Full house at Tjärnö – the future of the sea in focus
The lecture hall at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory was packed to the rafters on Friday, as close to 100 participants from industry, public authorities and the research community gathered for a full day on nature-positive solutions for the sea.
“I think many people came away with new ideas and fresh knowledge from the day,” says Susanne Lindegarth, project manager for the forum.
The buzz was unmistakable as networking got under way in the newly refurbished foyer outside the auditorium, during the breaks between talks. Among a dozen exhibitors, an oyster farmer met officials from the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, while an environmental engineer from the Port of Gothenburg struck up a conversation with a national park manager from Norway.
In another corner, a marine biologist from the University of Gothenburg met a start-up entrepreneur who 3D-prints artificial reefs in clay.
“I think this particular mix of participants is extremely important. We have municipalities here like ourselves, researchers, and several exciting companies. It makes for excellent networking and some very interesting presentations as well,” says Aron Qvirist, project manager at the Sotenäs Symbiosis Centre.
Knowledge and new ideas
He was there both as an exhibitor — with a very popular prawn canapé on seaweed crispbread — and as a participant.
“I really believe in the kinds of conversations that emerge at events like this. I’m taking away some concrete opportunities for collaboration, but I’ve also learned a great deal. The 3D-printed reefs, for instance, were very interesting,” says Aron Qvirist.
The Tjärnö Collaboration Forum is being held for the fifth time. New this year is the name change from the Tjärnö Marine Business Fair and a stronger focus on collaboration across a wider range of stakeholders, including public authorities, managers, and the research community. On this sunny Friday in April, nearly one hundred participants gathered around the theme of “nature-positive solutions” for the sea.
Lots of new faces
“These are initiatives that not only maintain the current state, but actually deliver a positive impact; in our case on marine environments,” says Susanne Lindegarth, project manager at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory and coordinator of the event.
She is very pleased with the day, both with the speakers and the networking out in the foyer.
“In the past we’ve had more traditional themes such as seafood, fisheries, and aquaculture. This year’s theme felt new and refreshing, and it seems to have attracted many people I didn’t recognise and who had never been here at Tjärnö before. It was very rewarding to see so many new faces,” she says.
One face that was not entirely new was Christian Vorbeck, an oyster entrepreneur from Koster. He gave one of the presentations, speaking about the use of oysters in the restoration of marine environments.
Historic opportunity for restoration
He, too, highlighted the networking and willingness to collaborate as a major strength of the forum.
“There’s a positive spirit from the authorities, academia, and businesses alike, that they are going to invest in the restoration of marine environments in Sweden. I think we have a major historic opportunity right now to build something together,” says Christian Vorbeck.
Text: Mikael Andersson
The Tjärnö Collaboration Forum is organised in partnership between Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, Kosterhavet National Park, the Svinesund Committee, Innovatum Science Park, Northern Bohuslän Co-management, the Fisheries Municipalities, Tanum Municipality, Strömstad Municipality, Test Arena Skagerrak and the Centre for Sea and Society at the University of Gothenburg.
The forum is held every other year at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory and is co-funded by the EU with support from the Västra Götaland Region.
The event was previously known as the Tjärnö Marine Business Fair.