SOME of the country’s leading experts in fishery management will be gathering in Cardiff for three days in September to debate the fundamental issue of sustainability in our nation’s fisheries.

What is sustainable? Who decides and interprets this and how do we take practical steps towards realising sustainability in our fisheries?  

Debates around these questions will be illustrated with examples ranging from exploitation of deep sea fish stocks, managing the cockle fishery, the economics of angling, heritage value of the salmon fishery and raising consumer awareness of sustainability.

The key themes to be explored during the three days are:

Delivering Community Benefits.

The Social and Economic Value of Fisheries.

Balancing Environmental Needs. 

Looking After the Natural Resource – Are we doing enough?

Conference Organiser Jim Gregory said: “The issues of managing our fisheries in such a way that they can provide the broadest social and economic benefits while safeguarding the diversity of the natural resource, not just today but into the future, are of fundamental importance to everyone. Our programme reflects this with 30 high quality speakers from a range of countries and backgrounds. Alongside this we have over 25 presentations dealing with the science that informs some of the debates on sustainability through a poster display.

With close to a 150 delegates and coming at a key moment in the on going debate on fisheries generally, this is expected to be one of the most important UK fisheries conferences in recent years.”

For more information or to book your place at the conference go to www.ifm.org.uk/conf2004 , e-mail: conference2004@ifm.org.uk. Or phone Sophie Arbuthnot on: 02920 245178.