Nordic conference gives wide support to Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s declaration on boosting energy transition in fisheries

The Conference on Energy Transition in Capture Fisheries discussed the opportunities offered by new energy sources and electricity and ways to reduce the use of energy. The conference gave wide support to the declaration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on boosting energy transition in the fisheries sector.

The Nordic Conference on Energy Transition in Capture Fisheries on 4–5 November 2025 brought together about 80 experts to Musiikkitalo in Helsinki to discuss energy transition in fisheries. The conference was an interactive one, which means that the presentations were followed by expert panels on each topic and the participants could give their comments online.

Like any other sector, the European Union’s carbon neutrality target by 2050 also concerns fisheries. The numerous presentations given at the conference focused on ways to implement the energy transition and the opportunities related to this in the Nordic countries and elsewhere in Europe.

For the largest fishing vessels, including those using trawls, the possibilities are related to reducing the use of energy and to the fuel solutions to be used in maritime transport in general. These include methanol, ammonia or hydrogen. The use of electricity is mostly limited to port entry and movement in the port area, as well as the electricity needs of the vessel itself.

For small vessels and those operating close to the coast, electrification is in most cases a feasible option. Electricity consumption is much smaller when the distances are short and the gear is anchored to the bottom.

In Finland, too, a project carried out by the University of Tampere aims to develop a carbon-neutral hybrid fishing vessel for coastal fishing. The aim of the project is to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve energy efficiency. In autumn 2026, a prototype will be presented that can be used in diverse ways for research, especially in the development of steering and power line technologies. The power line of the vessel can be supplemented with hydrogen fuel cells and the steering systems are designed to enable autonomous navigation research, such as the use of an intelligent autopilot and remote control.

Winner of pitching competition manufactures solar power boats

In the pitching competition organised at the conference, three businesses competed against each other with their energy transition solutions for fisheries. The winner of the competition and the EUR 5,000 prize was Elvene from Jakobstad, which manufactures fishing boats powered solely with solar energy. 

Declaration of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on Energy Transition in Capture Fisheries

The European Commission is to present a roadmap for the energy transition in fisheries in 2026, which is why it was highly appropriate to have this conference right now, during Finland’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. At the conference, many of the participating experts pointed out that the present rules of the Common Fisheries Policy concerning financing and the fishing capacity do not allow to implement the energy transition and to grasp the opportunities that already exists, which means that the rules should be amended.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry formulated the Declaration on Energy Transition in Capture Fisheries, after having heard the conference participants and consulted its steering group. The conference gave its wide support to the declaration, which presents the main conclusions and the measures to boost energy transition in fisheries.

The conference was funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and organised by the Natural Resources Institute Finland and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Inquiries about energy transition in fisheries

Orian Bondestam, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 162 494, [email protected]