Scotland will play host to the largest international seafood conference of its kind when the Global Seafood Alliance’s Conference, known as GOAL, takes place in autumn 2024.
The responsible seafood conference, which has never been held in the UK before, will be co-hosted by Seafood Scotland and the GSA.
The multi-day event will include a conference with international speakers, focusing on production, sustainability, innovation and market trends, alongside delegate visits across Scotland to learn more about, and from, the seafood industry.
The GSA shared news of the bid win today with Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, as she visited Scottish seafood producers on the Scottish Pavilion at Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona.
“I am delighted that Scotland’s bid to host the prestigious Seafood Alliance Conference in 2024 has been successful and look forward to welcoming delegates from across the globe to this important event,” she responded.
“Scotland’s seafood industry is a major success story, with exports increasing by a £144m compared to 2020 and contributing £1.3bn to the Scottish economy annually in GVA.
“At the same time, our world-leading sustainable fisheries management plans demonstrate our commitment to supporting a resilient seafood sector which provides important employment opportunities across our coastal communities.”
Donna Fordyce, chief executive of Seafood Scotland, said: “While we’re a small nation, we produce over 60 species of seafood and export to over 120 countries globally - from Europe’s largest state-of-the-art fish-market to some of the most stunning sea loch farms and fishing grounds and world class venues, Scotland is the ideal location for GOAL.
“It is therefore hugely satisfying to see all this hard work being recognised by the Global Seafood Alliance in choosing Scotland as the location for its 2024 conference.”
The bid to host the conference was put together by Seafood Scotland, which will work with the Scottish Government and other industry bodies to deliver the event with the GSA.
GSA chief operating officer Brian Perkins said: “We look forward to returning our signature GOAL conference to Europe for the first time since 2017.
“Scotland has a rich tradition in both aquaculture and wild-capture fisheries, and we see it as an ideal fit for GOAL 2024 given our organisation’s growing involvement in wild-capture fisheries and rebrand from the Global Aquaculture Alliance to the Global Seafood Alliance in 2021.”
Previous hosts of GOAL include France, Chile and Dublin, with this year’s event taking place in-person at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle, from 3 to 5 October.
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