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VeriFish Consortium Advances Sustainability Goals in Strategic Copenhagen Meeting

Copenhagen, Denmark – June 25-26, 2025 – The VeriFish consortium gathered in Copenhagen for a pivotal two-day working meeting that marked a significant milestone in the project’s journey toward transforming seafood sustainability communication across Europe. Hosted by Eurofish International Organisation, this strategic session brought together partners from across the continent to finalize key project components and chart the path forward.

A Critical Juncture for European Seafood Sustainability

The Copenhagen meeting represented an important step in finalizing the essential elements that will define VeriFish’s lasting impact on the seafood industry. With the project moving toward completion, consortium members focused on aligning their diverse expertise to deliver comprehensive tools for transparent, informed seafood consumption.

The timing of this gathering was particularly significant, coinciding with the official launch of the VeriFish CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) – a European Good Practice recommendation that will standardize how sustainability information is communicated across seafood value chains.

Day One: Foundation and Framework Development

The opening day centered on a comprehensive review and rehearsal of the VeriFish project review, ensuring all partners were aligned on the European standard. The consortium conducted strategic sessions focused on the evolution of three core VeriFish components:

The VeriFish Indicator Framework received detailed attention, with partners refining the scientific backbone that will support all sustainability assessments. This framework serves as the foundation for evaluating seafood products across multiple sustainability dimensions.

The Scoring System development advanced significantly, with the team working to finalize the indicator mapping and scoring matrix that will translate complex sustainability data into accessible consumer information.

Communication Guidelines were strategically developed to ensure that sustainability information reaches consumers in clear, actionable formats that influence purchasing decisions.

The day also included collaborative planning for upcoming media products and stakeholder engagement tools, ensuring that VeriFish’s reach extends beyond academic circles into real-world applications.

VeriFish consortia and External Advisory Board members during their meeting in Copenhagen. From left to rigth:
First row: Alessandro Manghisi (ASC)), Tim Huntington (Poseidon), Toni Bartulin (Eurofish), Marine Cusa (Oceana), Malwina Ciesla (Premotec-Pl), Francesca Barazzetta (Eurofish), Sara Pittonet (Trust-IT), Sabrina Duri (Trust-IT), Michelle Boonstra (Clupea), Nicholas Baily (Fish-Base), Pedro Reis (MAC), Roy Robertsen (Nofima), Karl Preser (Premotec).
Second row: Marco Frederiksen (Eurofish), Anton Ellenbroek (FAO), David Basset (EATiP), Alessandro Petrocelli (COMMpla), Sian Astley (EuroFIR), Christine Absil (Clupea), Yannis Marketakis (FORTH), Silje Steinsbø (Nofima), Petter Olsen (Nofima), Paul Bulcock (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership), Ixai Salvo Borda (Eurofish)

Day Two: Scientific Rigor Meets Practical Application

The second day focused on aligning the scientific backbone of the VeriFish indicator framework with effective communication strategies and policy integration. This crucial alignment ensures that the project’s technical excellence translates into practical tools that stakeholders can implement.

Indicator Mapping and Scoring Matrix received final refinements, preparing the framework for upcoming visualization tools that will make complex sustainability data accessible to diverse audiences.

CEN Workshop Agreement Contributions were thoroughly reviewed, with partners contributing their expertise to ensure the CWA reflects comprehensive European best practices in seafood sustainability communication.

Prototype Development advanced significantly, with detailed planning for the VeriFish Web App, factsheets, and stakeholder testing protocols. These tools will serve as the primary interface between VeriFish’s scientific framework and end-users.

Final Conference Structure was planned to ensure wide visibility and long-term impact, positioning VeriFish’s conclusions for maximum influence on European seafood policy and practice.

Intensive work and debate during the meeting

Collaborative Expertise Driving Innovation

The meeting brought together partners from across Europe, each contributing specialized expertise in fisheries science, nutrition, policy development, and strategic communication. This multidisciplinary approach ensures that VeriFish’s outputs address real-world challenges from multiple perspectives.

Input from the project’s External Advisory Board provided crucial guidance, ensuring that the consortium’s work remains grounded in industry needs and practical applications. This external perspective helps bridge the gap between academic research and market implementation.

Preparing for Final Outreach and Legacy Planning

A significant portion of the Copenhagen meeting focused on preparing for the final outreach push that will determine VeriFish’s lasting impact. Plans were developed for:

Web Application Launch – The prototype VeriFish Web App will serve as the primary tool for consumers and industry stakeholders to access sustainability information.

Influencer Campaigns – Strategic partnerships with seafood industry influencers will amplify VeriFish’s reach and credibility.

Storytelling Sessions – Narrative approaches will make sustainability information more engaging and memorable for diverse audiences.

Educational Content for Children – Specialized materials will introduce younger generations to sustainable seafood concepts, building long-term awareness.

Building Tools for Transparency and Trust

The Copenhagen meeting reinforced VeriFish’s commitment to building comprehensive tools that ensure transparency, trust, and traceability across seafood value chains. By aligning scientific rigor with practical communication strategies, the consortium is creating resources that will genuinely influence how Europeans think about and choose seafood.

The collaborative approach demonstrated throughout the meeting reflects the project’s core philosophy: that sustainable seafood consumption requires coordinated effort across the entire value chain, from producers to consumers, supported by clear, accessible information.

Great ideas come from great collaborations

Moving Toward Completion and Impact

As the VeriFish project moves toward completion, the Copenhagen meeting served as a crucial alignment point, ensuring that all partners are working toward shared goals with clear timelines and deliverables. The combination of scientific excellence, practical application, and strategic communication positions VeriFish to deliver lasting change in European seafood sustainability.

The consortium’s work continues to build momentum toward its ultimate goal: empowering informed, transparent, and sustainable seafood consumption across Europe through tools that are both scientifically sound and practically useful.

With the foundation laid in Copenhagen, VeriFish is now positioned to deliver on its promise of transforming how sustainability information is communicated and used throughout European seafood markets.

Learn more about the VeriFish project and its ongoing work at www.verifish.info

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David Bassett

Employed by EATiP since 2017, David is responsible for the day-to-day management and direction of this European wide multi-actor ETP. 

Working in the aquaculture industry since 2005, including a decade as the executive of a UK producer association, he has been active in numerous projects from the sixth Framework Programme. Among other roles, David has served as a director of the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum and served on the Technical Advisory Group of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC TAG) alongside being invited as a guest lecturer at the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling (UK).  

In addition to working on multiple Horizon Europe projects David is one of the Technical Experts assisting with the implementation of the EU Aquaculture Assistance Mechanism in addition to chairing the research focus group of the Aquaculture Advisory Council (AAC) and sitting on the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research – Fish Committee (SCAR-Fish). 

For further information on EATiP please see www.eatip.eu 

Paul Bulcock

Paul Bulcock is responsible for developing and maintaining aquaculture information in SFP’s systems (e.g., FishSource, AIP Directory, Metrics). He also supports development and implementation of aquaculture strategy through research and analysis.

Paul has extensive program support and aquaculture research experience (particularly in Southeast Asia), having worked for the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific (NACA) and DFID’s Aquaculture and Fish Genetics Research Programme (AFGRP) at the Institute of Aquaculture, in Stirling, UK. He has an MSc in aquaculture from the University of Stirling and a BSc in marine and fisheries zoology from the University of Aberdeen.

Paul is based in the UK, in Glasgow, Scotland.

Fabio Grati

A fishery biologist presently employed at the National Research Council, Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (Ancona, Italy), he brings to the table more than thirty years of expertise in marine environmental conservation and sustainable resource management. Over the course of his career, he has overseen and participated in numerous international projects focused on understanding and mitigating anthropic impacts on marine ecosystems. Since 2019, he holds a membership in the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) under the European Commission. Within this role, he has chaired two STECF Expert Working Groups (EWG 22-12 and EWG 23-18), where he led efforts to establish scientifically robust yet accessible criteria and indicators for assessing the sustainability of fisheries products.

Andrea Fabris

Andrea Fabris born 11.08.1968, Italian, has a Veterinary Medicine full graduation achieved at the University of Parma. He has also a Specialization in “Farming, Hygiene, Pathology of Aquatic Species and Control of Derivative Products ” achieved at Udine University and a Specialization in “Animal Feeding” obtained at Bologna University.

Actually (from May 2016) he is Director of Associazione Piscicoltori Italiani (API – Italian Fish Farmers Association). At National level behalf of API he is member of some working groups at the General Direction for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Italian Ministry of Health regarding aquaculture EU rules and their implementation at national and regional level, and member of Exotic Species Aquaculture Committee – Italian Ministry of Agriculture. Lecturer on in training /courses organized by Ministry of Health, Universities and Local Veterinary Authorities; member of Board of Directors of SIPI (Italian Society of Fish Pathology).

He is also involved at international level with the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) as Chairman of FEAP Fish Health and Welfare Commission. Andrea is part of the FVE (Federation of Veterinarians Europe) Aquaculture Working Group, and of FishMedPlus Coalition, and from the beginning member of Aquaculture Advisory Council (AAC) where is actually Chair of WG1 – Finfish.

He published as an author or co-author about 30 articles on international and national scientific journals concerning Fish pathology and Aquaculture and more than 60 issues on divulgative (fishermen and aquaculture producers associations) publications

Anne Marie Cooper

Anne shapes global sustainable fisheries and aquaculture policies through her work at the science-policy interface. Driven by a commitment to improving human lives and aquatic ecosystems, she serves as the Professional Officer for Fisheries and Aquaculture Advice at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Anne leads ICES’ efforts in developing and applying methods to provide scientific advice on data-limited fish and shellfish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic, covering over 60% of ICES stocks. She also heads the development of ICES’
advisory framework for sustainable aquaculture. Before joining ICES, Anne advised on national fisheries, aquaculture, climate, and marine science policy in the US Senate, House of Representatives, and NOAA. She holds a Ph.D. in Conservation Biology and Development Studies and Social Change Theory and an M.Sc. in Fisheries Science from the University of Minnesota.

Pedro Reis Santos

Pedro Reis Santos is Secretary General of the Market Advisory Council (MAC), a stakeholder-led advisory body to the European Commission and to the Member States on matters relevant for the EU market of fishery and aquaculture products, as foreseen by the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation.

Before his appointment, in July 2019, as Secretary General, Mr Reis Santos worked as a consultant for a Brussels-based business intelligence service monitoring EU developments on fisheries, agriculture, food, animal welfare, alcohol and tobacco policy. Prior to that, he was a trainee at the Fisheries Unit of the Council of the European Union and a trainee at the Control Unit of the Portuguese Fisheries Authority.

Mr Reis Santos holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law and a Master’s degree in International Law and International Relations from the University of Lisbon with a thesis titled “Marine Protected Areas beyond National Jurisdiction”. Besides his first language, Portuguese, he speaks English and Spanish

Irene Kranendonk

Irene Kranendonk is the Impact Manager at Fish Tales and a board member of the Fish Tales Foundation. Her work focuses on developing and guiding Fish Tales’ sourcing criteria including management of the environmental and social certification schemes. With the Fish Tales Foundation and local partner organizations, she drives social and environmental improvements in small scale fisheries. Irene holds a master’s degree from Wageningen University in Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management and is specialized in the field of fisheries ecology. In a previous role, Irene was sustainable seafood assessor for the Dutch seafood rating scheme the VISwijzer.