St Andrews is set to host the largest international seafood summit of its kind, in early October 2024.
The Responsible Seafood Summit has never been held in Scotland before. More than 400 delegates are expected to descend on the Fairmont Hotel, just outside the town.
The summit will be co-hosted by trade marketing body Seafood Scotland and summit organiser Global Seafood Alliance.
The multi-day event will include a conference with international speakers focusing on production, sustainability, innovation and market trends.
St Andrews was revealed as the location for the next summit during Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona; the biggest trade event in the world.
Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “The Responsible Seafood Summit is the largest international seafood business conference of its kind, and I am proud that Scotland will be hosting attendees from across the sector in St Andrews next year.
“The Scottish Government published a Strategy for Seafood in October as a key component of the Blue Economy Vision, which sets an ambition for Scotland to be a global leader in providing healthy, high quality and sustainably produced and harvested ‘blue foods’ for consumption at home and abroad.
“I want to thank Seafood Scotland for their hard work with the Global Seafood Alliance on this, which will be fantastic celebration of our premium seafood on a global stage.”
Donna Fordyce, chief executive of Seafood Scotland, explained that St Andrews was chosen because of its facilities for visitors, and in recognition of its local fishing communities.
“Scotland is one of the world’s most trusted seafood producing countries thanks to our investment in quality, innovation and sustainability.
“We produce over 60 species of seafood and export to over 120 countries globally, our industry spans fish-markets and expert processors to stunning sea loch farms and hand-dived shellfish.
“We will be ensuring our guests have an opportunity to experience the unrivalled seafood, latest innovations and sustainable best practice we can offer from Scotland.”
Wally Stevens, interim chief executive of the Global Seafood Alliance, added: “Scottish seafood is highly prized in many key markets around the world and, having visited Scotland earlier this year, we already know that St Andrews is a prime location for the 2024 summit.
“Having spent the first two years post-pandemic in North America, we’re thrilled to be returning to Europe for our annual headline event and we’re expecting delegates from every corner of the globe to be in St Andrews, particularly now that Asia has fully opened up.”
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