sustainable fishing
projects remain unfunded
but are ready to move foward.
Across the countries where BlueMove operates, many projects are currently on hold because BlueMove does not yet have sufficient resources to provide the technical assistance and pre-financing they require.
These projects could help fishers invest in safer vessels, reduce fuel consumption and bycatch, adopt more selective fishing practices, and diversify their income. Public funding is available, but without support to prepare applications and cover upfront costs, many fishers remain unable to access it.
Additional funding for BlueMove would turn this existing pipeline into tangible investments for more sustainable and resilient coastal fisheries.
The needs of small-scale fishers are as diverse as your environmental priorities. Discover the projects that you and BlueMove can help support.
Your leverage effect
1
small-scale fisher
supported
requires on average…
=
of grants needed
to cover technical assistance and operational costs
+
of revolving
loan funding needed
serving as a guarantee for banks and returned to you as soon as the fisher is subsidised
=
of EMFAF funding
unlocked
for the fisher
impact
Scale up sustainable fishing solutions
With €50,000 invested in the BlueMove facility, you will support at least 6 fishers in transitioning towards sustainability.
Designed to maximise impact locally
Partners rooted in local realities
At the sharp end of ecological pressures, BlueMove and our technical partners combine deep local knowledge with strong bonds of trust among fishing communities.
A transparent and fair project selection process
Our teams systematically apply a transparent evaluation scorecard for selecting the sustainable projects submitted by small-scale fishers.
Fishers are in good hands
BlueMove funds technical assistants who speak the fishers’ language and provide individualised support in preparing their projects and grant applications.
Partnering with BlueMove
We collaborate with organisations and national NGOs that have established strong bonds of trust with fishing communities.
Fishers we supported
I completed four projects that I submitted to the 2014-2020 EMFF cycle. […] I've been able to capture larger specimens with a higher market value thanks to these more selective traps. Additionally, I've decreased the quantity of unwanted bycatches. The benefits of my new traps on scampi populations have been verified by scientists with whom I have collaborated.
Šime Barić
Small-scale fisher in Zadar, Croatia
who benefited from the support
of WWF Adria and BlueMove
I have been working in fishing for about 39 years and here, we basically fish for octopus. We work with cage traps. I had never accessed to MAR2030 support. The support [...] made the difference in the applications because, bureaucratically, it is very difficult.
Small-scale fisher in Portugal
who benefited from the support
of WWF Portugal and BlueMove
I have been working in fishing for almost 6 years. I never took the initiative to apply, and because of the work involved, doing it alone, I never applied. The work you did with us, if you hadn't come, I would never have applied for that support. I wouldn't have had the initiative to apply for the support alone.
Small-scale fisher in Portugal
who benefited from the support
of WWF Portugal and BlueMove
I have successfully implemented two projects that I submitted to the EMFF […]. With the grant, I also installed solar cells and I have significantly improved the energy efficiency of the vessel, reduced fuel consumption, and therefore operating costs. To improve safety, I modernized the complete cabin […] and I installed an anti-slip surface, as well as railings on the roof of the cabin and the deck.
Antonio Đivoje
Small-scale fisher in Lastovo, Croatia
who benefited from the support
of WWF Adria and BlueMove
I work with gillnets and trammel nets. With gillnets, I fish for red mullet, seabreams, picarels, and grunts. With the trammel net, it's mostly soles, cuttlefish, and rays. [...] My engine will be replaced by a 100-horsepower engine, which will give more power to the boat, a newer engine, less fuel consumption, so to speak. With the support they gave, the way they approached us, it was all much easier than if we had to do it ourselves, even though we were doing the work. But with them, it was much easier. The connection they have with MAR2030, with the DGRM, made everything much easier and faster.
Small-scale fisher in Portugal
who benefited from the support
of WWF Portugal and BlueMove
I have been working in fishing for 35 years. [EMFAF] is a lot of bureaucracy, a lot of paper here and there, and in the end, people get frustrated and they don't do it, they don't waste time with it. If it weren't for [this project], honestly, very few applications would have been made here.
Small-scale fisher in Portugal
who benefited from the support
of WWF Portugal and BlueMove
