Reston, Virginia, U.S.A.-based International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA) will host a panel on global cooperation on 6 May at the 2025 Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global in Barcelona, Spain.
“Following our panel in Boston [at Seafood Expo North America], we wanted to bring our coalition to a global audience,” ICFA Chair and Vice President of the Spanish Confederation of Fisheries (CEPESCA) Ivan López Van der Veen said. "The more countries and companies that are aware of the work we do, the more voices we have at the table. No matter the topic discussed or the forum that’s hosting, my message to the seafood community always begins and ends with, 'Join us.'"
The panel's lineup features López Van der Veen, United States National Fisheries Institute (NFI) President and CEO Lisa Wallenda Picard, Australian Fisheries Research and Development Corporation General Manager of Research and Development Investment Crispian Ashby, and Harvest Sector CEO Council Chair John (Jonty) Jankovich-Besan.
SeafoodSource Executive Editor Chris Chase will moderate the discussion.
Key topics will include how ICFA is collaborating with governments to safeguard its members’ goals and the organization’s collaborative nutrition-based toolkit that supports global messaging on the nutritional benefits of seafood.
"ICFA is fairly well-known for having special consultative status at the [United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization,] but there is also a world of issues we want to weigh in on and hear from the industry on that begin outside of high-level policy talks," López Van der Veen said. "These forums help us better advocate."
ICFA represents the global fishing industry’s commitment to sustainable fisheries and responsible ocean management, encouraging governments to collaborate to safeguard the shared resources of fishery stakeholders.
