NAFC DELEGATE PRESENTS PAPER AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE – Fishfarmer Magazine
NAFC DELEGATE PRESENTS PAPER AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE18 September, 2009 – NAFC Marine Centre PhD student Bobby Gear has just returned from Norfolk, Virginia where he presented a paper at the 12th North Atlantic Fisheries History Association (NAFHA) conference.This years theme was fisheries management so it was a very fitting environment for Bobby to deliver a presentation on his work to date into the post-war development of Shetlands pelagic fishing industry. NAFHA is an international, interdisciplinary organisation that aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of the historical development of the fisheries conducted in the North Atlantic through networking events. Assembled fisheries scientists, maritime museum curators, university staff, PhD researchers and interested parties from Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the UK and USA came together for the event. Commenting on the experience, Bobby Gear said: ‘It was fascinating to hear about the most current research on fishing history and how it relates to the work Im doing on Shetlands pelagic industry as part of my PhD thesis. ‘Some papers were directly relevant, such as papers on Norwegian fisheries management, which is closely linked to the Shetland story. Others were useful for comparison, such as the political organisation of fisher women in New England. ‘I presented a paper entitled The management of Shetlands pelagic fishing industry in Shetland since World War II, which was well received and provoked a lively discussion. A lot of the evidence used came from interviews Ive conducted with local fishermen. ‘I had many interesting conversations with the other delegates who offered good advice and suggestions on useful books for me to read. Perhaps the most notable delegate was Dr Sidney Holt, a famous fisheries scientist now in his eighties. Overall, I found the conference very useful and enjoyable and was delighted to be able to participate.’