Learning Together for a Bluer and Greener Future

The Division of Aquaculture, Valorization, and Bioprospecting (DivAV) of the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, I. P. (IPMA, IP), organized a dissemination and educational Activity on November 14th, 2025, as part of the AQUAFISH0.0 project entitled “Ocean Mission: Discovering New Flavors and Health on Your Plate.”

This activity was directed to children, being a contribution to a more aware generation in a bluer, greener, and better future. It focused on the development and consumption of functional food products based on undervalued marine species, created under a “Zero Waste” philosophy aligned with circular-economy principles. It sought to enhance acceptance and social awareness of sustainable and healthy seafood consumption, promoting responsible practices within the fisheries and aquaculture sector among children.

Students from elementary school (aged around 9) took part in this activity, which was held at the IPMA Risk-Benefit Assessment laboratory in Algés, Lisbon, Portugal. This event was organized in collaboration with the of “IPMA escolas” project team.

This Educational Activity of the AQUAFISH0.0 project introduced children to the importance of seafood consumption and the concept of functional foods, emphasizing the nutritional value and sustainability of undervalued marine organisms. In this context, it was explained that this project’s main goal is to conceive, design, and formulate functional foods from undervalued fish, including bycatch and fishery by-products, creating affordable, sustainable, and healthy options that contribute to human health and well-being.

It was brought to the children the richness in invaluable compounds that can be found in functional products from selected aquatic resources, such as EPA and DHA, iodine, and/or selenium, being their quantities enough to exert beneficial effects when consumed, supporting brain and cognitive development, among other favorable outcomes.

Children showed a lively interest and asked many questions that led to a brief discussion about the themes of sea, seafood, sustainability, and health.

There was a practical component with twenty-five children taking part in a cooking workshop. This involved preparing a mackerel-based sauce functional product, under the guidance of researchers, with a focus on teamwork, creativity, and exploring the potential of marine organisms. The cooking activity was conceived as a way to promote a sustainable consumption of fish species with low commercial value. In addition to this, other recipes for functional products were also presented and provided, such as nachos incorporating a seaweed, Gracilaria gracilis, that was produced using the Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) and fish burger, the so-called MackBurger using both fish (mackerel) and seaweed.

The activity ended with a sensory tasting and evaluation of two products developed by the AQUAFISH project: mackerel-based sauce, made during the activity by the children themselves, and seaweed nachos, previously prepared by the IPMA team.

At the end of this unique experience, leaflets on sustainability, zero waste, One Health, and recipes were distributed to all and diplomas were presented to the children.