Kicking Off VASEACAD project – innovation for a more sustainable seafood industry
We’re thrilled to announce the official launch of the VASEACAD project (Valorising seafood side streams, residues, unwanted catches and discards for the production of bioactive protein hydrolysates and high-added-value biomolecules), a collaborative research initiative to increase sustainability and circularity in the aquaculture and fisheries sectors across Europe. Dr Yannis Kotzamanis from HCMR is coordinating this ambitious project.
🌊 Kicking Off VASEACAD: Transforming Fish Biomass Side Streams into Blue Bioproducts ♻️ Dr Azza Silotry Naik, School of Food Science and Environmental Health , and Prof Christine O’Connor hosted the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership-funded VASEACAD project kick-off meeting in TU Dublin, 6th November 2025. The meeting was followed by a showcase of the University Central Quad building and campus, along with a visit to our industry partner, BioAtlantis, for a tour of their processing facility in Tralee, County Kerry.
💡 Why VASEACAD? Marine fish processing generates large volumes of side streams – often discarded or used in low-value applications. VASEACAD aims to change this by developing inter-species recycling approaches that turn these residues into bioactive protein hydrolysates and valuable biomolecules.
🌍 The project covers key sea basins – Mediterranean, Black Sea and Atlantic – with activities led by partners from Greece, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Cyprus, Spain and Türkiye.
🤝 Who’s behind it? Ten partners from seven countries bring expertise across the entire value chain:
· Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (Greece- coordinator)
· Technological University Dublin (Ireland)
· Frederick Research Center (Cyprus)
· Blue EcoTech LTD (Malta)
· Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (Spain)
· SINTEF Ocean (Norway) –
· Karadeniz Technical University (Turkey)
· KIMAGRO FISHFARMING LTD (Cyprus)
· BioAtlantis Limited (Ireland)
🔄 What success looks like: • Use innovative biotechnological methods to extract and use biomolecules from seafood side streams biomass • Bridge the gap from lab scale to up scale production of bioactive compounds • Use the co-products of the biorefinery process as fish feed ingredients and test their efficacy to have a close loop production chain• Deliver product prototypes for fish feed, nutraceuticals, food, skin and muscle health • Assess environmental, economic, and social impacts to support large-scale adoption
By closing the loop between the seafood industry and the side-stream biomass production, VASEACAD aims to contribute to waste management, create new bioproducts, and turn a costly side-stream into a resource — transforming a linear problem into a circular opportunity.
VASEACAD is co-funded by the European Commission and the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP-2024), with national co-funding from participating countries.
