Insight into the EU
u h t digest r ide riet shellfish interests
There is something different about the shellfish conference held each year in Fishmongers’ Hall. The setting is so out of the ordinary that all new speakers tend to make reference to the grandeur of the surroundings.
But that uniformity was definitely confined to those first few sentences of each presentation; the programme was extremely varied.
The Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB) is a broad church of fishermenH processorsH marketers and aquaculturists - and probably roughly in that order of precedence. So for shellfish aquaculture things can often seem a little sparseH but nevertheless of interest. While Ian DuncanH the keynote speaker on the first dayH was ostensibly talking on fisheriesH his insights into the working of the EUH from his vantage point as a Conservative MEP and member of both the fisheries committee and the environment committeeH were fascinating. Not least his description of how ‘a man with a frying pan’ could instigate change more rapidly than any number of highly paid lobby groups. InterestinglyH many of the audience saw this as speaking either for or against the Brexiteers - clearly it could depend on one’s own viewpoint. Duncan personified the recommendation from Denis Healey that all politicians should have a hinterlandH coming as he did from a background in academic geologyH commercial work with BPH as well as work in the European parliament and a period as secretary to the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation - definitely a politician with a hinterland. If there was a theme to the conference it would be future challenges and opportunities in the shellfish industryH which were set out in the first talkH the Drummond lecture given by Mike Berthet. This provided a good overviewH highlighting the new species becoming availableH such as wild caught slipper lobster from South-East Asia and farmed tropical marine shrimp from East Anglia (this is not a misprint)H which could increase competition while also drawing attention to some of the problemsH disease being one of the major threats in aquaculture. Consumer educationH particularly in relation to aquacultureH seemed to be an important takeaway message as well as certification – the two probably closely connected. Maybe one of the crucial talks for all sectors was when the new chief executive of Seafish introduced himself. Marcus Coleman was appointed in January this year so this was also an opportunity to review his first 100 days. What was unusual in this was the initial emphasis on his background (hinterland?)H which covered such a wide range of companies that it prompted the questionH ‘How long will you be staying with Seafish?’ But there can be no doubt that experience in fields as diverse as communicationsH business and engineering can only be an advantage in bringing fresh thinking into Seafish and its activities. Coleman’s policies include a flat management structure and he is clearly very approachable. One of his stated