Good weather and the CIRCNETS team visited Ireland
Next to last partner meeting of the project was held in sunny Galway
It was time for the CIRCNETS team to get together once again, this time in Galway, Ireland, where the fifth partner meeting, hosted by the Irish partners WDC & NUIG, was held on the 20th and 21st of May. The CIRCNETS team gathered to the Alice Perry Building of the University campus and also got to enjoy the weather, with the days being warm and sunny for the whole trip. Since this was the next to last partner meeting of the project, many important topics were on the menu.
The meeting started with Dr. Eoghan Clifford introducing the participants to the University of Galway, followed by updates from WP1 and WP2. The final report of WP1, D.1.3.1, a review of EOL gear collection and responsibilities in the NPA region, will be published soon. Discussions were held about what happens to the gear once it is collected and whether countries should invest in their own recycling plants or not. In WP2, there are a few reports coming up, such as D.2.1.2, an analysis of the current EOL fishing gear disposal systems. An extra activity, LCA model of an existing collection scheme is also in the works and discussions were held about how to present this type of scientific information efficiently. Since it is the final year of the project, outputs of the project were also on the table.
In the afternoon the group had two guest speakers. Allan Mulrooney, CEO of WDC, gave an introduction to their operations, especially regarding circular economy. After that, Colman McCarthy from the Clean Technology Centre presented results from the Technology Audit conducted by the Centre for WP2, regarding emerging technologies and best practices from existing companies about the reuse of recycled fishing gear. Interesting discussions were held on the handling of historical gear, as well as how AI and digital tracking could be used in the recycling processes of fishing gear.
Day two started with updates from WP3. The deliverable 3.1.1, a report about the implementation of EPR in other sectors, will be published soon. WP3 also includes webinars and workshops, some of which are still being held this year. It was also decided to have the final webinar of the project, a closing event, in the fall. The outputs of the project were also discussed again.
After the updates from WP3, Percy Foster from Haul It Back joined the meeting to talk about how the PRO is being set up in Ireland. Haul It Back is the temporary PRO right now and will conduct trials in the coming months on how the collection scheme should be organized.
The last topic of the meeting was the dissemination and communication campaigns of the project. A plan to conduct these campaigns was created, so that fishers, who are the targets of these campaigns, could be reached efficiently. Final partner meeting was also decided on, and it will be held in Bodø in the fall, in conjunction with the NPA 25th anniversary conference.
Interested in seeing more pictures from the meeting? Head to Resources!
