Saving Seafood

Fishing and offshore wind can co-exist, leaders say

May 3, 2017 — New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell and about 20 civic, business, and academic representatives spent the first full day of their wind-focused trade visit to England Tuesday in Grimbsy, the largest fishing port in the world in the 1950s — which gives the New Bedford group food for thought.

New Bedford has landed the highest dollar-value catch in the United States for 16 years running. But in Grimsby and England at large, the fishing industry declined sharply in the 20th century following a period known as the “Cod Wars,” when Iceland asserted territorial authority over waters where English vessels were fishing.

Thus, as SouthCoast leaders learn from Grimsby about its success in offshore wind, they also have their minds on fishing, and how the two industries can coexist.

Around 5:45 a.m., some of the New Bedford group left their hotel for the Grimsby Fish Auction. Grimsby still handles about 70 percent of all the fish processed in the United Kingdom, according to Neil Mello, Mitchell’s chief of staff.

Among the auction visitors was John F. Quinn, a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives who now chairs the New England Fisheries Management Council. Asked if he could see evidence that offshore wind is compatible with the fishing industry, he said, “most certainly.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford-Standard Times

MASSACHUSETTS: SouthCoast officials, business leaders set for trade mission to British wind energy ports

April 6, 2017 — Mayor Jon Mitchell later this month will lead a trade mission to two cities on the British east coast to see what it looks like when the wind energy sector of the economy takes off the way New Bedford hopes it will here.

About 20 people from SouthCoast are expected to be on the four-day trip to Hull and Grimsby, England, both on the Humber River and close to the English Channel and the North Sea.

Kingston on Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a city of 257,710 people where the construction of wind turbines is an industry that has grown by leaps and bounds.

Nearby Grimsby, population of about 90,000, with an emphasis on installation and maintenance, has a history with uncanny parallels to the story of New Bedford, according to a scouting report by Paul Vigeant, president of the New Bedford Wind Energy, who visited there in January with a small contingent.

What they found was a region of England that is saturated with wind energy development. It is a place that New Bedford would eventually like to resemble, with hundreds of millions of dollars of wind power investment.

Grimsby once looked a lot like New Bedford. It had a thriving whaling industry, transitioning to fish, where it became the world’s largest fishing port for a time in the mid-20th century.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

World Seafood Congress 2015 – A Truly Global Event

September 30, 2015 — Almost 300 industry leaders, seafood professionals and academics took up residence in the historic fishing town to hear from 94 speakers on issues including sustainability, trade, ethics and industry skills, with new findings and reports revealed exclusively to the congress’ delegates.

Highlights from some of the 50 sessions that took place included addresses from Liv Holmefjord, the Norwegian fisheries minister, Timothy Hansen, president of IAFI and Dr Paul Williams, chief executive of Seafish, the UK industry authority that hosted this year’s event.

Read the full story at The Fish Site

 

Delegates descend on Grimsby, UK for World Seafood Congress

September 6, 2015 — Hundreds of delegates have arrived in Grimsby ahead of the World Seafood Congress.

More than two years of preparation for the prestigious hosting has come to life, with a special welcome at Cleethorpes Pier tonight.

It was held just days after the multi-million pound overhaul of the iconic venue was completed, with the resort basking in late summer sunshine as international guests descended from around the globe.

Visitors include academics, government representatives and business leaders, with all parts of the critical UK seafood supply chain that the town is at the centre of, attending.

Taking to the stage, Councillor Ray Oxby, leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, spoke of the pride at hosting the World Seafood Congress, and underlined the area’s credentials. He said: “Grimsby feeds our nation with seafood. Our seafood cluster is a multi-million pound success story, not just in the UK but across the globe.

“I formally welcome you to North East Lincolnshire, the seafood capital of the nation.”

Read the full story at The Grimsby Telegraph

 

Ethics to Take Centre Stage at World Seafood Congress

August 7, 2015 — Human rights and ethical issues in the seafood industry will be addressed at next month’s World Seafood Congress (WSC) in Grimsby, a first for this international conference.

Following last year’s exposés into human trafficking and forced labour in the Thai shrimp supply chain, human rights has become a focal point of conversations within the seafood industry globally.

The WSC will aim to address a range of social and sustainability challenges during a dedicated seafood ethics session on the opening day. Expert speakers from the UK and the US will lead the discussion around topics including ethical practice and the prevention of human rights abuse.

Libby Woodhatch, head of advocacy at Seafish, the UK industry authority hosting the congress, will open the session with a speech on social challenges in the seafood supply chain, and explain how Seafish’s Responsible Fishing Scheme, an initiative developed to raise standards in the catching sector, is working to combat such issues.

Read the full story from The Fish Site