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Weymouth scientist, John Bignell, from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), has recently returned from a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship (www.wcmt.org.uk) to New Zealand where he investigated how they developed their own strategy for a successful aquaculture industry.
It was important for him to understand the “lessons learned” during the development of their aquaculture strategy and extrapolate that to England, so that it can effectively develop the capacity to undertake sustainable marine aquaculture within home waters.
Aquaculture is the fastest growing farming sector in the world, and England is currently finalising its strategy to increase aquaculture production to help ensure future “seafood” security.
During his six-week Fellowship, John Bignell visited government organisations, farmers and science laboratories, and saw how legislation, industry and the scientific community work together to help grow a prosperous industry. A key aspect is how the New Zealand government supports aquaculture and plans to see it develop as a “primary” industry. This is most evident through the recent introduction of a dedicated governmental aquaculture department and continued scientific investment. Furthermore, he found it surprising to see the manner in which marketing had been used effectively to develop the aquaculture strategy on behalf of the industry and promote a premium brand for New Zealand.
John Bignell reports: “I hope to disseminate my new found knowledge to those who are contributing to the development of an aquaculture strategy for England. I anticipate that my key findings will offer a unique perspective for those individuals involved with the strategy’s development.”
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