Turkish Experts at Slow Fish 2013

The largest-ever Turkish delegation is joining the Slow Fish event this year, representing the significant work being done by their national Slow Food network to promote sustainable fisheries and consumption. Organized by Slow Food together with the Liguria Regional Authority, this sixth edition of Slow Fish is being held in Genoa from May 9-12 at the city’s Porto Antico. Dedicated to the world of fish and marine ecosystems, it will bring together fishers, chefs and experts from many countries and offer visitors an open-air market, Water Workshops and much more. 

Among the Turkish representatives are several academics from the fisheries field, who will offer their experiences from the Eastern Mediterranean. Adnan Ayaz, Associate Professor in the Fisheries Engineering Department at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, will join Marino Vacchi (University of Genoa) and Simone Gambazza and Mario Mortola (Camogli Tonnarella Presidium) in hosting the Water Workshop “A Sea of Waste” on Thursday May 9, at 4 pm. The panel will engage scientists, fishers and the public in a discussion regarding possible solutions to by-catch and discards problems; currently large amounts of fish are thrown back into the sea as they are considered of little commercial value. 

Saadet Karakulak, Associate Professor in the Fisheries Department at Istanbul University, will lead the “Fishing Regulations and Future Prospects” Water Workshop on Thursday May 9 at 7 pm with Claudio Brinati (Slow Food Tellina Presidium) and Paolo Pelusi (Lega Pesca). The discussion will focus on the outcomes of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy, approved recently by the European Parliament, which commits to stop overfishing by 2015 and recognizes the need to restore sustainability to fish stocks by 2020. However, a similarly decisive policy is needed to ensure environmentally sustainable management of coastal areas – something fishers can play a big role in. 

Other Turkish experts attending the Slow Fish event include Ahsen Yuksek, Assistant Professor in the Fisheries Department at Istanbul University, Vahdettin Kurum, Head of the Fisheries Services of the Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock (MoFAL), fisher Mufit Cikrikcioglu, Omer Emre Orhan from Slow Food Istanbul and journalist and columnist Tan Morgul from Radikal, one of Turkey’s main newspapers.

The Water Workshops are free admission, subject to availability. The full program of Water Workshops is available on the event website:  http://slowfish.slowfood.it/en/water-workshops/

Slow Fish is also an international campaign launched by Slow Food to promote good, clean and fair fish by informing consumers and encouraging interaction between those involved in the world of sustainable fisheries.

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