Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management Ltd. (Poseidon) has been appointed to develop a new growth strategy for aquaculture in England over the next 20 years.
The English Aquaculture Strategy has been commissioned by Seafood 2040 (SF2040), an England-only collaborative two-year program facilitated by public body Seafish in partnership with the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) and seafood industry partners.
Poseidon will work with SF2040’s Aquaculture Leadership Group to shape the strategy and the plan to deliver it.
It is anticipated that the strategy will be action-oriented, presenting a series of growth targets, and will enable the industry to realize its sustainable growth potential, encourage a strong government mandate, and increase attractiveness to private investors.
“We are very pleased to have been awarded this work,” Poseidon’s Tim Huntington, said. “The English aquaculture sector, whilst small compared to that in Scotland, deserves more recognition for its contribution to high-quality regional food production. We intend to develop a strategy that builds upon this and takes it forward to meet the challenges and potential that the next 20 years will bring.”
According to Seafish, the strategy will benefit from a strong Defra commitment, as well as supporting work including the government’s review of the aquaculture regulatory framework and Seafish’s forthcoming “Size of the Aquaculture Prize” report which is an analysis of the economic opportunities associated with sustainable bivalve shellfish aquaculture growth in the United Kingdom.
SF2040 Chair Neil Auchterlonie said the new strategy was a “vital component” of the delivery of SF2040.
“We look forward to the delivery of a piece of work that will help to provide a pathway for the growth of this sector in England over the next 20 years, based on the SF2040 foundations of collaboration, science and best-practice,” Auchterlonie said.
The Seafood 2040 Strategic Framework was created in 2015, following the establishment of a task force representing all sectors of the seafood sector in England.
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