The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iceland Ocean Cluster, marking a new step in efforts to drive innovation, reduce waste, and create greater value from Pacific fisheries.
The three-year agreement brings together two organisations with a shared interest in making better use of marine resources and strengthening the blue economy. It also opens the door for closer collaboration between the Pacific and the North Atlantic on seafood innovation, knowledge sharing, and sustainable business development.
At the heart of the partnership is a strong focus on full utilisation of seafood resources, including the untapped potential of tuna side streams in the Pacific. By finding new uses for parts of the fish that are often discarded or underused, the partnership aims to support more sustainable practices while creating new economic opportunities for Pacific communities.
“This partnership is about connecting ocean regions, people and ideas in ways that can create practical benefits for communities and the seafood sector,” FFA Director-General Noan David Pakop said.
“It gives us an opportunity to learn from global innovation while also exploring what full utilisation and value creation can look like in a Pacific context.”
“There is so much opportunity for seafood knowledge transfer between the North Atlantic and Pacific region, and this partnership with FFA is very timely as we explore how 100 percent Fish thinking and methods can be adapted to support sustainable value creation in key Pacific fisheries,” said Dr Alexandra Leeper, CEO Iceland Ocean Cluster.
Under the MoU, FFA and Iceland Ocean Cluster will work together in several key areas. These include sharing knowledge and best practices on sustainable seafood utilisation, exploring joint research and innovation projects, promoting education and awareness, and supporting more sustainable harvesting, processing and use of marine resources.
The collaboration will also look at opportunities linked to FFA’s Pacific Island Tuna Ventures Programme to create new commercial ventures, and to the global 100 percent Fish movement, which encourages the use of all parts of seafood to create value-added products and minimise waste. The approach has gained international attention for showing how innovation in the seafood sector can support both environmental sustainability and economic growth.
Iceland Ocean Cluster is widely recognised for bringing together entrepreneurs, researchers, seafood businesses and innovators to develop practical solutions across the blue economy. Through its international network and experience in supporting the 100 percent Fish concept, the organisation offers a model that could help inspire new approaches in the Pacific.
The MoU reflects a shared commitment by both organisations to build stronger links across ocean regions and to support a more innovative, inclusive and sustainable future for the seafood sector.
Iceland Ocean Cluster is an innovation and business cluster that connects entrepreneurs, companies and knowledge in the ocean sector to create value and support sustainable blue economy development. IOC is a business accelerator and innovation hub that collaborates with companies in the blue economy. Its mission is to create value by connecting entrepreneurs, businesses, and knowledge in marine industries. Key initiatives include:
*Promoting 100% utilisation of marine resources through the “100 percent Fish” movement, which aims to utilise all parts of the fish to create value-added products.
*Providing incubation services, consulting, research, and networking opportunities to marine businesses.
*Operating the Ocean Cluster House in Reykjavík, home to entrepreneurs, startups, and growing businesses in the blue economy.
