Pilot project manager:
Organización de Productores de Túnidos y Pesca Fresca de la Isla de Tenerife (ISL), Instituto de Investigación Social y Turismo (Universidad de La Laguna) (ISL)

Pilot Location:
Tenerife (Spain)

Background:

After years of research on the value chain of local small-scale fisheries in the Canary Islands, it was found that these only provide around 17% of the consumption of fresh and frozen fish in the Archipelago while, at the same time, 2.5 times this quantity is exported. Large imports provide around 83% of local consumption.

Better use of local caches can be realized. This nonsense can be exemplified in the consumption of fish in most school canteens. Despite being on an island, most schools in Tenerife consume frozen fish from anywhere in the world. A pilot project to change the situation begun to be implemented in 2018 with the support of a fishers Producer Organization (Islatuna, with over 70 boats) and other stakeholders coordinated by the University of La Laguna under the project Macarofood. It involved school managers and cooks, fishers, researchers and institutions, trying to define together new ways to process and distribute the fish. Prestigious chefs developed recipes with local fish, trained the cooks and ten schools (2000 pupils) begun to receive fish, processed to facilitate the consumption (skipjack tuna and other fishes, refrigerated/speed-frozen) with lower prices than the imports. The pilot has been a success.

 

Vision:

There are plans to expand the experience to more fisher organizations in several islands, multiplying at least five the number of schools, pupils, and families involved. This will require the development of training materials (text and multimedia) to improve the awareness of local marine resources.

In collaboration with FoodE partners:
Organización de Productores de Túnidos y Pesca Fresca de la Isla de Tenerife (ES), Universidad de La Laguna (ES), Institut des Sciences et Industries du Vivant et de l’Environnement – Agro Paris Tech (FR), Arctur (SI), Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (IT), Fachhochschule Sudwestfalen (DE), Polar Permaculture Solutions AS (NO)