Aquaculture Common Issues Group

The ACIG provides a safe meeting space to discuss the key challenges facing the industry to deliver responsibly farmed finfish and shellfish. People take part to keep-up-to-date with the latest developments, to be part of a cross-industry discussion and listen to the issues raised by other parts of the industry. They can also raise their own issues, network with other people or make new contacts.

The group is led by our industry and we take responsibility for running the ACIG. The Group has met twice a year since 2009. The ACIG brings together people who represent the retail, producers, food service and restaurant industry. Other people who attend are not-for-profit environmental voluntary groups, consumer groups, government, scientists and industry bodies.

There are generally two meetings a year. The presentations and minutes from the most recent meetings are below. Presentations and minutes from previous meetings are available from Karen Green.

We are running a mix of in person meetings and shorter online bite-size ACIG sessions at the moment.

Next meeting

The next online bite-size meeting is on Wednesday 1 February 2023. It will run from 2pm to 4pm GMT. Our topic is Aquaculture and human rights.

Previous two bite-size meetings

UK reliance on aquaculture (18 October 2022). The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) report 2022 states aquaculture has great potential to feed and nourish the world’s growing population, as long as this growth is sustainable. In the UK the Government Food Strategy published in June 2022 backed seafood as a "potentially lower-carbon and healthy source of protein which can grow sustainably to fulfil its potential within the food sector.” This meeting looked at how aquaculture can help support a more resilient, sustainable, healthier, and affordable food system in the UK, and the UK's current reliance on aquaculture. See the presentations from this session:

A sustainable approach to aquaculture. What does the UK aquaculture need to do to meet the food security challenge? Heather Jones, Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre.
Aquaculture trends/trade profile of aquaculture in the UK. What is our reliance on aquaculture? Joe Cooper, Seafish
Overview from SeafoodMattersUK conference. Dave Little, University of Stirling.

Funding innovation in UK aquaculture (30 June 2022). It is estimated that by 2030, 62% of all seafood produced for human consumption will come from aquaculture. Today, it is closer to 50%. Aquaculture has become more integrated into the global food system, with rapid growth in production and major transformations in feed ingredients, production technologies, farm management, and value chains. This meeting looked at how investment is helping to fund innovation in UK aquaculture. See the presentations from this session:

Seafood Innovation Fund (SIF) funding UK aquaculture. Kerry I’Anson, Cefas.
The impact of Scotland’s Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre’s activities. Heather Jones, SAIC.
New project to receive funding: Integrating sustainable shrimp production in a changing agricultural landscape. Rod Wilson, University of Exeter.

ACIG meeting notes

Notes and minutes from recent ACIG bite-size meetings can be viewed by following the links below.

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Terms of Reference and archive

We have archived presentations from previous ACIG bite-size meetings. These are available from Karen Green.
View the Aquaculture Common Issues Group Terms of Reference (March 2019)

Contacts

For further information please contact Karen Green