From May 9th-12th, Genoa, Italy’s Porto Antico will transform into a festival port in celebration of the sixth biannual Slow Fish Event. The event’s purpose is to raise awareness about the state of the marine environment and fish resources. Hosted by Slow Food International and the Liguria Regional Authority, the free event boasts activities and tastings for everyone – from children to fishers and restaurateurs. The event is part of the larger Slow Fish campaign, launched by Slow Food International, to promote good, clean, and fair fish. This year’s theme, The Sea Belongs to Everyone, looks at the ocean as a shared resource.
Fish serves as the main source of animal protein for more than one billion people, and the fishing industry provides income to millions of families around the world. At the same time, ocean resources are rapidly declining – a 2011 U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization assessment revealed that 80 percent of the fish stocks analyzed had been fished to the maximum available level or were already overfished.
The event aims to teach festival-goers about the sea through direct involvement and experience. The Fish ‘n’ Chef event, for example, has 16 acclaimed chefs from around the world demonstrating their recipes for the catch of the day in public workshops. Lectures such as, “In the Same boat! Fishermen and Scientists; a Dialog to be Encouraged” and “A Sea of Waste” will look at some of the less delicious, but just as important, issues of the fishing industry.
