The 6th World Fisheries Congress has drawn to a close at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, attracting 1,365 delegates from 65 countries.
Addressing Sustainable Fisheries in a Changing World, the Congress was opened by HRH The Prince of Wales and, over the course of five days, tackled the science that underpins sustainable fishing; adaptive management and tools to cope with changing environments and the social and economic cost of failure.
Delivering the closing address, Eric Schwaab, acting assistant secretary for conservation and management at the US Department of Commerce, the parent agency for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, described how the US has rebuilt 27 depleted fish stocks since 2000 and shared details of the process that is quickly ending overfishing.
A programme of panel discussions took place each day, welcoming global experts and politicians to debate the most pertinent issues affecting international fisheries, policy and best practice. The panels addressed:
Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform proposals: panellists reached the unanimous view that reducing unwanted catches and discards is vital for the success of fisheries reform;
Role of Standards, Certification and Labelling: the panel debated whether current labelling sufficiently informs consumers to make sustainable choices, and agreed that ongoing engagement between certification bodies and fishers is essential in order to secure an effective system.
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing: illegal fishing represents millions lost yearly in revenue, and thwarts vulnerable West African fishermen who depend primarily on fishing as a cheap source of protein in their diet, and their only source of livelihood.
Felicity Huntingford, World Council of Fisheries Societies president, said: The success of this year’s World Fisheries Congress was driven by world-class speakers, debates and discussions which addressed topical scientific and economic issues which affect the global community every day.
The Congress attracted a wide-range of high-calibre attendees, drawn by the opportunity to contribute to discussions which will shape global solutions to ensure the future of sustainable fisheries. My thanks are extended to the organising committee, all speakers and attendees who ensured the success of this year’s Congress.
High-profile fisheries experts and political figures who contributed to the series of events at WFC, included; Richard Benyon MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries; Richard Lochhead MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment; Lowri Evans, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries for the European Commission; Professor Michel Kaiser, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University; Tony Long, Director, European Policy Office, WWF; Rainer Froese, senior scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel; Professor Ray Hilborn, University of Washington, Seattle, US; Mike Mitchell, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Young’s Seafood and Findus Group, UK; Malcolm Beveridge, Director of Aquaculture and Genetics at the WorldFish Center, Zambia.
The 6th World Fisheries Congress was hosted by The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.
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