Anne Põder from the Estonian team discussed the BlueRev project results in the presentation „Blue bioeconomy related challenges in Western Estonia“. The presentation was based on the results from the four workshops and interviews conducted in the island of Saaremaa in 2023 and 2024. The governance issues discussed included the fragmentation of blue bioeconomy topics between 9 ministries as well as authorities in their governance areas. Local stakeholders’ concerns were related to long planning processes and difficulties with obtaining approvals for their projects and building permits that considerably increase the various business and financial risks for the blue bioeconomy enterprises. Besides the labour and skills issues, the cooperation models for the multiuse of marine space and blue bioresources as well direct monetary and other benefits for local community from marine energy and other blue economy developments are of particular interest of local community.
The other presentations related to blue bioeconomy included ongoing product development projects such as assessment of microalgae and its farming opportunities based on local species, development of phyto- and prebiotic feed additives for rainbow trout and crayfish; valorization of invasive amphipod Gmelinoides fasciatus. Blue bioeconomy was one of the focus areas identified also in the circular bioeconomy roadmap for the Western Estonian region that was discussed in the seminar.