A
Clifford Spencer The National Aquaculture Centre
key asset of Aquaculture without Frontiers is the carefully established UK National Aquaculture Centre (NAC) of which the AwF charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) is co-owner. The National Aquaculture Centre is based at the Humber Seafood Institute (HSI) building at Grimsby’s Europarc which is a six million pound building specifically created with the idea of promoting seafood. The HSI has three class, three bio laboratories, a conference centre, restaurant and advanced IT and display facilities, advanced kitchens and filming facilities together with purpose designed equipment development capacity. A manned reception is available five days a week and a large fish processing industry (the largest in the UK, employing some 5,000 people), sits on its door step. As well as having the benefit of being able to use and benefit from all the HSI facilities AwF has established an aquaculture library there named after the overall AwF founder and our UK patron, Michael New O.B.E. Further the NAC has a contract with the African Union/New Partnership for Africa’s Development agency to research and assist the development of African aquaculture in all 55 African countries. The UK’s Seafish Authority is also based at the HSI and this organisation oversees and reports on all UK activity in this area and we have a close working relationship with Seafish’s aquaculture lead. Most importantly Hull University is the NAC’s official academic partner and is working closely with it under the auspices of Professor Philip Leigh on all global research and development matters concerning aquaculture development. The involvement of the city of Hull and town of Grimsby with the NAC is very appropriate as these fishing ports once were the centre of all major fishing activity in the UK and in 1970 Grimsby was the base for a trawler fleet of 400 boats, the largest in the world. Overfishing and territorial disputes has since decimated the UK fishing industry but the major processing centre survived and prospered – what better place to stimulate the research and development of aquaculture! Also the NAC is closely connected with the Eden Project in the South of the UK and an island in the Shetlands in the north of the UK which will act as national outreach centres. The Shetland Island has its own airstrip and its previous aquaculture facilities will be upgraded. The background to the formation of the NAC is the UK Chief Medical Officer says that every person should eat two portions of fish and seafood a week, which amounts to 280g
each. However, local production, imports and aquaculture currently provides just 179g per person or just 64 percent of the recommended level. The serious cardiovascular and brain health implications of this shortfall significantly contribute to soaring healthcare costs in the UK’s National Health Service. Furthermore, this shortfall of seafood in the UK diet is not a recent change as in only 10 out of the last 124 years has there been enough seafood to meet minimum health standards in the UK. This last was achieved in the 1940’s!! The UK and other so-called advanced nations need to provide a better example to developing countries in this area. By importing fish and seafood from developing countries, wealthier countries such as the UK, consume more fish than they produce and thereby reduce the availability of fish in parts of the world where it is vitally needed for domestic consumption as highlighted in the work of AwF. The facts above illustrate a serious disconnect between healthy eating recommendations and the finite capacity of wild fish stocks to meet those aspirations. The UK and other developed nations consumers have been so far protected from falling domestic production by increasing imports. The creation of the Grimsby based National Aquaculture Centre in association with Hull University, also represents an initiative to align national health aspirations on a global stage and the need to think carefully about the implications and much needed greater capacity for promoting greater fish consumption in a world where many people are already protein deficient. Home consumption of fish and seafood is in decline in the UK and simultaneously a growing global population will require more fish than currently available and aquaculture is the only answer. This is no different to the time when man originally turned from hunter gathering to farming many thousands of years ago. So AwF is fortunate to be able to have the NAC as a purpose built and bespoke R&D facility and to closely work with on in important AwF charitable projects in developing countries. This week we will be enjoying a visit from BBC Radio 4 programme 'In Business' to the HIS, to discuss all of the above - and the promotional aspect of AwF will go into operation. We currently are and look forward to working and collaborating with many organisations worldwide to achieve the overall aims of the AwF charity. Here we have the special benefit of the guidance of our Patron and overall AwF charity founder, Michael New O.B.E. in how best to achieve those aims.
Currently Mr Spencer leads the Global Biotechnology Transfer Foundation (GBTF), which is dedicated to promoting the potential for biotechnology to support sustainable, long-term, socio-economic development. He is also Chairman of Trustees for Aquaculture without Frontiers UK. 10 | February 2018 - International Aquafeed