It is unlikely that avoidance will remove all unwanted catches. Catches that cannot be avoided should be utilised rather than wasted, though without incentivizing a targeted fishery. There is great scope to provide scientific and technological knowledge on this innovative market. But this requires both to handle the catches onboard in a proper and documented way, and to develop appropriate and cost-effective solutions in the value chain. These are two key topics in DiscardLess.

Onboard Handling

Here you find links to our work on how we could adapt fishing vessels to store discards and bring them to land, and the challenges that this brings in terms of monitoring, control and surveillance

• 3D Drawings of Fishing Vessels - We have developed tools for simulating how fishing vessels could be designed and equipped in order to cope with discards onboard, based on existing technologies. This also includes a simple cost-benefit calculator that estimates the costs or renovating the vessels and potential payback.
• Experiences Elsewhere: see our report on how Iceland, Norway and a few non-EU countries have dealt with discard ban in the past.
• DiscardLess - How do we get there? - See our video on technological developments.
• And the presentation from Rome meeting in March 2017
• Control and Monitoring - The landing obligation is difficult to control and challenges the validity of scientific data!

Value Chain

Here you can find links to our work on what can be done with discard when integrating in the value chain.

• Potential Amount and Distribution of Discards - If all discards were brought to land, which species, size and quantities could potentially be used where? See our estimates based on 2014 data.
• DiscardLess - How do we get there? - See our video on technological developments.
• And the presentation from Rome meeting in March 2017
• Catalogue of possible uses of discards and unwanted catch in the supply chain - We have developed individual factsheet for 27 valorisation processes, comprising for each of these simplified overviews of their applications, the type of raw material, the process scheme and the estimated feasibility.