Everything was not better in the past, but in the future it can be – it’s up to us

As a co-owner of Stigfjorden’s mussel farming, I had the privilege of being invited when the association Omställning Tjörn (Adjustment/transition Tjörn) invited to talks about the future of seafood.
Adjustment – Haven’t we heard it before and what does it mean – what should we switch from and where are we going?

Klädesholmen on Tjörn is beautiful, I have previously been here on holiday and enjoyed nature, views and good food, during sweet summer weeks. It looks a little different on this visit in april. The weather is good, the view is lovely, the houses are nice, so what’s the problem? That is what Omställning Tjörn and this meeting are about.

On Tjörn in Bohuslän, the association ”Omställning Tjörn” has been founded – the goal is to become an island beyond fossil dependence, with increased self-sufficiency in terms of food and energy.
The transition network seeks local answers to complex challenges. How can we stop climate change and reduce resource consumption and at the same time take better care of ourselves and each other? What kind of future can we already start to create together where we live?
We are changing to a society that respects the planet’s boundaries. We start locally, we give each other support, encouragement and inspiration.
This evening the theme was ”How can seafood develop on Tjörn?”. In a parish hall next to the church on Klädesholmen filled to the last place, the mood and expectations were high. Everyone was there – you don’t want to miss this. Klädesholmen, which has a history of being the cradle of Herring, is where fishermen and herring manufacturers come from for several generations. Nowadays, there is basically none of that left, more than the fact that Klädesholmen is located where it is surrounded by water.

But tonight it was not primarily herring that was at the top of the agenda, but algae, seaweed, sea urchins, mussels, sea cucumber, marine allotments and land-based fish farming in combination with vegetable farming. It must be admitted that there was also talk of herring, as an entrepreneur has just opened a business on the island that manufactures and sells herring buns and herring burgers. Of course, at the end of the evening we got to taste all these delicacies, I’ll come back to that.

The lineup on stage was world class – they know what they’re talking about.
Ellen Schagerström, Gothenburg University – Kristineberg Center, PhD in plant ecology with specialization in marine botany – BioLogik.
The Kristineberg Center for Marine Research and Innovation offers infrastructure and services for researchers, educations, companies and entrepreneurs. Here there are test environments, ships, laboratories, meeting rooms and, not least, Gullmarsfjorden’s rich marine environments that provide fantastic conditions for research, education and innovation.
Karolina Martinsson, Many years of interest and long experience in and for our fine Swedish seaweed, and to create a Swedish food culture where seaweed has an obvious place on our plates – Algblomman.
Morgan Bråse, who lives on Klädesholmen, belongs to generations of fishermen and herring manufacturers in the family.
Niklas Wennberg, mussel farmer at Stigfjord’s mussel farm and many years of experience in land-based fish farming in combination with vegetable farming – Pond fish and greens.

It is about the whole community functioning
Adjustment/Transition – it’s not just about the environment and climate, it’s just as much about economic and social sustainability. Klädesholmen and Tjörn need to change in order to live – live all year round. A viable society where you can both live and work, of course without depleting natural resources, but by taking advantage and care of all resources through circular production models. It creates new opportunities, engages more entrepreneurs and businesses, while being resource efficient and sustainable.

Co-cultivation
Precisely and fully utilizing and taking care of resources can be exemplified in the ambition of Stigfjorden’s mussel farming. Ellen Schagerström calls it co-cultivation – it’s simply about making use of all residual resources through a cultivation model that allows for a diversity of species that can all be harvested in turn and refined in different ways to become a nutritious and sustainable food or fodder .
Technical achievements and the use of new sustainable materials are important, but if we humans have the ability to change a little in how we live and what we eat, and that public policies and incentives encourage and support such a change, it would mean an incredible improvement in the factors that affects our climate and environment (Niklas Wennberg).

We know more now and can do better
A lot was explained during the meeting and the talks at Klädesholmen. If we can adopt experiences we have from how yesterday´s and today’s fishing industry has depleted our waters, together with the current research and technological development in the area, there are all possibilities for adjustment – it just has to be done and not quite in the same way as we did before – we know more now and can do better.
That’s the hard part – Change creates anxiety, authorities need to make the right decisions, financial incentives need to be put in place and last but not least each of us needs to take responsibility for our actions and decisions in everyday life. Morgan Bråse concluded his history of Klädesholmen’s fishing industry over generations by establishing exactly what was the theme of the day, How can seafood develop on Tjörn – It can if we are open to development and change. This means that you can live and work on Tjörn in harmony with the fantastic natural resources available.

Last but not least, I want to give you a sampling of the delights that seafood offers – algae, seaweed, sea urchin, mussels, sea cucumber, Clarias and of course herring. Delicious, sustainable and an important part of a sustainable future for Tjörn and everyone else.

We can do better – I´m hopefull