Seafood NZ Prepares For 'Thoughtful' Conference – Seafood's Science, Storytelling And Health Benefits All On The Table
The group representing New Zealand's commercial fishing sector is hosting around 250 industry leaders at the Conference, including scientists, operations experts and hands-on fishers.
This year's theme is "Seafood for Thought' – an obvious play on the phrase "food for thought" – which is all about encouraging fresh thinking, new conversations, and smarter ways of working together.
Conference delegates will hear from a range of speakers including Shane Jones, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, who will open the 2025 Conference.
Seafood New Zealand CEO, Lisa Futschek says there are three main strands to the Seafood for Thought theme.
'We're focused on the science that backs up our industry. We'll be asking how we can develop fishing technology that reduces our impacts and also allows us to fish in a smart and efficient way.
'Another area of focus is telling our story. New Zealand commercial fishing is lauded overseas - for example, a recent FAO report from the UN put us second in the world for sustainable management - and yet locally we are not so well recognised. How do we get better at sharing our stories with New Zealanders?
'And then we will look at the latest science around the health benefits of seafood consumption. We are fortunate enough to have two distinguished Australian scientists joining us in Nelson, who have just completed a review of the latest science around this very topic. We're looking forward to them revealing what their review of 281 of the newest and highest quality scientific papers says about the nutrition that seafood can provide and the impact that can have on human health.'
Other topics on the table, providing Seafood for Thought are:
• How the sector can sustainably grow its export value. Seafood is already worth around $2.2 billion a year to the New Zealand economy, so how do we increase this in a way that is sustainable for our ecosystems
• What we can do to manage the trade-related challenges we face in today's fast changing geopolitical environment
The Conference will also hear about safety at sea and on land, careers in seafood and how skippers can contribute to the science needed to manage our fisheries with greater certainty.
The 2025 Seafood New Zealand Conference runs for two days – August 6 and 7.
Fast Facts – Key Data about New Zealand Commercial Fishing
• New Zealand's commercial wild capture fisheries are worth $1.6 billion in export revenue
• Our seafood sector produces $2.2 billion in export revenue in total (including aquaculture)
• 16,500 Kiwis are employed either directly or indirectly in seafood
• Fisheries management is complex – there are 642 fish stocks under
management
• New Zealand fish stocks are in good shape. 97.3% of total commercial landings by weight are from stocks that are considered sustainable (see MPI data).
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