Last week marked the end of a busy series of conferences and events for our primary industries, and the seafood sector was no different. 

On the 1st of June, the Federation of Commercial Fishermen held their annual conference in Blenheim. This conference was one of the highlights of my year to date as it pulls together the people who really are the beating heart of our coastal communities, it filled me with so much energy being in a room surrounded by ‘my sort of people’. I was also proud to feature on the conference program, speaking about our work at Young Fish, and our vision for the future of the seafood sector, a presentation which was very warmly received by my industry peers. 

A few days later, MPI hosted the Seafood Sustainability Awards at The Beehive to celebrate outstanding achievements across our sector, from seaweed farmers to fishermen. I was a runner-up in the future leader category, which my former Sanford colleague, Sarah Bynevelt, took out. Congratulations to all award winners and to the team at MPI for hosting such a fantastic event in the capital, my fingers are crossed I’ll be there again! 

Our next major event is the Seafood New Zealand conference in August, but for now it’s time to take a breather after what’s been a massive couple of weeks!

Tight lines, stay safe.

Ben Pierce
Council Member