The Fishing Porthole, a U.K.-based digital platform that fosters fishing industry stakeholder collaboration regarding fisheries management and science, hosted a Fisheries Resource Education Program (F-REP) event from 26 to 29 February in Yorkshire, England, consisting of hands-on activities, networking, and an industry-science brainstorm session.
“[F-REP] is specifically designed to be hands-on, underpinned by engaging sessions, including a practical stock assessment activity and playing through the process of collective negotiations and decision-making, as well as encouraging discussions on associating, seafood markets, and the skills and tips to getting involved in fisheries management,” The Fishing Porthole said.
The event, which focused on shellfish species, aimed to expand global fishing networking opportunities for U.K. fishers and other professionals in the industry. It drew in more than 60 delegates from across the world.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel with F-REP; we’ve learnt and built on many elements from similar programs globally – from personal experience working in Latin American fisheries and, in particular, from Alexa Dayton, one of our Trustees who was instrumental in delivering the Marine Resource Education Program in the U.S.,” Fishing Into The Future Executive Director Emma Plotnek told SeafoodSource. “The nature of fisheries issues and human factors involved in decision-making don’t really change much from country to country, and we are working to create change from the bottom up and share knowledge and experience as we go.”
The Fishing Porthole is a subsidiary of Fishing Into The Future, a nonprofit organization headquartered in London, England, which provides educational resources for people working in the U.K. fishing sector.
The nonprofit also focuses on integrating and educating fishermen on updated technology practices and how they can be applied to their work. Fishing Into the Future's learning resources, including third-party materials, aim to consolidate essential information into a user-friendly, single platform.
