The conference will be organised by Seafish over four days from 11–15 July 2016, and aims to build on previous attendance figures of around 300-350. Seafish led the bid to host the conference after consulting with industry representatives based in the north east of Scotland. The local conference organising committee will be co-chaired by Professor Jimmy Young of the University of Stirling and Hazel Curtis, Chief Economist at Seafish.
Hazel Curtis said of the announcement: “We are thrilled and delighted to have been successful in our bid to host the next IIFET conference. This announcement is the culmination of a lot of collaborative work to date, which will continue now that we are on the path to delivering this important event. On behalf of Seafish, I would like to thank our industry for getting behind the bid, attending steering group meetings and hosting visiting delegates; I am in no doubt that this commitment and drive to succeed was a key factor in the judge’s decision. We look forward to 2016.”
Professor Jimmy Young attended IIFET 2014 in Brisbane, representing the Aberdeen bid team. He added: “I was proud to represent our team when the announcement was made in Brisbane and really pleased to see how well the news of Aberdeen’s success was received. With key issues such as the future of fisheries throughout the world, improvements in aquaculture production and developments in marketing and the management of international fisheries all set for the spotlight, we have now taken up the challenge to deliver a conference that builds on the success of Brisbane and I am confident that we’ll succeed in doing so.”
Ann Shriver, IIFET’s Executive Director, added: “Seafish participation in the organisation of this conference will bring a unique industry perspective to our traditional mix of academic and government economic viewpoints. We are delighted with this opportunity to bring a diversity of international perspectives on the economics of fishery management, seafood trade, aquaculture, and development to Scotland, and in turn to take home new ideas, analysis, and solutions as a result of this conference.”
The IIFET conference will bring together keynote speakers, presenters and organisations from around the world. Several local organisations have already confirmed their support, including Aberdeenshire Council and the Visit Scotland Business Tourism Unit, who have already pledged their sponsorship for the event.
The conference organisers are looking for potential sponsors, media partners, speakers and organisations who wish to get involved in IIFET 2016. For more information, please contact: Hazel Curtis, Chief Economist at Seafish on: h_curtis@seafish.co.uk or visit the event page on the Seafish website.
