The Shellfish Association of Great Britain’s 42nd Annual Conference will take place on Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th May 2011 at Fishmongers’ Hall, London.
The SAGB has held an annual conference at Fishmongers’ Hall every year since 1969. The conference is open to everybody with an interest in shellfish and is the annual occasion in the shellfish calendar when the who’s who of the industry meet to discuss innovations, solve common problems and learn about new developments. Each year the highest calibre of speakers cover a diverse array of issues.
Seafood has been in the news a lot recently with Channel 4’s fish fight season focussing on discards, salmon farming and tuna. UK shellfish emerged unscathed with Jamie Oliver actively promoting mussels, crab and squid as seafood we should be eating. Despite this, the industry faces many challenges including poor water quality and uncertainty surrounding the impacts of Marine Protected Areas on shellfisheries.
The conference will cover many aspects of both wild-caught and cultivated shellfish, mollusc and crustaceans, marketing, research and policy and will begin with the third ‘Drummond Lecture’, this year presented by Dr Colin Bannister who will talk on “Securing our shellfish resources: a scientist’s view”. Mike Voisin from the Louisiana Seafood Board will discuss the impacts of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Gulf of Mexico Oyster Fisheries.
Other talks include an update on England’s contribution to an ecologically coherent UK MPA network from James Marsden of Natural England. Linden Jack from the Food Standards Agency will be providing an update on their work in revising the shellfish classification scheme and Juliette Hatchman will provide an update on Defra’s thoughts on crab and lobster management.
The SAGB’s Annual Dinner will take place on the evening of Tuesday 17th May, where guests will be welcomed with clam chowder made with Manila Clams. The dinner itself will be a celebration of shellfish with a trio of starters; Manx Queenies, Indonesian Prawn Marie Rose and mini fish terrine followed by a timbale of salmon and brown crab filled with signal crayfish. Dessert will be an assiette of passion fruit mousse, coconut jelly and mango sorbet. Rather than a cheese board this year the meal will end with an oyster Rockefeller accompanied by port.
All the shellfish will be provided by SAGB members and harvest data will be provided to demonstrate the Association’s commitment to responsible sourcing. Further details and a booking form can be found on the Association’s website or contact Lorraine Andrews (Lorraine@shellfish.org.uk) on +44 (0)207 283 8305.
