The turn of the Fishermen - Slow Fish 2011 in Genoa from May 27 to 30

Slow food?!!

Readers may be aware of the Slow Food - a movement designed to champion small, artisanal food producers the world over. Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization which now has supporters in 150 countries around the world who are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and the environment.

A non-profit member-supported association, Slow Food was founded in 1989 to counter the rise of fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.

Small-scale fishers: A threatened species. That’s the common thread of this year’s edition of Slow Fish. Without ignoring the on-going depletion of our oceans and seas, attention will be focused on the people around the world who make their living from fishing, who serve as custodians of the sea and who carry with them an invaluable legacy of memory and traditional knowledge.

Today, they have over 100,000 members joined in 1,300 convivia – our local chapters – worldwide, as well as a network of 2,000 food communities who practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality foods.

What is Slow Fish?

Once again the Slow Fish calendar is packed with events: guided tastings at the Taste Workshops, renowned chefs at the Theater of Taste, opportunities for reflection and debate with leading experts at the Water Workshops and the educational experiences Sea, Fish and Fishers and Markets, Menus and Cooks for the public and schools.

The event offers many participative ways to explore all the Slow Fish activities dedicated to the future of small-scale coastal fishing, looking at the difficult balance between safeguarding the income of fishers and protecting the marine resources on which their livelihood depends.

Slow Fish is an opportunity for retracing the story of artisanal fishing, learning how it works, what cultures it involves, its hardships and skills, as well as discovering how much small-scale fishing has changed today, how it relates to the world and how it has suffered from globalization, and hearing firsthand from the producers of the Presidia of the Sea and those exhibiting in the richly varied Market section.

Slow Food has long promoted information campaigns for consumers. When it comes to foods from the sea, seasonality is encouraged, with an emphasis on the importance of choosing delicious fish species often ignored by the market and raising the profile of artisanal fishers. The choices of consumers and cooks are fundamental to reducing the exploitation of our seas and promoting the consumption of sustainable fish. The Slow Fish campaigns (www.slowfood.it/slowfish) are aimed at precisely this audience.

An important educational role can be played by cooks, who should undertake to adopt a responsible supply policy, serving dishes using little-known but tasty fish. It is therefore essential that they have accurate information about sustainable fishing and aquaculture, and that they establish stable relationships with fishermen and suppliers who can provide quality products. A selection of chefs who are already following these principles will have a high-profile space at Slow Fish, the Alliance Osteria, where they will be serving Italian and international seafood dishes prepared with Presidia products.

On to this year's exhibtion by the Presidia - Slow Fish 2011 in Genoa from May 27 to 30

Slow Fish is back at the Genoa Fair from May 27 to 30, 2011. The biannual international event dedicated to the world of fish and marine ecosystems has now reached its fifth edition. Debates, meetings, workshops and tastings will focus on issues linked to sustainable fishing and responsible seafood consumption. Slow Fish is organized by the Liguria Regional Authority and Slow Food, with the support of the Carige Foundation, the Province of Genoa, the Genoa Chamber of Commerce and the City of Genoa.

The web portal http://www.slowfish.it/, in Italian, English, French and Spanish, explores what’s new for the 2011 edition, with information on bookable events and all the tastings, conferences and meetings in the program. One section is dedicated to the international Slow Fish campaigns, launched by Slow Food after Slow Fish 2009. The campaigns aim to inform consumers, promoting good, clean and fair fish and creating connections between all those working to make fishing and fish consumption sustainable.

The guiding theme of Slow Fish 2011 is Small-scale fishers: A threatened species The 2009 edition was dedicated to fish species, and this year the spotlight turns on the people of the sea. Displays will be organized along a path from the past to the present: artisanal fishing as it used to be, what cultures it involved and what opportunities, hardships and skills; and small-scale fishing as it is now, how it has modernized, how it relates to the world and how it has suffered from globalization.

The Market exhibition area will offer a rich display of fresh and preserved fish, oils, spices, salt, seaweed and other related products. All the exhibitors, Italian and international, have committed to not using artificial preservatives and flavors and will not sell bluefin tuna, swordfish, shark and salmon, species at risk of extinction. The Presidia of the Sea can also be found in the Market, offering concrete examples of how fishing communities can live in harmony with the ecosystem, preserving the marine fauna and adding value to their work by selling high-quality fresh fish and processed products.

The two experiences organized in the Slow Food Education area, designed for the public and schoolchildren, offer both a look at the sea and its people and fishing techniques and rhythms from the fishermen’s perspective, and also suggestions on how to select the best fish, read food labels and prepare delicious seafood at home.

Chefs play a central role in consumer education, and so for the first time the Alliance Osteria will find a home at Slow Fish. Here, around 20 chefs from the Italian and international network will be preparing dishes based on Slow Food Presidia.

The event will also see the return of the Water Workshops, opportunities for analysis and debate around key issues, and cooking demonstrations from chefs in the Theater of Taste. Not to mention the Osterias of the Sea, Street Food and Fishwiches, where visitors can sample gastronomic specialties from around Italy, all paired with excellent wines from the Enoteca.

For the first time, Slow Fish 2011 will be extending beyond the pavilions of the Genoa Fiera to involve prestigious locations around the city, with conferences and meetings open to the public, organized in collaboration with the Festival of Science.

The event organizers have taken a systemic approach to reducing its environmental impact, continuing the work begun by Slow Food at the Salone del Gusto 2006. The aim is to make a significant commitment in every aspect of the event, whether in the choice of recyclable display materials, goods transport, waste management or water and energy use.

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