Horizon Europe project, SEA4FUTURE (Sustainable and Ecosystem-based Approach for Fisheries through the Utilization of Technology to Uphold Resilient Environments), is dedicated to catalyzing a blue transformation of the Mediterranean seafood sector. The project addresses key challenges facing the Mediterranean regions, including environmental degradation, overexploited fish stocks and socio-economic vulnerability of coastal communities. 
Coordinated by the University of Alicante (Spain), the project brings together 22 partners from eight countries – Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, France, Germany, Türkiye and the United Kingdom. 

Ecologic Institute leads social science research focusing on the integration of fishers’ knowledge and expertise in new sustainable fisheries monitoring processes and implementing a stakeholder engagement strategy to foster social acceptance and support for the sustainable seafood products and practices promoted by the project. Ecologic also coordinates the development of actionable policy recommendations and building capacity for decision-makers, supporting the adoption of Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) within the EU and beyond.
SEA4FUTURE is a project working together with fishers across the Mediterranean to make fishing more sustainable while protecting jobs and local traditions. The sea is changing, and some fish stocks are under pressure, so the project tests new fishing gears and practices that can reduce bycatch, protect sensitive habitats and improve catches in the long term. Through the collaboration of scientists and fishers, the project's aim is to combine scientific knowledge with your experience at sea. The project also looks at how Marine Protected Areas and selective fishing can work better for both nature and fishing communities.

Testing and Scaling Locally Adapted Solutions

Organized into eight interconnected work packages, SEA4FUTURE will test its tools and approaches in seven living labs located across the Mediterranean and adjacent regions. These include the Mediterranean coasts of Spain and France, Sicily, Crete, the Turkish Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, and Madeira Island. Together, these sites cover a wide range of fishing gears, from trawlers to small-scale nets and longlines. Each living lab will be used to co-develop and refine practical, locally adapted solutions before scaling them up across the Mediterranean and beyond. 
By combining science, technology and the experience of those who work at sea every day, SEA4FUTURE aims to demonstrate that Mediterranean fisheries can be both a driver of local livelihoods and a guardian of marine biodiversity. The project seeks to show, in practice, that a fairer, low-impact seafood system is not a distant vision, but something that can be built net by net.

Fishers at the Heart of Innovation

SEA4FUTURE places fishers at the heart of innovation, turning them into active data collectors, co-designers of new fishing gears and co-managers of local measures. The project combines citizen science approaches, including eDNA and genomics surveys, with at-sea trials of more selective trawls and nets, as well as bycatch reduction devices for sharks, rays, sea turtles and dolphins. These technical innovations are paired with decision-support models that allow scientists, decision makers and fishers to test management scenarios together. In parallel, the project will assess and improve certification on schemes and help build new markets for sustainable seafood, including products derived from invasive species. The project also looks at how Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and selective fishing can work better for both nature and fishing communities.

The consortium includes universities, national marine research institutes, SMEs, NGOs, regional authorities and fishers’ cooperatives. It is complemented by the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF) in Egypt, which contributes as an external expert research organization, supporting pollution hotspot mapping and regional capacity building.