Companies and organisations from across the seafood supply chain have helped working fishermen attend the Future of Our Inshore Fisheries conference, which took place in London recently.
Fifty bursaries were awarded from retailers, processors and charities in an effort to ensure strong representation from active fishermen at the event which considered the future management of the UK’s inshore fisheries.
Aoife Martin, director of operations at Seafish, which provided funding through its advisory committees around the UK, said, “On behalf of the project steering group I would like to thank the donor organisations for their financial support. The success of the conference depended on active fishermen being in the room to contribute their vital expertise and experience as possible fisheries management solutions were discussed.
“By providing bursary funding to cover out-of-pocket expenses such as travel and accommodation, Seafarers UK, Trinity House, Co-op, M&S, Macduff, Seachill, Youngs and our regional advisory committees helped to ensure that fishermen were able to take time away from fishing to be part of ensuring a sustainable future for their industry.”
The conference is part of the wider Future of Our Inshore Fisheries project, which was established in January 2019 and brings together industry leaders, policy makers, regulators and researchers to ensure that both the marine environment and coastal communities are sustainable and thriving.
Feedback from attendees will be collated into a report and the project’s steering group, led by Seafish, will plan the next steps.
