A high level workshop has been co-sponsored by Cefas and Defra where who’s who of fishing industry participated. The workshop was titled, “Towards a Sustainable Finfish Aquaculture Industry for England”, included a wide-ranging series of presentations and opportunities for in-depth discussion.
The main purpose of the workshop was to look at ways that government might support the aquaculture industry. Cefas’ Keith Jeffery discussed that the workshop was an incredible success, bringing together people from different backgrounds. The presentations prompted valuable discussions, and the workshop provided much food for thought. It will help us to develop a meaningful framework in future.
Aquaculture strategies adopted by other UK countries, for example Scotland and Wales, were discussed and the workshop participants agreed that much could be learned from those. It is told that achieving sustainable food security from marine fish and shellfish stocks is not always easy or straightforward. This has led policy-makers, scientists and others to re-evaluate the potential of aquaculture to provide sustainable fish and shellfish for the English public’s table.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and other international bodies have repeatedly pointed to the importance of sustainably farmed fish and shellfish in delivering food security.
