Spotlight on ecological shellfish farming

The Fishmongers’ Company is hosting a free one-day conference in London on 30 November to highlight ‘nature-positive’ shellfish and seaweed farming.

“The aim is to showcase the many benefits of this form of aquaculture and to highlight the exciting potential for investment in a growing industry,” it says.

Dr Eleanor Adamson, fisheries programme manager at The Fishmonger’s Company, said: “The conference will enable professionals, policy-makers, government, researchers, aqua farmers and industry experts to get together to discuss and strategise how to accelerate low-trophic aquaculture in the UK.

“This is a priority in the UK Multi Annual National Plan and the English Aquaculture Strategy, yet major funding institutions have yet to gain sufficient confidence to provide finance for future projects.”

The event, which will be held at Fishmongers’ Hall on London Bridge, will look at the vision for aquaculture in the UK, explore the UK’s marine policies and the burgeoning potential for blue investments, and focus on strategies for enhancing the ecological aspects of aquaculture, with an emphasis on biodiversity, restoration and diverse farming ecosystems.

It will also investigate cutting- edge innovations in aquaculture, spanning nutrient trading, market development and commodity potential, and look at global conservation frameworks, pioneering models for sustainable aquaculture, and the influence of major market distributors.

A panel of expert speakers from science, finance, government, the Crown Estate, marine industries, technology and nature conservation is being lined up. The full programme will be released in mid-October.

For more information, and to register for the event, click here.

This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.

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