Seafood Hub Hauls Anchor

Wednesday, 21st November 2007

Categories: Green & Local

Seafood Hub Hauls Anchor

Final preparations are underway for the North East Seafood Training Centre to move to brand new premises - where the region's school for anyone who works with fish will offer more courses than ever before for the industry and the general public.

The centre, the region's official base for the national Seafood Training Academy, is getting ready to leave its ageing unit on the Fish Quay in North Shields and relocate to a new, modern building at the nearby Food Park.
Complete with a temperature-controlled specialist filleting room, a catering training room with individual cooking bays, a lecture room and a forklift training area outside, the new base will allow the Seafood Training Centre to provide skills courses to support all aspects of what is a rapidly changing industry.

These range from the centre's established training in safety, hygiene, fish filleting and fish mongering for new starters and experienced fishermen; to new opportunities for schools to learn about industry and fish as part of a healthy diet; and pioneering courses to help chefs learn more about the fish available in North East England and the general public to prepare and cook fish at home.

The move is supported by regional development agency One NorthEast, which has provided £700,000 in funding for the Seafood Training Centre over the next three years.
Dennis Osborne, training manager for the Anglo-Scottish Sea Fish Industry Group Training Association - which runs the Seafood Training Centre - said:
"Our new premises are testament to the fact that the fishing industry is changing, and fast. Our facilities need to be fit to deliver the industry's evolving training needs.
"For example, it's no longer the quantity of the catch which drives this industry, but the range and quality that consumers want, given the ever-growing focus on healthy eating, buying local and knowing exactly where the food on our plates has come from.
"Care of the catch and responsible fishing techniques are what will sustain this industry, so the work we're doing is absolutely vital to make sure that skippers and crews can deliver. But we're also educating restaurants and consumers about the huge variety that's available; there is so much more on offer than cod and haddock! If we can build their knowledge of what fish we bring in here, along with their understanding of how to prepare and cook it, demand for fish will continue."

One NorthEast's Rural and Environment Manager, Frances Rowe, said: "The Seafood Training Centre really is at the hub of the fishing industry, both for suppliers and consumers. Its new home will mean it can continue diversifying the training it can offer, to support fishing businesses and their staff, and to stimulate the demand for the industry's products and services."

The Seafood Training Centre employs three skilled trainers. One of its most high-profile clients is the supermarket chain Waitrose - which sends staff from its stores north of Watford to the centre for filleting and mongering courses.
The new £5.2m North Shields Food Park has been purpose-built to provide accommodation for the food processing industry, and is a key part of the regeneration of the Fish Quay by North Tyneside Council - triggering significant private sector investment in the area.

North Tyneside Council's cabinet member for Physical Regeneration, Councillor Bruce Pickard, said: "The Fish Quay has everything. It is a prime location for visitors and has a fascinating heritage as a working fishing port which is also experiencing rapid development. The council's strategy for its regeneration is to create and safeguard jobs, attract tourism and promote the character and heritage of the area so that people want to visit, work and live there.
"We've already made significant process in bringing old buildings back into business use and improving the public realm. The private sector is demonstrating its confidence in the area with new housing and contributions to the evening economy and the Seafood Training Centre will build on the Fish Quay's unique character by creating a fantastic training facility for both the fishing and food industry and for the public."

The centre hopes to be up and running in its new premises by the middle of next month.

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