4 Cross-sector analysis
4.1 Innovation Poten- Poten-tials identified and their
spatial distribution
A total of 25 IPs have been identified, as summarized fromTables 4-1 to 4-5.
Depending on the characteristics of the sector, IPs correspond to sub-sectors (e.g.
for Marine Renewable Energies - MRE) or to more specific activities / products / services (e.g. maritime surveillance and fisheries & aquaculture).
Sector MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGIES (ΜRE)
Code MRE1 MRE2
Innovation
Potential (IP) Floating Offshore Wind Energy (FOWE) Wave Energy & Tidal Energy Description
Floating offshore wind is a breakthrough inno-vation market, as opposed to offshore wind with fixed foundations, whose development potential is limited mainly by the bathymetry of the oceans and seas - 40-50 meters deep being the threshold commonly accepted by the players of the market.
As floating wind farms can be deployed in deeper waters, it permits to exploit areas further offshore which offer better wind resources (offshore wind corridors being more productive) and to improve the social acceptability of the location of farms projects.
It is particularly adapted to the Mediterranean as practically no important installations of wind turbines with fixed foundations are possible (continental shelf and deep water even in coastal areas). The development of floating offshore wind turbine market responds on the one hand to spe-cific characteristics arising from the technologies currently being developed and, on the other hand, to the market potential of the offshore wind laid on sea floor, which is technologically more mature and therefore in the short term economically more attractive.
Technology in wave energy is still being proven. The optimum technological model is yet to be defined. Several pioneering players have built up prominent positions while new entrants are arriving to the market. The segment is regard-ed by the European Commission as entering the introductory market stage. Sea waves and swell are present in the Mediterranean, but the motions generated are not favourable enough for the production of energies in large quantities (not important fetch = short waves) and not very sustainable over the time.
However, production systems can be deployed locally, particularly for insular territories in order to provide them with additional energy, as the import of fossil fuels is expensive, but also in addition to other renewable energies such as solar or wind. The potential is however very limited in the Mediterranean.
Tidal current technology is still in its early stages of development, several tidal and in-stream current turbine applications are near commercialization. These devices take advantage of the daily tidal cycles in near-shore ocean environ-ments, or steady water flow from freshwater rivers.
To allow a realistic implementation of systems, tidal turbines need a stream speed of at least 1.5-2 m/s - in order to be effectively operating. In Mediterra-nean, some areas like Dardanelles, Gibraltar and the strait of Messina could have a potential for the exploitation of tidal energy (current). However, some more research and measurement are needed and expected.
Variability in
space IPs are strongly affected by the uneven distribution in the basin of wind, wave and current energy potentials and other suitability factors and sea uses in place.
Wave and tidal energy could be notably adapted to insular territories.
Research in the MRE sector is very well developed in some of the Mediterranean countries under study in this report, such as France and Greece, and fairly developed in Italy, Portugal and Spain. However, in Albania and Cyprus there are only very few research groups and networks active in the research field of MRE, and they usually are not specialised in MRE.
Conflicts with
other sectors Potential conflicts with other sectors may regard, either during the construction and the operating phases:
- Maritime transport (e.g. routes and communication / navigation aid systems)
- Fisheries and aquaculture (e.g. subtraction of suitable areas, other obstacles to fishery activities) - Coastal tourism (e.g. visual impact)
- O&G (platforms and sealines)
- Sea mining (e.g. marine aggregates, minerals) - Protected areas
Synergies with
other sectors Industrials from Mediterranean countries that are less favoured by natural conditions (wind, current etc…) are still very much inter-ested in participating to the analysis and construction of MRE farms in countries where such technologies are being developed. It mainly concerns industries such as shipyard, mechanics, oil & gas, marine survey services, offshore construction and maintenance. In addition, the other sectors (and covered by MISTRAL project) are Maritime surveillance with the security and safety and the protec-tion of critical infrastructures, the aquaculture with the various current and past projects related to Multi use offshore platform. To a lesser extent, tourism could be positively impacted with “industrial tourism” which is defined as visits to sites which showcase a particular type of expertise from the past, present or future to the general public.
Synergies with conservation, biodiversity and protected areas are also possible (e.g. increase of biodiversity, restrictions to other impacting uses).
Table4 1 Marine Renewable Energies
Sector MARITIME SURVEILLANCE (MS)
Code MS1 MS2 MS3 MS4 MS5 MS6
Innovation
Potential (IP) Integrated and interoperable maritime situa-tional awareness platforms and the marine environment
Interactive and Dynamic
Atlas of Maritime Risk Maps Operative system for Search and Rescue Planning
Development of Intelligent Ves-sels Monitoring Systems
Monitoring solutions for illegal fisher-ies control
Description The integration of platforms and services for mari-time surveillance is one of the basic steps towards the Common Infor-mation Sharing Environment (CISE) promoted by EU.
This action requires the sharing of data between the exist-ing EU platforms in order to better monitoring the maritime informa-tion covering all the aspects of this sec-tor: data on traffic, risks, illegal actions and migration.
The need of monitoring the marine environment is fundamental for the mari-time surveil-lance sector development in order to control all the flux in MED area in term of traffic, migration and illegal actions for security reasons.
The creation of an interactive MED Atlas is fundamental to map all the risks in the mari-time environment, especially related to the oil spill control.
Real-time satellite imageries can be assessed in order to locate and track vessels, monitor beaches and ports, and detect unlicensed fishing and illicit oil discharges. Sea climate monitoring and fore-casting systems can also be integrated in order to provide services like automate early warning solutions informing for extreme weather condi-tions.
The social and economic relevance is high because it permits to preserve the marine resources, controlling pollution and preserving biodiversity with positive im-pact on fisheries and tourism activities.
It includes the implemen-tation of new algorithms providing rapid and accurate predictions about tracking/backtracking of drifting objects and missing persons at sea. It is the first step to realize a plug and play platform able to support the decision making in the planning of Search and Rescue oper-ations. It also is the first step to design an infor-mation flow management tool that is activated when the Search and Rescue operation starts.
The social relevance is connected to the safeguard of the life and facilities at sea, meanwhile, the economic relevance is con-nected to optimization of the search time and means used for the operations.
This innova-tion potential presents an advanced-level Research and technology trends. An array of well-known and estab-lished research interacts with stakeholders in production system support the development of an innovative and competitive sector in mar-itime security through artificial intelligence and machine learning applications for enhanced monitoring performance of VMS radars.
The control of illegal fishing and even more the respect of the quantities fished, and the periods secrated con-stitute major concerns for the European Union efforts.
Variability in
space Applicable and relevant for the whole basin and all countries.
The relevance of all the Maritime Surveillance subsectors for most Mediterranean countries is demonstrated by the presence of specific national strategies and funding, the large participation of companies, research organizations and public bodies in different EU Synergies with
other sectors For the innovation potentials “Integrated and interoperable maritime situational awareness platforms and services”, “Strengthening EU Capability in observing the marine environment” and “Interactive and Dynamic Atlas of Maritime Risk Maps” data can be shared for different purposes or similar methodologies can be applied to share information for different scopes and applications. Few exam-ples are: intermodal transportation and logistics, tourism. For the potential “Operative system for Search and Rescue Planning” it has impact on the safety and security at sea, either in term of life saving and in term of navigation security and migration.
The “Development of Intelligent Vessels Monitoring Systems” has a positive impact on maritime transport, tourism, migration, fisher-ies and aquaculture, trade and marine protection.
Moreover, “Monitoring solutions for illegal fisheries control” impacts mainly on the environmental analysis of marine habitats, marine protected areas and on fish stocks.
Table 4 2 Maritime Surveillance
A) Sector IP Macro Group
FISHERY AND AQUACULTURE (FA) Small Scale Fisheries – SSF
Code FA1 FA2 FA3 FA4 FA5
Innovation
Potential (IP) Control and monitoring of
SSF activities Geographical desig-nations/ Branding and
Valorization of un-derutilized species/
waste or by-products
Diversification of fish-ing activities from the traditional activity Description SSF is important to local
communities, with high social relevance. The SSF fleet pos-es the higher percentage of the fishing vessels. Fishermen try to sell their products di-rectly to consumers. This pro-cedure attracts tourists and is the main income source for the fishermen indicating that SSF activities can be profit-able but still not sustainSSF activities can be profit-able.
Decreasing fishing effort, reducing capacity-enhancing subsidies and only improving monitoring and management can lead to economic viability of SSF.Control and monitoring of SSF activities is of vital importance for the assess-ment of the corresponding fishing effort which by now is totally unreported. The trace-ability of SSF vessels can be achieved using technologies/
methodologies developed, or under-development, for large-scale fisheries based on radio frequencies, satellites and/or internet applications, as well as methodologies for data gathering and manipulation.
The SSF post-harvest subsector (including buyers, processors, and market linkages) is part of the fishery system, as well as its governance system plays a central role in the related value chain as fishers are directly connected with other local actors such as public and private institutions and consumers.
Co-management can be an effective approach for developing innova-tive solutions for the management of SSF.
Markets are ready to receive SSF products that are firmly rooted in local communities.
However, the major challenge is the change in mentality of fish-ermen. An individual fisher will not be able to access the market directly, apart from some possibilities to sell directly to restau-rants or customers over the dockside, since SSF industries are typically local based. Further-more the co-existence of SSF with different uses and activities and the creation of new organizations through co-management (e.g.
aquaculture, renewable energy for fishing boats and/or onshore pro-cessing facilities) would generate new business and might result in the better exploitation of new technologies.
Within the context of a more sustainable use of fishing resources, the valorisation of underutilised species (e.g cephalopods) can increase the profit-ability of the value chain, help fishermen to be more competitive and it could impact the profit margins of restaurants and fishers (connection with hospi-tality industry).
Diversification of fishing activities from the tra-ditional activity to other fields (e.g. tourism-re-lated activities as Pesca tourism, ichtyo-tourism, recreational fishing (wildlife observation, direct sales to tour-ists-promotion in local restaurants, and festi-vals/ workshops/muse-ums/thematic villages that raise awareness of the area’s fishing activi-ty and products), diving and underwater cultural heritage valorization) that offers the potential to contribute to job cre-ation, social inclusion as well as the revital- ization of fisheries-de-pendent communities.
Starting multifunctional activities also means an effort reduction and a turn to sustainability, reducing environmental impact and improving the environmental status of the whole eco-system.
Variability in
space SSF is per se a coastal activity, which is presently diffused, and can actually exploit its IPs, in almost all Mediterranean countries and coasts.
Conflicts with
other sectors Potential conflicts may arise with other types of fisheries, namely bottom and pelagic trawling.
Synergies with
other sectors Synergies of fishing with marine aquaculture provide common employment and service sector opportunities: fishers provide services to aquaculture units, or become fish farmers in their own rights.
Aquaculture can potentially benefit wild fisheries by creating structures that could be utilized as habitat by target species or their prey, and by adding food and nutrients to the ecosystem, which could increase productivity or be consumed directly by target fishes.
After all, synergies between different aquaculture productions are available through Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture, with poten-tial for increasing the production and reducing the environmental impact.Besides, synergies can be developed with other blue growth sectors such as tourism, renewable energy production, biotechnology as well as environmental protection. Fishing and aquacul- ture-related activities can be included as part of the touristic offer in coastal areas (pesca-tourism and recreational fishing), particu-larly in areas where both operate from multi-function local ports.Aquaculture activities can be developed in combination with offshore wind farms which at the same time offer synergies through the introduction of hard substrate for fishing species depending on reef or gravel structures.Blue Biotechnology can play pivotal role in promoting productivity, boosting efficiency and ensuring sustainability in aquaculture. Marine farming production cycle, including breeding, growth, nutrition and health can be optimized through biotechno-logical applications (enhancement of feed conversion efficiency, stress modulation, vaccination, disease diagnostics and resistance, cryopreservation, genetic selection).Fisheries can benefit from an increase in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and their recovering fish stocks, while sustainable aquaculture activities can be developed within or in the vicinity of MPAs.
Table 4 3Fischery and Aquaculture – A) SSF, B) MA
B)Sector IP Macro Group
FISHERY AND AQUACULTURE (FA) Marine Aquaculture - MA
Code FA6 FA7 FA8 FA9 FA10
Innovation
Sustainability certifica-tions and labeling Development of floating multi-use platforms adapted to deeper waters
Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture - IMTA Description There is a need for high
quality sustainable feed, reduction of fish meal/fish oil use as a major protein source (it has several disadvan-tages, including high cost and instability of supply) and a lowering of nitrogen and phos-phorous in effluent.
New product develop-ment with a consumer focus, as demand has dropped for sea bass and sea bream, which are the most popular species currently farmed in the Mediterranean. Species chosen tentatively that given their large size and/or fast growth, they provide for high dress-out and fillet yield, short time to market and suitability Product diversification and devel-opment of value-added products as well as the potential to be reared in sea cages -especially offshore, where the fu-ture expansion of marine aquaculture may lie.
Live organisms of aqua-culture suffer large stress during transportation to long distance destina-tions with a significant mortality. In order to reduce their loss, it is ad-visable to develop more sophisticated transport and better monitoring system. The development of certification schemes in collaboration with established international certification bodies is a key issue in order to cer-tify freshness, traceabil-ity and animal welfare so that more people will choose the products, more retail chains will stock them and more farmed animals will have a better life.
There is growing inter-est in moving coastal farming to offshore sites, because it would reduce constraints related to competition for space with other activities and reduce environmental and aesthetical impacts significant advantages.
They can be feasible systems shared with other facilities like offshore wind turbines, platforms for maritime transport and inno-vations in the leisure sector and oceanic observation activities.
Establishing integrated cultivation systems can increase productivity, prof-itability and sustainability as a tool for an ecosystem approach to the marine farming sector.
Variability in
space The objective for EU marine finfish aquaculture is to increase production to 480 ktons by 2020, a 60% increase compared to the 2012 production levels. In the Mediterranean, this growth objective is shared by all the MISTRAL member countries. From the other, the objective for EU marine shellfish aquaculture is to increase production from 550 ktons to 680 ktons by 2020, a 25% increase compared to the 2012 baseline. Such a moderate, compared to finfish, growth objective, is similarly expressed in the Mediterranean and shared by all the MISTRAL member countries.
All MISTRAL member countries are focusing on re-organizing production sites to optimize the use of available space and foresee a possible expansion in offshore areas.
Conflicts with
other sectors Potential conflicts may arise with fisheries (bottom and pelagic trawling in particular), tourism (for finfish farms in particular) and protected areas.
Synergies with
other sectors Synergies of fishing with marine aquaculture provide common employment and service sector opportunities: fishers provide services to aquaculture units, or become fish farmers in their own rights.
Aquaculture can potentially benefit wild fisheries by creating structures that could be utilized as habitat by target species or their prey, and by adding food and nutrients to the ecosystem, which could increase productivity or be consumed directly by target fishes.
After all, synergies between different aquaculture productions are available through Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture, with poten-tial for increasing the production and reducing the environmental impact.
Besides, synergies can be developed with other blue growth sectors such as tourism, renewable energy production, biotechnology as well as environmental protection:
Fishing and aquaculture-related activities can be included as part of the touristic offer in coastal areas (pesca-tourism and recreation-al fishing), particularly in areas where both operate from multi-function local ports.
Aquaculture activities can be developed in combination with offshore wind farms which at the same time offer synergies through the introduction of hard substrate for fishing species depending on reef or gravel structures.
Blue Biotechnology can play pivotal role in promoting productivity, boosting efficiency and ensuring sustainability in aquaculture.
Marine farming production cycle, including breeding, growth, nutrition and health can be optimized through biotechnological applica-tions (enhancement of feed conversion efficiency, stress modulation, vaccination, disease diagnostics and resistance, cryopreservation, genetic selection,).
Fisheries can benefit from an increase in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and their recovering fish stocks, while sustainable aquacul-ture activities can be developed within or in the vicinity of MPAs.
Table 4 3Fischery and Aquaculture – A) SSF, B) MA
Sector BLUE BIOTECHNOLOGIES (BB)
Code BB1 BB2 BB3
Innovation Potential
(IP) Micro and Macro Algae Farming
and Exploitation Microbes and enzymes exploitation Valorization of fisheries and aquaculture by-products and wastes
Description The IP offers several opportuni-ties and benefits.
High biodiversity, cultivability and high productivity per unit area, use of non-agriculture soil, low level of pollution in productive sites, base technologies quite advanced,
good acceptability for many prod-ucts, qualified human resources
good acceptability for many prod-ucts, qualified human resources