Mr.Goodfish3.0: Co-creating solutions for sustainable seafood consumption

Project Information

Mr.Goodfish3.0

Grant agreement ID: 101156189

DOI

10.3030/101156189

EC signature date 11 April 2024

Start date 1 May 2024

End date 30 April 2027

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 1 999 877,50

EU contribution

€ 1 999 877,50

Coordinated by

CMMI CYPRUS MARINE AND MARITIME INSTITUTE
Cyprus

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Mr.Goodfish3.0 (Mr.Goodfish3.0: Co-creating solutions for sustainable seafood consumption)

Reporting period: 2024-05-01 to 2025-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Consumers preferences and habits can inadvertently drive seafood consumption practices that threaten marine ecosystems and biodiversity, local seafood value chain viability, or even the consumers’ own health. A change in consumption is urgently needed, but many consumers lack the knowledge to choose seafood that supports more responsible practices. Adding to the complexity of factual information facing consumers is the fact that responsible consumption practices vary by region, by season, even by year, as conditions change.

“Mr.Goodfish3.0: Co-creating Solutions for Sustainable Seafood Consumption” addresses consumer preferences and habits around seafood by building on the existing European programme "Mr.Goodfish" originally launched in 2010. It raises awareness by promoting and providing a knowledge-based toolkit for responsible consumption of sea, freshwater and aquaculture products. The digital toolkit will be created by upgrading and expanding the Mr.Goodfish app and website as part of an EU-wide awareness campaign.

The ecosystem of tools and activities will be fit for purpose since they will be co-created by stakeholders in three pilot sites and upscaled in two replication sites, each representing up to two of the major European sea or freshwater basins.

The participatory methods will inform the development of new content for the app, enriching scientific data with socio-cultural and economic input through engagement with stakeholders throughout the seafood value chain as well as with citizens & consumers. The app will be upgraded with data on seasonal seafood in each basin along with information about health benefits or food waste as well as new co-created features like recipes and event calendars.

The programme will also roll out a European-scale awareness campaign involving social and traditional media, a call for multipliers across EU Member States, the dissemination of a package of communication material and educational activities and promoting the app & Mr.Goodfish label among European sustainable seafood providers.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In the first half of the Mr.Goodfish3.0 project, WP2 focused on data and content development, expanding and harmonising the species databases to cover all major EU sea basins. Mediterranean species were evaluated for inclusion, and biological indicators biomass and fishing mortality were included. English Channel, North Sea, Atlantic, Arctic and Baltic, datasets were updated, ensuring consistent taxonomy, naming conventions and sustainability indicators. Photographs, aquaculture producer information from Cyprus and Norway, and relevant legislative frameworks were also integrated. More than 100 recipes and a set of informational articles were collected and standardised for future app integration.

WP3 advanced the co-creation and behavioural research, completing stakeholder interviews, a multi-language consumer survey, and workshops in Cyprus and Norway. These activities generated social and cultural insights on consumption barriers, sustainability awareness and consumer perception, species familiarity, price and waste concerns, and practical challenges faced by fishers, chefs and consumers. The partners also drafted the foundations of the nudging toolkit, targeting identified behaviours such as preference for imported species, and used directly for the user scenarios and app design.

WP4 focused on the technical preparation for the upgraded app and website. Nausicaá carried out a full assessment of the current digital ecosystem. Market research and UX (User-eXperience) benchmarking were completed, followed by the drafting and launching of a call for tenders for the developer of the new app and site. A new information architecture and the content navigation structure were created, and development of wireframes and visual design began.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The development of a harmonised, scientifically validated dataset covering species, biological indicators and sustainability criteria across all major EU basins, replaces the fragmented information previously available and provides the first fully comparable basis for a wider decision support. The integration of behavioural evidence into the technical development has produced initial behaviour-based models and nudging frameworks, which go beyond standard approaches and allow for a more user-centric design. In addition, the project has established an early business model, outlining the value proposition for consumers and businesses, operational requirements, and possible long-term revenue streams. A structured IPR and knowledge-management framework has been put in place to identify ownership, protect key exploitable results and ensure that innovations are suitable for future exploitation.

The results of Mr. Goodfish3.0 have the potential to improve the consistency and accessibility of seafood sustainability information across the EU, strengthen responsible consumption and increase the visibility of committed producers. To ensure further uptake, the project will require continued user testing and demonstration of the prototype, validation of the business model, alignment with EU sustainability and traceability frameworks and long-term maintenance and translation support. Most importantly, it will be critical to onboard a variety of stakeholders from the producer and retail side of the value chain to actively take part in the Mr.Goodfish3.0 community.

Interview of Mr.Goodfish3.0 coordinator by EuroNews. Aired December 2025. Copyright Euronews