SURIMI Project Assembly in Norway: Advancing the EU Mission to Restore Our Oceans and Waters

SURIMI project’s first annual meeting took place from the 24th-25th of September 2024, in Bergen, Norway, bringing together experts from across Europe. This Horizon Europe project, part of the EU’s Mission Ocean, aims to enhance the EDITO – European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO). By integrating socio-ecological models into the platform, SURIMI Project will expand the capabilities of the EU DTO to simulate the impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems and fisheries, providing crucial insights for sustainable ocean management and policy decisions.

During the meeting, partners outlined priorities, including developing nine socio-ecological models and the SURIMI toolbox—a user-friendly package of tools designed for stakeholders, from policymakers to industry leaders. The toolbox will provide access to high-quality data and simulations to estimate fish population dynamics, understand human impacts on marine ecosystems, and model fisheries’ interactions with marine life. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP), the toolbox will help decision-makers explore “what-if” scenarios and tailor solutions at local, regional, and European levels, supporting sustainable resource management and marine spatial planning.

A key focus of SURIMI is addressing broader challenges in ocean management and developing strategies for sustainable fisheries. The project will improve policy analysis, encourage public engagement with ocean sciences, and democratise access to ocean data. By building a community of end users, SURIMI will collaborate with sibling EU projects — SEADOTs EU Project, SEADITO, and EcoTwin — encouraging cooperation among scientists, industry professionals, and policymakers. A stakeholder engagement strategy rooted in co-design, co-creation, and co-assessment will ensure the tools are responsive to real-world needs.

Reflecting on the project’s significance, SURIMI coordinator Patrycja Antosz, Head of the Centre for Modeling Social Systems at NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, shared:

“I’m excited to see that combining complex dynamic computational models of the ocean’s ecology and economics might soon be within reach of everyone interested. The next two and a half years will be a lot of hard work to make it happen, but we have the best team for the task!”

SURIMI team members enjoying the views in Bergen, Norway.

 
In its efforts to address the effects of climate change and human activities on marine ecosystems, SURIMI models will also support the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) by offering tools to simulate socio-ecological effects and sustainable fishery management strategies.

Led by NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS and funded with €3.4 million, SURIMI Project is a three-year project involving eight partners from seven countries: NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, ERINN Innovation, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), European Marine Board IVZW, Konnecta Systems, Ecopath International Initiative, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, University of Oxford.

If you’re passionate about ocean sustainability and want to contribute to real-world solutions, join the SURIMI Stakeholder Forum, soon accessible through our website, and help shape the future of our oceans.

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Main photo credit: Andreas R. Graven, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre.