Mike Mitchell was the only representative of a fish processor to have the opportunity to give a keynote address at the prestigious event organised by The World Council of Fisheries Societies, which promotes international cooperation in fisheries science, conservation and management.
Mike Mitchell said: We stand on a threshold of a new era. Technical and scientific advances can be used as agents that enable the conservation of fisheries and to optimize these great resources for the provision of valuable, healthy and much needed protein for the world. Processors, like Youngs Seafood Limited, have committed to choice edit the species and fisheries that they offered to consumers, through processes such as our own Fish for Life Risk Assessment tool. But to choice edit as best we can, we need more, good quality scientific data. Scientists, politicians, fishermen and industry must all work more closely together. Our interests are one the solutions require us to act as one. Only through new thinking and through the development of a truly collaborative approach will we ensure the sustainable use of the oceans fishery resources is secured for all time.
Mike Mitchell spoke alongside numerous academics and experts from around the world, including: Professor Ray Hilborn, University of Washington, Seattle, US; Dr Malcolm Beveridge, WorldFish Center, Zambia; Professor Katsumi Tsukamoto, The University of Tokyo, Japan; Dr James Anderson, World Bank; Eric C. Schwaab, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US.
Young's Calls for Closer Sustainability Collaboration
SCOTLAND, UK - Speaking at the World Fisheries Congress 2012 in Edinburgh, Mike Mitchell, Youngs Seafood Limiteds Director of Quality and Corporate Social Responsibility, called on scientists, fishers, politicians and the fish processing industry to work closer together to tackle the challenges faced by our seas.
by Lucy Towers
