Building network for West Swedish small scale fishery
Within the Regional Food Frame (RFF) in Sweden a number of new networks have been built up. The purpose of these networks is to exchange experience, discuss challenges and needs to improve and develop small scale production growth. In West Sweden we have Lokalproducerat i Väst initiating and encouraging the building of these networks.
The idea to build a network of small scale fisheries is to braid together lake fishery with sea fishery. In West Sweden are the two largest lakes in Sweden. The lake Vänern is the largest lake within EU. Also West Sweden has an important Sea Coast with several companies connected to fishery.
Study trip to Orust Shellfish
First workshop was a study trip to the West Coast and Orust Shellfish, a company cultivating shellfish in combination with tourist activities connected to this. In total there were 13 fisheries learning about how to conduct aquaculture on the Swedish West Coast. This is a two-step activity which means that later this autumn there will be a reverse trip to the lake Vänern to study small scale lake fishery.
During the summary meeting at Orust Shellfish several topics came up where similar challenges were found between lake and sea fishery. For example the inherited licenses and the regulation for protection of shoreline. They also together found that there is a lack of marketing knowledge, for example when it comes to choosing packaging and brand for their products.
The REFRAME approach is for example to let the SMEs find their strengths and resources and from this develop their own smart specialization strategies in food chains that are sustainable both environmentally and economically.
Ulrika Åkesson, Agroväst