The official date of the birth of the Fishing District can be dated back to March 25, 2006, when the first “Pact for the Development of Industrial Fishing” wassigned, shared by various public and territorialbodies, universities, research and scientificinstitutes, credit institutions and companies.

Born from an intuition of Giovanni Tumbiolo, formerfounder of COSVAP (SicilianConsortium for the Valorization of Fish), established in 1990, itgaveit an international scope throughnumerousactivities with foreigncoastalcountries, marking the sector in recentyears.

“The relaunch of the Sicilianfishsystemneeds a realsilentrevolutionthrough the development of goodpractices of the circular economy within the Blue Growth model” thiswas the directive on which the districtactivitydeveloped: the Blue Economy and the ‘Blue Thinking'”. as a philosophy of thought, whichlooksat eco-sustainability and renewableresourcesas an ocean of possibilities for the benefit of social and economicgrowth.

Giovanni Tumbiolo, takes to heart the situation of the Sicilianseafaring and representsitsproblems in the deputies.

On May 19, 2006 the Mediterranean Fishing Observatorywasfounded to analyze the variousthemes with scientific expertise. Severalprojectinitiatives are launched, with the aim of creating a fertile environment for companies thatwant to innovate, and ferry the traditionalfishingtowards an industrial one of wider commercial scope and with strong transnationalpropensities.

In 2011, the Districtrenews the DistrictPact with the aim of structuring the supplychain and implementing a cluster model thatisprojectedtowards new themes of sustainability and quality of seafoodproducts.

Allthisisalsodevelopedthrough the implementation of particularlycomplexsupplychainprojectsthathaveallowed the companies of the District to benefit directly from the results, from the most innovative research in the fisheriessector, through a veryclosecollaboration with the mainresearchbodiesworking in the areas of marine biology, energysavingtechnologies, innovative fishingboats, wasterecovery and exploitation and, aboveall, the study of the sea economy and supplychainmodels in an innovative perspective of circular economy.

Since 2012, the District of Fishing and Blue Growthis the creator and organizer of an eventthat over the yearshasgainedinternationalprominencedealing with topicssuchas the Blue Economy, the CircularEconomy, Fishing and Aquaculture: Blue Sea Land – Expo of the Clusters of the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East”.

Therehavebeenseveralinstitutional awards: in 2003 the President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, defined the Fishing Districtas an “industrial and productive model for Italy” showinghisappreciation for itsaims.

“For itsparticulareconomic, cultural, scientific, artistic and social interest” the President

Giorgio Napolitano awarded the representativemedal to the 2014 edition of Blue Sea Land;

“For itsinternationalrelevance”, the 2016 editionwasawarded with the plaque of the Presidency of the Republic conferred by President Sergio Mattarella.

Due to the untimelydeath of PresidentTumbiolo, the entrepreneur Antonino Vincenzo Carlino isappointedPresident and pursues the objectivesthathavebeendefined in the DistrictPactsigned by many companies, public and territorialauthorities, universities and scientificinstitutes.