WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — March 3, 2015 — In Saving Seafood’s video interviews from New Orleans, Dr. Jackson and Mr. Cousteau speak about their experiences at the SeaWeb Summit, and their views on the future of cooperative relations between the commercial fishing industry and environmental communities.
Last month, Saving Seafood joined fishermen, world-renowned fisheries experts, leaders in environmental conservation, and interested stakeholders at the 2015 SeaWeb Seafood Summit in New Orleans, Louisiana. Conference attendees convened for discussions on seafood sustainability, and demonstrated a cooperative spirit that is encouraging for the future of sustainable seafood. Among the Summit’s participants, Saving Seafood spoke with award-winning industry leader Dr. Andrew Jackson and famed oceanographer Fabien Cousteau.
Dr. Andrew Jackson is the Technical Director for the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organisation (IFFO), and the winner of the 2015 Seafood Champion Award for Leadership at this year’s SeaWeb Summit. He was awarded the honor in part thanks to “working with stakeholders toward creating a uniform standard and encouraging responsible production of fishmeal and fish oil.”
Speaking with Saving Seafood, Dr. Jackson discusses a heartening sea change in attitudes at the Summit toward mutually productive and long-lasting relations joining the fishing industry and marine conservation communities. Dr. Jackson told Saving Seafood that he once felt like a “pariah” at sustainability conferences in the past, but today enjoys a more “satisfactory dialogue” between industry and environmental advocacy circles.
“Instead of standing at either side of the room and throwing things at each other, we started a dialogue,” he said. “It’s better to sit down and talk, rather than exchanging insults.”
Saving Seafood also talked to Fabien Cousteau, accomplished oceanographer and grandson of renowned explorer Jacques Cousteau, and who last year completed Mission 31, where he spent a record-breaking 31 consecutive days underwater documenting marine life in the Florida Keys. Mr. Cousteau echoed Dr. Jackson’s remarks on the productive, evolving dialogue between fishermen and environmentalists. Mr. Cousteau told Saving Seafood that there is an increasing sense of optimism in the ability of governments, industry and non-governmental organizations to cooperate and advance common goals. He views conferences like SeaWeb’s annual Summit as part of that process and solution.
“SeaWeb has actually provided a platform for seemingly completely disparate groups coming together and going from having arguments to having cooperative discussion on how to best proceed,” he said.
In Saving Seafood’s video interviews from New Orleans, Dr. Jackson and Mr. Cousteau speak about their experiences at the SeaWeb Summit, and their views on the future of cooperative relations between the commercial fishing industry and environmental communities.
View the Saving Seafood original video