– Lessons learned from Norway and Denmark

This report describes subsidiary activities in the Norwegian and Danish fishing industry, as well as the opportunities that are seen by various stakeholders in these countries. It turns out to be a market in full development, even in Norway.

The first contacts were made during the Dutch Royal State Visit to Norway in June 2010, where the Dutch fisheries attachee for Scandinavia, Reinder Schaap made a good effort to put 'Fisheries' on the main agenda.

Initiated by the Dutch-Norwegian entrepreneur, Sytse Ybema, MareLife presented itself at that time as a potential solution for the discontinued Fisheries Innovation Platfom in Holland. In March this year executive director Øystein Lie was invited to the Netherlands by the ministry of 'Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation', the 'Dutch product board for fish' and 'InnovationNetwork' for an introduction to MareLife and potentials for collaboration. (photo: Zara Melyan)

OSLO (NO) June 2010 – In Noorwegen dopt de sector z’n eigen boontjes

Source: Visserijnieuws wk 22

Het staatsbezoek van Koningin Beatrix aan Noorwegen van de afgelopen week stond mede in het teken van duurzame visserij. Voor Nederlander in Noorwegen Sytse Ybema van Sustainovate is dat een mooie gelegenheid om een enkele concrete kansen voor de Nederlandse pelagische sector onder de aandacht brengen.

OSLO (NO) March 2010 – Report from North Atlantic Seafood Forum 2010

Unge, pågående, velkledte og like velformulerte direktør Sytse Ybema  i  nederlandske Sustainovate kunne ved første øyekast ut som om han skulle selge et dot.com-selskap til et knippe børsinvestorer. I virkeligheten la han frem et konsept som Ybema selv hadde tenkt ut i løpet av en mange år lang periode som marinbiolog på forskningsfartøy.

OSLO (NO) March 2010 – Report from North Atlantic Seafood Forum 2010

Begin deze maand werd in Oslo voor de vijfde keer het North Atlantic Seafood Forum gehouden. Hier wordt door de ‘kapiteins’ van de mariene sectoren vooruitgekeken naar belangrijke marktontwikkelingen. Voor de tweede keer werd ook ruimschoots aandacht gegeven aan innovatie in de visserij, aquacultuur en biotechnologie. Voormalige IMARES-onderzoeker Sytse Ybema doet verslag, en stelt z´n eigen nieuwe bedrijf Sustainovate voor.

LEIDEN (NL) - Dec. 2009 - The European fisheries policy must be fundamentally changed to avoid a collapse of fish stocks.

Source: EUCC website

Fisheries experts of the EUCC Marine Team wrote a policy paper with 21 essentials, asking for a rigorous catch allocation regime, limiting fish catch to maximum sustainable yield (MSY), taking all by-catch into account. On-board discards and high-grading should be banned. Fishing licences should be given to fishermen for a longer period, to enable them to manage the resource in a responsible way.

Rotterdam (NL) - Nov. 2009 - Thinking out of the box

Source: Fisheries Newspaper November 2009 (Dutch)

´Thinking out of the box´ luidt de boeiende slotpresentatie van Sytse Ybema. Ybema heeft jaren bij het RIVO gewerkt, woont nu in Noorwegen en heeft in Oslo zijn eigen onderzoeksbureau Sustainovate.

In de discussie op de openingsdag vertelt hij al over zijn idee dat vissers mee kunnen werken aan en zelf ook kunnen profiteren van technische kennis uit andere maritieme sectoren.

Oslo (NO) - Feb. 2009 - Can Norway lead the way to a sustainable marine sector?

Source: OsloBioUpdate - Viewpoint February 2009

Given its geography and history, Norway is extremely active in all three strands of the biomarine sector – fisheries, aquaculture and ingredients.

The MareLife project aims to unify efforts both at a Norwegian and international level to ensure sustainability in marine resource development. Challenges arise in sustainable biodiversity, good marine stewardship and fish stock balance.