International Delegates at Slow Fish 2015 in Genoa, Italy

The seventh edition of Slow Fish will take place in Genoa, Italy from May 14 to 17, 2015. Dedicated to the world of fish and marine ecosystems, visitors will be able to take part in Cooking School lessons, Taste Workshops, Dinner Dates and an extensive conference program (Water Workshops), as well as thematic participative workshops and much more.

The full program of the events is available on the Slow Fish event website: http://slowfish.slowfood.it/en/.

A large international delegation is set to take part in the event, with over 90 fishers, cooks, students, artists, event organizers, academics and activists coming to Genoa. Every morning from 9:30, delegates will gather in the Slow Fish conference room for open dialogue sessions dedicated to the following ideas: celebrating the diversity of fisheries culture, creating economic alternatives for the small-scale sector, uniting the voice of coastal communities to face common challenges, and facilitating local governance processes.      

Here is where you can cross path with some of them:

Spain

A remarkable delegation of Spanish chefs and experts from the fisheries sector is joining Slow Fish this year.

Antonio Garcia Allut from the University of La Coruña will join the Water Workshop Protected Fishing on Saturday, May 16 at 2:30 pm. He will be in conversation with, among others, Hacène Hamdani, President of Le Dauphin association of artisan fishers and the environment in Algeria; Paolo Guidetti from the University of Nice (France); and Magnus Johnson from University of Hull (UK).

On Friday, May 15 at 1:30 pm, in the Taste Workshop In Barcelona, It’s Called Sarsuela, Not Paella!, the Barceloneta Cuina collective will be demonstrating how to make the classic version of sarsuela, a traditional dish described as “a paella without rice”.

Elsewhere, another chef from the Catalan capital, Artur Martinez, will be running a workshop on Thursday, May 14 at 5 pm. During the workshop entitled At King Arthur’s Table he will be preparing some of his hallmark creations, such as salt cod tagliolini with pil pil, a creamed salt cod sauce and delicious seafood tapas.  

A Spanish exhibitor, The Sierra Maestra Distribuciones Solidarias, from Navarra, will be also present with a stand offering mojitos and other drinks.

United Kingdom

Jeremy Percy, Executive Director of LIFE (Low Impact Fisheries of Europe) will lead the Water Workshop on Wasteful Fishing on Thursday, May 14 at 5:30 pm, together with Liis Laumets, researcher in anthropology at Tallinn University (Estonia) and Ian Kinsey, a fisherman from Norway.

Jeremy Percy will also take part in the round table How does the European Fisheries Policy Impact Small-scale Fishers? on Saturday, May 16 at 12 pm.

He will then participate in the Water Workshop Stolen Fishing on Sunday, May 17 at 5:30 pm, which will take a closer look at the phenomenon of ocean grabbing. The workshop will also see the participation of Seynabou Ndoye, who works with women in the production of fish products in Senegal; Kirsten Monrad Hansen, head of the Han Herred Havbåde Research Centre (Denmark); and Seth Macinko from the University of Rhode Island (USA).

Also from the UK, Magnus Johnson, marine biologist at the Centre for Environmental and Marine Sciences at the University of Hull, will be speaking in Protected Fishing on Saturday, May 16 at 2:30 pm.

France 

From France, besides the contribution given by Paolo Guidetti in Protected Fishing (Saturday, May 16 at 2:30 pm), Elisabeth Tempier, President of L’Encre de Mer association, will also be talking on Friday, May 15 at 2:30 pm during Poisoned Fishing along with Antonio Marques, senior researcher at the IPMA (the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and the Atmosphere in Portugal) and Gary Granata, chair of Slow Food New Orleans (USA).

Isabelle Thomas, French Member of European Parliament, working in the Fisheries Commission, will be leading the Water Workshop Dangerous Fishing on Friday, May 15 at 5:30 pm, together with Oksana Vyalova, biologist from the National Academy of Science in Ukraine.

The chef of La Galinette, the best Michelin-starred restaurant in Perpignan (France), Marc Meya, will be using amazing Banyuls vinegars by La Guinelle – among the world’s finest – to pep up different types of pesce azzurro caught by small local fishing communities. His Taste Workshop Vinegar and Fish: Between Tradition and Innovation will take place on Saturday, May 16 at 4 pm.  

Two additional French cooks, Pierre Giannetti and Christian Qui, will team up to present Bouillabaisse 2.0 (Sunday, May 17 at 11 am). They will prepare their own version of bouillabaisse using little known fish, raw and very lightly cooked.

Laurent Thomas, a producer from the Slow Food Natural Breton Oysters Presidium, will have a stand within the Area Mandraccio, dedicated to the many exhibitors of the Slow Fish market. Natural Breton Oysters is one of the few oyster productions existing today that refuses to use genetically altered varieties. 

In the same area, there will be also a stand from Ireland, The Marine Healthfoods Ltd. They are involved in the production and processing of shellfish, mainly oysters and scallops, supporting local communities and preserving biodiversity.

Mauritania 

A remarkable delegation of women and salt producers from Mauritania is also coming to Slow Fish 2015. The Mullet Bottarga Slow Food Presidium and the Baie de l’Etoile Natural Sea Salt Producers from Nouadhibou, the second largest city in Mauritania, will be present with a stand in the exhibition area.

Slow Food started working in Mauritania in 2006, when, in collaboration with a local NGO based in Nouadhibou, Mauritanie2000, they created the Presidium for Imraguen Women’s Mullet Bottarga that brought together three groups of women (a total of 280 people). In 2012 another cooperation began with Univers-sel (France), which conducted a series of studies to evaluate the feasibility of producing high quality, artisanal sea salt. The resulting Sa.Sol.No project now in place aims to generate yearly income through the sustainable use of a natural resource (sea salt), working closely with local authorities while also safeguarding the environment.

Netherlands 

Fishers and producers from the Netherlands will make a special contribution to Slow Fish 2015. In the list of exhibitors is the Wadden Sea Traditional Fishers Presidium. The Wadden Sea is a shallow strip of water that runs along the coasts of Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. It is the largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats in the world. The Terra Madre Community of Wadden Sea Fishers, which includes fishers of shrimp, mullet, bass, eels and crab, will be present with another stand, the TS31 Internos.

Also from the Netherlands will be a stand of mustard producers from the Antonia’s Mosterd and Delicatessen.

Norway 

Two Norwegian Slow Food Presidia will be participating in Slow Fish: the Sunnmøre Cured and Smoked Herrings Presidium and the Møre og Romsdal Salt Cod Presidium. The former is run by the family company Njardar, in Leinøy, the last company in Norway to still use artisanal salting and smoking techniques, producing three different types of smoked herring. The latter is one of the few remaining small-scale producers who still use “traditional quality” klippfish (salt cod) production, that is, sustainable fishing techniques with special cod fishing nets and long lines and hooks.

Turkey 

Didem Şenol Tiryakioglu, young chef and owner of restaurants Lokanta Maya and Gram Istanbul, will run a Taste Workshop: The Bosphorus Between Tradition and Modernity on Friday, May 15 at 6:30 pm. In her workshop, Didem will focus on bonito, a symbol of the Bosphorus in particular and the Turkish coast in general, presenting dishes that marry tradition with personal interpretation. Defne Koryurek, International Council member for Slow Food Turkey will participate in Measured Fishing on Sunday, May 17 at 2:30 pm. 

Three other representatives from Turkey will come to Slow Fish to share their experiences: Ali Coskuner, President of Büyükada Water Products Cooperative; Mert Gokalp, marine scientist, photographer and filmmaker; and Aysenur Arslanoglu, coordinator of Slow Food Youth Network Istanbul. 

For further information, please contact the Slow Food International Press Office:

Paola Nano, +39 329 8321285 [email protected]

Regione Liguria: Mauro Boccaccio, 010 5485727 [email protected]

Nuccia Cifarelli, 010 5488895 [email protected]

Slow Food involves over a million of people dedicated to and passionate about good, clean and fair food. This includes chefs, youth, activists, farmers, fishers, experts and academics in 158 countries; a network of around 100,000 Slow Food members linked to 1,500 local chapters worldwide (known as convivia), contributing through their membership fee, as well as the events and campaigns they organize; and over 2,500 Terra Madre food communities who practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world.

Slow Fish. During Slow Fish, held biennially in Genoa (Italy), academics, researchers, small-scale fishers, representatives of public bodies and enthusiasts meet to discuss sustainable fishing and production, responsible fish consumption and the health of marine and freshwater ecosystems. A large market, conferences, meetings, workshops and tasting sessions make Slow Fish a unique event entirely dedicated to the world of fish. The event takes place biennially, in the odd years.