Partners

Industry partners

Simrad, a part of Kongsberg Maritime AS, is a leading provider of acoustic systems for fish finding, pre-catch evaluation and catch monitors. The company has a strong tradition of innovation and a history of developing acoustic instruments in cooperation with IMR, for example instruments for fish size detection and species identification on echo sounders. Kongsberg Maritime also includes subsidiaries that manufacture underwater cameras, bottom profilers, underwater telemetry links, underwater positioning systems and subsea transponders. The largest contribution to the Centre will be their leading-edge expertise in acoustics, electronics and instrumentation.
 
Scantrol AS has developed a unique technology for taking high-quality photos of fish inside a trawl that can be used to electronically identify species and measure their length, combined with a mechanism that can subsequently be used to retain or release captured organisms during fishing. The development of an instrument that can be used in commercial fisheries requires the documentation of benefits compared to traditional selectivity methods, and optimization of design and performance under practical conditions. Cooperation with the other industry partners will be helpful for adapting the CatchMeter for various trawl designs and benefitting from the development of a new signal cable between the vessel and trawl gear. 

The Egersund Group is a leading producer of pelagic trawls and trawl doors. They are also a significant producer of purse seines for the Norwegian and Nordic markets. The company will provide extensive practical experience to the Centre in the design of trawls, trawl doors and purse seines. The company will benefit from close cooperation with producers of gear instrumentation and technologists who have wide knowledge of fish behaviour and methods to evaluate gear performance, including access to modern research vessels. 

Nergård Group is one of the biggest Norwegian exporters of seafood. The company focuses on maintaining local traditions and communities while sharing the sea's valuable assets with the rest of the world. Nergård has made major investments in white-fish vessels and quotas. Throughout the whole production chain the focus is on taking care of quality requirements on board, during landing, production, processing and transport - all the way to the customer. 

Research partners

IMR has relevant R&D competence in fisheries acoustic, fish behaviour, fishing gear design and operation of fishing gears, capture of live cod for storage in net pens, fish welfare and selectivity of fishing gears. IMR also holds infrastructure for ex situ and in situ experiments on their research stations in Austevoll and Matre and onboard their three large research vessels.

Nofima Marin and Nofima Marked possess competence in handling, storage and feeding live cod, fish welfare and restitution, sensory, processing and technological quality of fish and fish products, assessing quality aspects of fish captured by various fishing methods, and economic competence to evaluate the socio-economic consequences of changes in fishing patterns. 

University of Bergen has relevant scientific and supervision expertise in fisheries biology in general, and specifically for this project in general fish biology, experimental biology, fish behaviour, fisheries acoustics and fish capture. The Department of Biology (BIO) has over the last six years led a Nordic Research School in Fisheries and Marine Biology, NMA (Nordic Marine Academy). UiB also has excellent experimental marine research facilities and a Marine Biological Station in addition to joint research vessels together with IMR.

University of Tromsø The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) has a particular responsibility for the development of expertise within biological oceanography, fishery biology, assessment and management. BFE has systematically developed competence, facilities and equipment closely related to marine and fishery biology and processing including gear technology. 

Other partners

Norges Sildesalgslag (NSS, Norwegian Fishermen’s Sales Association for Pelagic Fish) is Europe’s largest marketplace for first-hand sales of pelagic species. The marketplace is owned and operated by Norwegian fishermen. The main interest of NSS in CRISP is the development of sustainable purse seine fisheries, particularly in relation to eco-labeling and certification. 

Norges Råfisklag handles important national functions in the seafood trade, together with five other fish sales organisations in Norway. The organisation also plays a national role in resource management. Norges Råfisklag organises and arranges the sales of whitefish, shellfish and molluscs landed on the coast from Nordmøre in the south-west to Finnmark in the north-east. The most important species are cod, saithe, haddock and shrimps/prawns.