SeaWeb’s Seafood Choices Alliance yesterday announced the 2010 Seafood Summit will be held in Paris from 31 Jan. to 2 Feb. The group made the announcement during its annual cocktail reception during the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels, Belgium.
The Summit’s theme — Challenging Assumptions in a Changing World — will explore emerging threats to the seafood industry, whether existing practices are appropriate and how such threats might be mitigated through a focus on sustainability. Seafood Choices Alliance is now accepting proposals for panels, workshops and presentations (www.seafoodsummit.org).
The Seafood Summit is the only annual event devoted solely to sustainable seafood issues. It brings together global representatives from the seafood industry and conservation community for in-depth discussions, presentations and networking with the goal of making the seafood marketplace environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. The 2009 Seafood Summit held in San Diego in January, was the largest in the event’s history, with more than 475 attendees from 32 countries.
“In recent years, western Europe has seen a marked increase in the awareness of issues surrounding sustainable seafood,” said Elisabeth Vallet, Seafood Choices Alliance’s European director. “We are thrilled to be able to bring next year’s Summit to France, a country that is increasingly focusing its attention on responsible seafood procurement.”
The theme of the 2010 Summit, Challenging Assumptions in a Changing World, aims to demonstrate ways in which seafood businesses and conservation organizations can adapt to changing environmental, economic and political issues. The affects of climate change, the economic downturn and continued illegal and unregulated fisheries are all major challenges for both ocean health and the long-term viability of the seafood industry.
“The world is changing rapidly on many levels,” said Melanie Siggs, director of Seafood Choices Alliance, based in Silver Spring, Md. “The ‘business as usual’ approach is rendered obsolete in the face of the environmental and economic challenges we currently face. The Seafood Summit format invites all stakeholders to question current thinking, creatively address the challenges we face and ensure the solutions are appropriate for the future of both oceans and industry. We are confident that the 2010 event will highlight the need for collaborative partnerships across all sectors in order to smartly adapt to our changing environment in a sustainable way.”
