UN Fisheries Director to address Blue Food Summit

Professor Manuel Barange, Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, United Nations FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation) will give the opening keynote address at the inaugural Blue Food Innovation Summit.

The Summit, taking place in London on June 14-15,  will bring together global technology leaders, start-ups, investors, retailers and aquaculture producers to build new partnerships accelerating the development of technologies aimed at protecting and restoring the ocean ecosystem.

Manuel Barange was previously the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Science at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Chair of the Science Committee of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). He is also an honorary professor at the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter. He is particularly interested in the role of aquatic foods in ending hunger and poverty. Barange has authored over 130 academic publications and has hugely contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Presenting the keynote address: “Realising the Full Potential of the Blue Food Economy” he will set the scene for two days of collaborative discussion and networking to accelerate technologies in sustainable aquaculture and ocean health.

He said: “As we move towards a world of 10 billion people, aquatic foods are progressively under the spotlight. Transforming the aquatic foods sector, from expanding aquaculture, improving capture fisheries and developing fish value chains is increasingly crucial to reduce growing poverty and hunger around the world.”

For more information on the Blue Food Innovation Summit, go online to bluefoodinnovation.com