The Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are sponsoring a major two-day workshop, to consider sustainable aquaculture in England. 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. In addition, the health benefits of eating oily fish have been highlighted by the UK’s Food Standards Agency.
It is true 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. It is good to know that Scotland and Wales have a strong aquaculture industry with a robust aquaculture strategy.
England is said to have a policy on and strategy for sustainable aquaculture which is still emerging. Therefore, the objective of the workshop is to produce a clear understanding and action plan for the future of aquaculture in England. Keith Jeffery, from Cefas, opined that almost half of all fish consumed in the UK is from farmed sources. If English are serious about encouraging more consumption of fish, and they need to sustainably deliver that, they will need a clear approach to finfish aquaculture in England.
