REFEST has reached its second official milestone with the creation of the scenario for focus group interviews aimed at assessing the impact of the project’s proposed solutions on biodiversity and the marine environment. This achievement was led by Morski Instytut Rybacki (the National Marine Fisheries Research Institute), with the support of the project consortium.
The milestone represents an important step in ensuring that REFEST retrofit solutions are not assessed only from a technical and energy-efficiency perspective, but also in relation to their potential environmental, ecological and social effects.
The focus group interview scenario will support the collection of insights from relevant stakeholders, including fishing communities and actors connected to the marine environment. These interactions will help the consortium better understand the perceived benefits, possible barriers and expected impacts of introducing innovative technologies on small-scale fishing vessels.
The work is closely connected to REFEST activities on the assessment of the marine environment and biodiversity in the Baltic and North Sea regions. It will contribute to analysing how the proposed retrofit solutions may support the reduction of fossil fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, underwater noise and pollution pressure, while also considering the relationship between technology, fishers and marine ecosystems.
By creating a structured scenario for stakeholder engagement, REFEST strengthens its capacity to combine scientific assessment with real-life knowledge from the people and communities directly connected to the sea.
This milestone provides a methodological basis for the next steps of the project, supporting future interviews, environmental impact analysis and the development of strategic guidelines for cleaner and more sustainable fishing fleets.