An Appetite for Change: Suffolk & the Sea
Friday 23 September 2011, Hoffmann Building, Snape Maltings, Suffolk
On 23rd September a group of talented experts came to talk to the Aldeburgh Food Festival Conference, held at Snape Maltings in Suffolk and sponsored by The Crown Estate, Waitrose and Alde & Ore Futures. The subject was Suffolk and the Sea - why we need to change our management of the sea and how we can better control its impact on the land. Questions from the very varied audience of private individuals and people representing a wide range of interests produced much stimulating discussion.
The conference was chaired by Sheila Dillon, presenter of the renowned BBC Radio 4 Food Programme. Speakers were Dr Jason Hall-Spencer, professor at the School of Marine Science and Engineering at Plymouth University; Dr Stuart Rogers, director of Environment and Ecosystems at the Lowestoft Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Jeremy Ryland Langley, Waitrose’s specialist fish and shellfish buyer; James Thornton, chief executive of ClientEarth the non-profit international law group; Bill Parker, Suffolk Coast Futures Officer; Jeremy Percy, chief executive of the New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association; and Sir Edward Greenwell, Suffolk landowner who farms on the coast. The afternoon concluded with interviews with young people working with the Suffolk educational charity, Eastfeast, and a dance display by Grundisburgh Primary schoolchildren, devised by themselves, showing the life cycle of fish.
The Challenge of the Sea
The sea sheltered the origin of life on earth and remains an essential resource for a huge but still poorly known biodiversity. Yet the sustainability of the sea is endangered by pollution, over-fishing and poorly planned mineral extraction. The sea’s mysterious and complex systems and human interaction with them present severe challenges. In Europe, 80 per cent of fish stocks are over-fished and more than seven million tonnes of fish and sea creatures are discarded annually. At the same time the sea itself is threatening coastal areas. Everyone agreed that changes are clearly needed and concluded that we all can and must play a part in making them happen.
The Sea and the Challenges for Change – Eight Conference Conclusions
- Provide More Marine Conservation Zones. Jason Hall-Spencer showed dramatic photographs of cold water coral reefs in northern European waters and the rich life they maintain, pulverised by trawlers dragging equipment across the seabed. Popular support is needed to give politicians confidence and impetus to designate more marine conservation zones. (Find out more about Marine Conservation Zones at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/marine/protect/mcz )
- Sensible reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, which has been described as one of the worst pieces of written legislation in the world. James Thornton offered a simple and compelling solution for the reform of a bad and complicated law, explaining that we need to lobby our representatives to support the necessary changes. (See www.clientearth.org/biodiversity/marine-protection.)
‘We have an opportunity to change the way we view the world’s oceans and in particular the way we manage our fisheries. Consumer engagement will drive change at government level, ensuring that there will be plenty more fish in the sea for future generations.’ (Jeremy Ryland Langley, Waitrose Specialist Fish and Shellfish Buyer)
- Support for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight, which now has 750,000 signatures, will be a powerful tool to persuade governments and regulators to change the law. (For more information see www.fishfight.net)
- Lobby MPs and MEPs, urging them to support more Marine Conservation Zones and above all to press for constructive changes and a new vision for the Common Fisheries Policy, as recommended by ClientEarth and Fish Fight. (To contact your MP/MEP see www.parliament.uk/about/contacting/mp)
- Buy fish more sustainably. Waitrose provides an example of fish buying based on simple but powerful principles, as do Marks & Spencer. Others should follow. We must all buy fish more carefully, guided by certification and advice on sustainable fisheries and species. (See the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide at www.goodfishguide.co.uk .)
- More support for smaller inshore fishing boats. Jeremy Percy argued convincingly that fisheries operated by small inshore vessels are fundamentally more sustainable and should be strongly supported by individuals, by retailers, by food businesses and by policy makers. These smaller boats may well be the future of the fishing industry. ‘Manual long-line fishing is about as sustainable as you can get’. (Jeremy Percy) (See New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association www.nufta.org)
- Local communities taking responsibility for sea defences. Government aid for sea defence is declining. Sir Edward Greenwell showed how local people and landowners have come together to find new ways of raising money to prevent coastal flooding and thereby protect local communities and local resources, particularly agriculture. ‘Their example is inspiring’. (Sheila Dillon)
- Inform and engage with the public and especially young people. We all have a part to play. Alde & Ore Futures is engaging with public policy makers and residents along the local coastline. Shoppers also need information to be empowered with information so that they can maintain the pressure on retailers and caterers, asking for sustainably caught fish. Young people are eager to learn and Eastfeast, the Suffolk educational charity, provides a shining example, informing and inspiring schoolchildren and young offenders by working with food from both land and sea. (See www.suffolkcostal.gov.uk/yourdistrict/coast/aldeore, www.eastfeast.co.uk and www.catch-22.org.uk.)
Suffolk and the Sea – A Signpost for the Future
The conference was an unqualified success. Speakers and audience agreed that it was one of the most interesting and stimulating they had attended. As Dr Stuart Rogers from CEFAS said;
‘The one thing I noted was the passion and enthusiasm for doing the right thing by the environment. From the speakers and in the discussions there was a real feeling that we should all be doing more to work sustainably across all sectors, both in the exploitation of fish but also to reduce our impact on other areas, such as waste management and coastal development. The Suffolk coastal population is highly adaptable and this came through strongly, both in the positive approach to resolving issues and in the way our Suffolk communities continue to respond to challenges ahead.’
For more information, look at the festival website www.aldeburghfoodanddrink.co.uk
For further press information please contact:
Fiona Hering
Ibis Advantage
07801653085
Acknowledgments
We are very grateful to our sponsors, Waitrose, The Crown Estate and the Suffolk Coast Futures project for making this conference possible.
We would also like to thank our hosts Aldeburgh Music, Adnams the main sponsor of the food and drink festival, and Suffolk County Council. Finally, we are extremely grateful to Lady Caroline Cranbrook who has created this conference.
