11/21/2025
The Pacific Marine Expo is still going strong until tomorrow! Don't forget to stop by booth 742 to visit us.
We also had a great time with the Dutch Delegation at the Whooshh Innovations Office this week.
Both the Netherlands and the Northwestern U.S. share a strong fisheries sector and face similar challenges, including labor shortages and increasing sustainability demands driven by market expectations and regulatory frameworks. In both regions, the fisheries value chain is a vital pillar of the economy.
We are both actively committed to developing the sector in a future-proof and sustainable way. This includes efforts to conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas, and marine resources and striving to maintain a healthy balance between nature and economic development.
A delegation of researchers, company representative and government officials from the Netherlands traveled to Washington to learn about innovations in areas such as (but not limited to):
--sustainable fishing techniques and advanced monitoring tools (e.g., sensors, eDNA technology), as well as technologies to reduce bycatch;
--smart fish stock monitoring and localization using advanced sensor technologies and data analytics;
--robotics and automation in fisheries;
--new fish products and value chains that respond to changing consumer preferences and emerging market opportunities, including food innovations such as the use of seaweed, fish protein, and valorization of waste streams;
--resource-efficient operations across water, energy, and labor use.
We are also interested to learn how the public and private sectors in Washington are supporting start-ups and scale-ups that are working on innovations in these areas.
The NL delegation
Geert Hoekstra, Mission Leader, Economic Researcher Seafood and Practor Fisheries, Innovation and Entrepreurship, Wageningen University
Teun de Boer, Director, Electronic Fish Information Center Europe (EFICE)
Anton Dekker, Fleet Manager, Jaczon-Cornelis Vrolijk
Fabien Wondergem, Program Manager Fisheries, Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature
Walter van Harberden, Director, Padmos Shipyard
Gijsbert Spek, Director, Pefa
Niels Hintzen, Chief Science Office, Pelagic Freezer Trawler Association
Rogier Wilms, Program Manager, Province of Flevoland
Louwe Post, Director, Weforsea Shipping
Organization: Bob Hengeveld, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Ton van Arnhem and Caroline Feitel, Netherlands Embassy
