The work packages (WP) into which the project is divided are the following:

  • WP1: Coordination.
  • WP2: Communication.
  • WP3: Capitalization.
  • WP4: Integrated ecosystem assessment.
  • WP5: Value chain: from producers to consumers.
  • WP6: Market opportunities.
  • WP7: Synthesis.

WP1: Coordination

WP1 is led by Lead Partner (LP) NUIG who have ultimate responsibility to ensure all actions are achieved including financial management and reporting. A part-time co-ordinator will be employed at NUIG to handle day-to-day project management, particularly technical enquiries from partners about public procurement and financial reporting. Day-to-day communication between partners will be carried out via email and Skype. Communication with the Joint Secretariat will be via email and online reporting templates. Academic partners in each country will be paired with industry partners to offer liaison and practical supports towards financial and project reporting (e.g. NUIG-SWWFPO, UAVR-Fuseta FPO, ARVI-Atlantic Gate). Three main vehicles to monitor progress against deliverables will be: 6 monthly project reports, project meetings and intermediate review (every 3 months) by a Management Committee (MC). The LP will request that each partner engages with reporting obligations no less than two months before reports are due. During intermediate review, the MC will conduct an inventory of project deliverables (via Skype) to evaluate timely completion. The MC will convene in advance of project meetings, and on an ad-hoc basis, where necessary, to formally evaluate progress and steer the project. Management is not foreseen to be externalised. Project activity is not state aid relevant. Non availability of data will be addressed using expert judgement. Quality assurance of data/procedures is incorporated into workplan. Delays with deliverables, nonengagement, conflict of interest and IPR will be resolved by the MC (Anne Marie Power (NUIG); Cristina Pita (U Aveiro), Oscar Fernandez (ARVI), Jean-Paul Robin (U Caen), Isidora Katara (SFP), Catherine Longo (MSC). Risk due to insolvency of a partner is low due to dealing with producer organisations rather than individual producers.

WP2: Communication

ARVI will lead this WP, co-ordinating press releases across regions to launch the project. Quadralia will create dedicated communication platforms, i.e. website and social media, provided in 4 languages for maximum public engagement. ARVI will keep material on all platforms updated. Communications aimed at producers, chefs, retailers, regulators, processors and members of the public will be sourced from all partners. Quarterly newsfeeds will be crafted according to audience, i.e. articles in trade press for industry and blogged recipes, trends in retail and YouTube feeds (linked via Twitter and Facebook) for consumers. The ‘main achievements’ of the project will be signposted on social media and hosted on project webpages. To engage chefs and members of the public, major European events will be attended e.g. Vigo Sea Fest (2018), European Region of Gastronomy events in Galway (2018), ‘Octopus Week’, a gastronomy competition in the Algarve targeting chefs and consumers (in the village of Quarteira alone, 28 restaurants entered Octopus Week 2016). Industry-focussed fora in France e.g. “France Filière Pêche” (FFP) will present new market opportunity to producers, as will Conxemar (frozen seafood) events in Galicia. All outputs will be branded using the ‘Cephs and Chefs’ and INTERREG Atlantic Area logos. Risks that partners will not provide outputs to ARVI/Quadralia for dissemination are low, given the priority of outreach as a Key Performance Indicator in their own institutions.

WP3: Capitalization

Led by IPMA, capitalisation of project results and legacy will be assured by i) creating a webtool (Quadralia) to be hosted beyond the project lifetime, to act as a catalogue for value chain players to advertise and access cephalopod products, ii) creating capacity in chef’s skills in Culinary Arts at GMIT by creating a library of cephalopod-related YouTube videos, weblog recipes and other gastronomy resources (including food safety) for incorporation into the syllabus and sharing these with Catering Schools in northern countries iii) advertising ‘case study’ success stories (e.g. from WP6) across various platforms to inspire new stakeholders to capitalise on project successes, iv) scoping and writing funding proposals to support sustainability assessments and related research, v) fishery biology and management specialists (IEO, NUIG, UCaen, UAVR, IPMA), sustainability specialists (MSC, SFP) will work to assure sustainability of cephalopod fisheries across the EU, through fishery certification and engagement with the authorities including International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) (WP4 and WP7), vi) producing academic journal articles on improved data collection, sustainable management and policy for data-limited species, and vii) engaging the public at events and by producing a recipe book (WP7). Risks that other WPs do not deliver (WP4,6,7), thus compromising WP3, will be addressed during quarterly progress monitoring by the MC.

WP4: Integrated ecosystem assessment

“Integrated Ecosystem Assessment” (IEA) will be led by UCaen, supported by IPMA, IEO, UAVR and NUIG. A combination of indicators and analytical tools will assess the biological, environmental, social and economic sustainability of key cephalopod fisheries of the Atlantic Area. Fisheries biologists will examine the species captured and quantify their status and trends (considering distribution, critical habitats, abundance, recruitment, fishing mortality and identifying data poor fisheries). Sustainability specialists will characterize fisheries in terms of environmental footprint (e.g. by-catch of other species, impact of gear on the environment) and producers and commercial players will quantify the ecosystem ‘services’ (e.g. food supply and other social and economic benefits) delivered. We will use data from national fishery data collection programmes and fish abundance surveys and various indicators of environmental status as developed for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive or used for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. IEA will build on previous stock assessments, recognising the unique and differing biological characteristics of squid, octopus and cuttlefish. It will work with fishers, producer organisations, fishery researchers and management and advisory bodies (e.g. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea –ICES, MSC) to gather and analyse information. The risk of missing data will be addressed using indicator data and expert judgement.

WP5: Value chain: from producers to consumers

The cephalopod value chain is largely unknown. The objective of this WP is to characterise the value chain of cephalopod fisheries across Europe, from sea to plate, identifying key actors such as fishers, processors, retailers, supermarkets and restaurants.

Led by USC and supported by UAVR, producers and fisheries biologists, this WP will conduct market research to improve our knowledge of institutional, market and socioeconomic drivers underpinning the profitability and sustainability of these fisheries. Economists and fisheries scientists will analyse how fisheries management tools, low prices, scope for sustainability labelling, Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity (IUU), bycatches, discarding and imports affect the sustainability of cephalopods. For example, potentially marketable catches of cephalopods are being discarded in the north, but equally, where cephalopods are caught by trawling, bycatches of other quota species may inhibit targeting cephalopods, causing an economic impediment to the development of these fisheries.

Economists with sustainability and commercialization specialists will use consumer survey to understand attitudes towards cephalopod consumption, including the willingness of consumers in different regions to pay for certified sustainable products. A risk of necessary data being unavailable is low due to good access to producers and restaurant endusers; early engagement will be made with processors and other actors.

WP6: Market opportunities

This WP will use a unique network of institutions and businesses to bring new cephalopod products to markets and expand existing markets. The actions are: i) creating new products and diversifying existing products made from cephalopods, accounting for consumer preferences or market conditions in different regions (data collected in WP5.3) ii) expansion to new markets, in Europe and beyond iii) new marketing initiatives for selling cephalopod products iv) chef’s marketing, engaging chefs who wish to use nontraditional fish in Northern countries.

WP6 is led by UAVR who has ultimate responsibility for ensuring all actions are achieved and reported to WP1. IPMA will be involved in developing new products, and UCaen will control food safety (WP6.1). ARVI, Quadralia and SFP will be strongly involved in commercialization and expansion to new markets (WP6.2). The same group, together with MSC will be involved in developing new market initiatives (WP6.3). Fish Producer Organisations (Ireland, Portugal, Spain, UK) will be involved in WP6.2 and 6.3 and UAVR and USC will evaluate the outcomes of these two actions. Chefs training specialists from the School of Culinary Arts GMIT will develop work under WP6.4, and demonstration events in Ireland, Spain and Portugal will also take place under this action. The risk that industry does not respond to opportunities will be addressed with a pro-active approach by Consortium business partners who are well-networked, representing 130 members.

WP7: Synthesis

This activity will provide the opportunity for capitalization of results in both development and policy areas. Led by UAVR, with direct input from leaders of WP4, 5, 6, it will synthesise data from previous WPs into information packages designed for use by stakeholders, authorities and consumers. This WP will provide synthesis on policy and business recommendations, on potential markets and scope for development, on the state of the resources and the ecosystems, on fishery management, and on how to balance competing interests. It will develop a marketing strategy and a “Sustainability toolkit”, which will summarise best practice for sustainable fishing and marketing of cephalopods, answering questions, such as ‘What is the resource?”, “How much should be taken and from where?’, ‘How can we ensure a safe product?’ and ‘Where is growth potential?’

The review phase will commence at the start of the project, integrating synthesis of project results as they are delivered. Outputs will be scrutinised by all partners, including industry partners and the MSC to ensure that they accurately capture the findings of the project and are fit for purpose. Risk of non- or late delivery of input from other project activities, will be addressed by relying more on existing information and expert opinion to formulate deliverables. Successful implementation requires buy-in from stakeholders and authorities, which we aim to achieve through pro-active business partners, their members and contacts.