July 1, 2025
The VASEACAD project officially started on 1 July 2025, marking the beginning of a three-year European research initiative focused on making better use of seafood processing side streams and reducing waste in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
VASEACAD (Valorising Seafood Side Streams, Residues, Unwanted Catches and Discards for the Production of Bioactive Protein Hydrolysates and High Added-Value Biomolecules) is funded through the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership 2024 Joint Transnational Call, “Unified paths to a climate-neutral, sustainable, and resilient blue economy: engaging civil society, academia, policy, and industry.” The project is one of 24 collaborative projects selected for funding under the Partnership’s second Joint Transnational Call.
Turning seafood side streams into valuable resources
Every year, seafood processing generates large quantities of heads, bones, skins, trimmings and other by-products. Although these materials are rich in proteins, oils and other valuable compounds, much of this biomass is still underused or directed towards low-value applications.
VASEACAD investigates practical ways to recover these resources and convert them into ingredients for aquaculture feeds, food products and health-related applications. By improving the use of materials that already exist within the seafood value chain, the project supports more efficient resource use and contributes to the development of a circular blue bioeconomy.
The project will also assess the environmental, economic and technical feasibility of the proposed solutions, helping to identify sustainable approaches that could be adopted by the seafood industry in the future.
A European collaboration
The project is coordinated by the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR, Greece) and involves ten organisations from seven European countries: Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Spain and Türkiye.
The consortium combines complementary expertise from research organisations, universities, SMEs and industry partners:
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR, Greece)
- Technological University Dublin (Ireland)
- SINTEF Ocean (Norway)
- Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology – IRTA (Spain)
- Frederick University (Cyprus)
- BioAtlantis Ltd. (Ireland)
- Blue Island Plc (Cyprus)
- KIMAGRO Fish Farming Ltd. (Cyprus)
- Karadeniz Technical University (Türkiye)
- Blue EcoTech Ltd. (Malta)
Working together, the partners will develop and test new processing methods, evaluate the quality and performance of the resulting products, and work with industry and other stakeholders to support their future application.
Looking ahead
Over the next three years, VASEACAD will investigate new opportunities to increase the value of seafood side streams while reducing waste and supporting more sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. Alongside its scientific and technical activities, the project will engage with researchers, industry, policymakers and the wider public through workshops, conferences, educational activities and communication initiatives.
Follow the VASEACAD website and social media channels to stay up to date with project news, scientific developments and upcoming events.
About VASEACAD
VASEACAD (Valorising Seafood Side Streams, Residues, Unwanted Catches and Discards for the Production of Bioactive Protein Hydrolysates and High Added-Value Biomolecules) is a three-year research and innovation project funded by the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership. The project brings together ten organisations from seven European countries to develop sustainable solutions that transform seafood processing side streams into valuable ingredients for food, feed and health applications, supporting Europe’s transition towards a circular and sustainable blue bioeconomy.