Four Scottish fishermen are heading for San Diego, California later this week, to attend the annual Seafood Choices Alliance Summit (1-4 February 2009), in a visit coordinated by Seafood Scotland (SFS). Here they will join seafood industry colleagues from all over the world to discuss a sustainable future for fisheries and aquaculture.

Ian Gatt, President of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, John MacAlister, Chair of Mallaig and Northwest Fishermen's Association, Alex Wiseman, representing the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen's Organisation, and Jason Schofield, representing Orkney fisheries, will be accompanied by Jess Sparks of SFS. Their trip is assisted by a Seafish bursary.

Jason is also taking part in a panel presentation and discussion, organised by SFS, along with fishermen from New Zealand, Alaska and the Netherlands. His task is to showcase how the combined efforts of industry, government and scientists are contributing to make Scottish fisheries more responsible and sustainable. "We have a lot to be proud of, including the government's new management tool, the Combined Credit Scheme; the Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme; and industry-science partnerships. In addition we now have several fisheries independently certified as sustainable by the MSC," he said.

Jess Sparks, Technical and Environmental Manager of SFS explained the reasoning behind the trip. "The Summit includes a series of lectures, seminars and presentations, attended by several hundred people representing all sectors of the seafood industry, from catching and processing, to retail and regulatory. As well as being informative, it offers an excellent opportunity for our industry to spread the message about the considerable efforts being made to ensure a sustainable future for our fisheries and coastal communities," he explained The fishermen will also take part in organised discussions with fishermen, retailers and processors on the US West Coast.

To encourage attendance, Dr Jon Harman, Development Director of Seafish, created a bursary scheme. In total, 14 people representing UK fisheries and aquaculture will attend the Summit in receipt of a Seafish bursary. "We attended in 2008 and found just a handful of fishermen present, so we were determined to help increase their presence this year," he explained. "I am certain they will all benefit greatly from attending this global forum," he added.

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