contexts (e.g. system of organization, local purchasing habits, natural fishing cycles, cultural specificities, historical traditions, the ambition and pace of founders and stakeholders). "
Keywords
Traceability;
Seafood;
Market;
Labelling;
Small scale fisheries;
Marine Region
0
NA
Marine Region Map
