ITECHMER 2021, the international trade fair for the fishing industry, invites the professionals to build the future of the marine industry.

The international meeting place for commercial fishing professionals will be held for the 14th time in Lorient on 6, 7 and 8 October 2021. ITECHMER is the only international exhibition in France dedicated to technologies, equipment, and services for the fishing industry. As an economic and institutional meeting place, ITECHMER offers business opportunities and exchanges that encourage discussions on the sector’s issues. The organization of events related to the exhibition is again implemented for this 2021 edition by the agency Sea to sea and a committee of experts from the industry.  The three days of the show will be punctuated by conferences and professional meetings focusing on various topics aiming to raise awareness and mobilize stakeholders on the future of the sector, around the thread “Let’s build the future of the sea sector”.

Wednesday 6 October, the first day will focus on “The sea, an ocean of values”. Marketing of unknown species, processing of by-products, creation of eco-labels, development of marine biotechnologies and consumer awareness are ways to develop the sector.

A first part will focus on the theme “Guiding the consumer” and a second meeting will highlight “biotechnologies, key factors in the marine value chain. ”

The day of Thursday 7 October will highlight “an industry in transition”. Faced with the challenge of climate change and the protection of marine biodiversity, professionals and industrialists in the marine sector are innovating to improve the energy efficiency of vessels and facilities, reduce waste, and develop more selective gear that has less impact on the environment. As part of a Blue Day dedicated to actions to ” reduce plastic pollution at sea “, the Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique and Ifremer will be co-hosting a round-table discussion on Extended Producer Responsibility and the solutions provided by professionals to meet this objective in 2025. This day will also highlight innovations and actions to “improve the eco-energy performance of the sector”. Led by the French Maritime Cluster and Bretagne Pôle Naval, it will include a presentation of the T2M digital data platform, the first sectoral platform for the eco-energy transition, and will also review the emergence of hydrogen and energy solutions for ships. BPN will also offer B-to-B meetings on this subject to exhibitors and visitors to the event. Finally, GICAN, Groupement des Industries de Construction et Activités Navales, will raise the issue of the most suitable vessel for the renewal of the fishing fleet.

The last day of the event, which is more widely attended by fishermen, on Friday 8 October, will be focused on “the future of French and European fisheries”. After the Covid-19 crisis and the UK’s exit from the European Community, the industry is closing ranks and reinventing itself. French, British and European players, including the chairman of the European Parliament’s fisheries committee Pierre Karleskind, will discuss “fishing after Brexit” and ” which strategies for future sustainable fishing? “The means to support the sector will also be discussed, notably through a workshop on the new Fisheries and Aquaculture Action Fund.

Details of the programme will be available soon – more information on the website www.itechmer.com