SEA-ME - Co-creating Empowerment Through Innovation in Fishing Communities 

A Shared Language Across the Sea

Professional fishermen embody a unique mix of rugged endurance, patience and deep respect for nature. Whether they rely on nets, traps or spears for a living when they go fishing, their profession is defined by resilience, quiet observation and a profound connection to the water.  

The above captures the essence of my impressions of a three-day visit by Portuguese fishermen in the Åboland archipelago within the Erasmus+ project  SEA-ME - Co-creating Empowerment Through Innovation in Fishing Communities. The project period is from September 2025 to September 2027 with a budget of 60,000 €. The project is carried out in collaboration with Kreamundo Foundation in the Netherlands (more info at https://www.kreamundo.org/), Livraria Artes e Letras in Portugal and Novia UAS.

SEA-ME aims at contributing to address challenges that fishermen across borders, namely Finland and Portugal face, by co-creating opportunities for training, exchange and valorisation. More specifically, the project aims at providing tools for fishermen to feel empowered to develop the image they want themselves and their communities to have. Through small-scale innovation using digital tools, this project increases the fishermen’s potential to become agents of change. 

Concrete outputs of the project SEA-ME will be two physical meetings including workshops with fishermen, one in Åboland, Finland and the other in Óbidos and Peniche in Portugal. Óbidos is one of Portugal’s most picturesque and well-preserved medieval towns and is located about 80 km north of Lisbon, close to the Atlantic coast. Peniche is the westernmost city in continental Europe, with one of the largest traditional fishing ports in Portugal.  

The project will also publish an e-book as well as a video to provide next steps in image development and self-valorisation of the fishermen. 

Novia UAS hosted the first meeting between Portuguese and Finnish fishermen in May 2026. Head of Operations Kaj Mattsson at Åbolands fiskarförbund (more info at  https://abofisk.net/sv/hem/) is an important link between the project and the fishermen in Åboland, since he has access to the local fishing community and channels to communicate with them.   

One of the responsibilities of Novia in SEA-ME is to develop pedagogical materials that in the future will be used in open access, supporting change in other coastal fishing communities. To triangulate education at Novia, RDI and the fishing community, a SEA-ME student project group, consisting of exchange students from Germany and Spain, developed training materials to be used in the workshops with the fishermen. The students also supported the project in its digital sphere and digital education for adults. 

Next, I will highlight the most memorable parts of the Portuguese exchange in Åboland. The visit comprised a stop at Sunnanå in Kimito, where sea trout fry was discovered and the stream for spawning has since then been improved successively.  

A delicious fish lunch buffet was served at Holmbergs Café 4 C in Dalsbruk. Local fishermen were invited to the workshop, where SEA-ME enabled meetings between fishermen and content was co-created in the moment, by documenting with pictures and videos. Kaj Mattsson presented fishing in Finland, and the Holmberg family presented their business, where a large part is based on their parents' life's work. The parents Börje and Marianne Holmberg worked as professional fishermen in the area for decades and the children and grandchildren show great pride in carrying on the legacy of their work. Börje Holmberg, at the age of 86, is still an active fisherman and provides fish for Holmbergs Fisk & Café 4 C.      

On the island of Aspö we experienced a day marked by archipelago life and fishing traditions. We fished with nets, ate a delicious fish soup for lunch and then learned how to clean fish and the nets. During the day there were also interesting conversations about fishing traditions and how knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation. Tore and Marika Johansson along with their daughters-in-law, Wilma and Aada, made us feel welcome and they willingly shared their practices with us.

’A Shared Language Across the Sea’ refers to the fact that the Portuguese and the Finnish fishermen who met in Åboland were connected by fishing beyond words, since they did not share a common language. Instead, they used a shared language of the sea, where pictures on the mobile phones became the language of fishing and there were a silent understanding and admiration among them. The encounters became a lesson in watching connection beyond language and seeing an unspoken bond of fishing. 

In many ways, the visit showed that despite differences in language, geography and fishing traditions, fishermen in Finland and Portugal share the same deep-rooted connection to the sea. SEA-ME has already demonstrated how meaningful exchange, mutual respect and small-scale innovation can strengthen fishing communities and support their self-valorisation. As the project continues, these encounters will serve as a strong foundation for future collaboration, learning and empowerment across borders. 

Funded by the European Union. Erasmus+ Programme, Project 2025-1-NL01-KA210-ADU-000355085. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Texten har granskats och godkänts av Novias redaktionsråd 12.6.2026.