So far, the shrimp catch from the North Sea has first migrated to Morocco – to Pulen. A new research project now wants to explore better ways – and is receiving millions in funding.
A research project aims to explore opportunities for greater regional added value in shrimp fishing in northern Germany.
The prototype of a shrimp peeling machine with ultrasonic technology is also to be created with the project. Developers and shrimp fishermen had been waiting for this development for a long time – so far, the necessary money was not available.
At the start of the research project, Lower Saxony’s Minister of Fisheries, Barbara Otte-Kinast (CDU), presented the project partners and the Thünen Institute for Sea Fishing in Bremerhaven, which is in charge of the project, with a grant approval for around 2.3 million euros in the port of Greetsiel in East Friesland on Saturday.
The aim of the three-year project is to make crab fishing in Lower Saxony and other northern German coastal towns sustainable and future-proof, said Otte-Kinast. “We want to make the crab fishery more resilient to crises.” It is about technical solutions, such as the shrimp peeling machine, but also about economic, ecological and social aspects, said the minister.
In order to get the meat of the North Sea shrimp, the majority of the catch landed in northern Germany is transported to Morocco for manual peeling. The main reason is the wage costs. This transport has repeatedly caused criticism among environmental and consumer advocates. With a machine, so the shrimp fishermen hope, a larger part of the added value in shrimp processing could remain in northern Germany. (dpa)