The Fish-X General Assembly was held on 26th and 27th June 2024, at the Campus de Gambelas, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal. The assembly aimed to provide a project update, address pain points identified in the interim review, and plan for upcoming events and the final project expo. The event gathered all consortium partners for discussions, updates, and strategic planning sessions to ensure the project’s objectives are met.

The opening day began with a get-together and morning coffee, followed by a welcoming note and introduction by the project lead, TMT. A comprehensive progress update for Project Year 2 covered the project’s status, deliverables, milestones, amendments, project management tools, and critical risks. Feedback and lessons learned from the second year were also discussed.

The session on Projection of Project Year 3 outlined the monthly retro meetings, upcoming events, tasks, and next steps for 2024/2025. It included a review of the deliverable process, final reporting timeline, and financials.

Updates on the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Baltic, and Irish use cases were presented, focusing on progress and challenges. Demonstrations and updates on the Fish-X Data Space, Insight Platform, and Traceability Platform were also provided.

Discussions also covered the planning upcoming events including Workshop 2, the final online expo, the final conference, webinars, and working group meetings. Updates on recreational fisheries inclusion and stakeholder engagement, digital tools development progress, and ethics advisory were also presented. The day concluded with a dinner, offering participants an opportunity to network and discuss informally.

The second day started with a get-together and morning coffee, followed by a recap of Day 1 by the TMT.

The Breakout Session 1: ‘Deep Dive into Exploitation’ focused on technical and non-technical expectations, including future governance, business models, and post-project capacity building.

The Breakout Session 2: ‘Use Cases and Digital Tools’ analysed use cases and the integration of the Insight Platform and Traceability Platform into the Data Space.

During the Expert Session, Industry Roadmap and objectives were presented, followed by expert reviews and feedback on fostering scientific research through Fish-X digital tools. The assembly concluded with a summary of the two days’ discussions and outcomes, followed by a dinner, providing a final networking opportunity.

On 28th June, a side event was organised for an optional boat trip to observe fishers and trial partners. The trip offered participants a practical insight into the fishing operations and data collection in real-time.

Overall, the Fish-X General Assembly was a productive event, fostering collaboration, addressing key project challenges, and setting a clear path forward for the project’s final phase.