The Association of International Seafood Professionals (AISP) was launched 18 November at the end of the MENA Seafood Summit.
The group started through a LinkedIn group managed by seafood industry veteran Roy Palmer and has more than 4,000 members who have contributed daily discussions, promotions and jobs. AISP will have a no-cost basic membership so to encourage people to join and share information and knowledge.
The initial aim is to attract members and to gather information as to what the members want to achieve. AISP has already begun working toward the goal of standards and certification for individuals, and said it expects to have announcements in the New Year enabling its members to engage. The LinkedIn connection will continue as that seems to be the most professional approach for social networking of this nature.
“Seafood is the most nutritious healthy food you can put in your mouth yet many groups promote the risks rather than the benefits. Seafood is arguably the most sustainable protein we have yet it is constantly brought into question,” said Palmer
“It is said that seafood has been consumed since time immemorial. Seafood, despite being the most traded food product in the world, is a very misunderstood product. According to the United Nations about 200 million livelihoods depend directly or indirectly on the fishing industry alone. When you add aquaculture, research, processing, packing, transport, retail and restaurants, etc., etc. you are talking about a massive number of people who all contribute to local, regional and global trade maintaining livelihoods, earnings and employment. Yet globally no one organization brings them together.”
