Oceans Potential

The "Oceans of Potential" conference will bring together stakeholders from a broad range of disciplines to discuss these opportunities and to place marine science at the heart of an exciting vision of the future.

As we continue into the 21st century, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need to take a smarter approach to managing our resources and maximizing the potential of the natural environment to provide for society's needs. The oceans are beginning to demonstrate their wealth of potential—from renewable energy and carbon sequestration to human health, bioengineering and new approaches to food production.

There are a growing number of opportunities for the development of symbiotic industries and for marine science to provide a host of tools to assist in the management of marine resources, ensuring that exploitation of the oceans proceeds both efficiently and sustainably.

To this end the "Oceans of Potential" conference will bring together stakeholders from a broad range of disciplines to discuss these opportunities and to place marine science at the heart of an exciting vision of the future.

We are offering various sponsorship and exhibition packages to provide additional visibility at the Oceans of Potential conference, please visitwww.oceansofpotential.org/sponsors.html.

The conference is an initiative of the Plymouth marine sciences organisations, coordinated by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and part of the wider Plymouth Marine City Festival. The conference will be the second in the series of major marine conferences planned to run until 2020; the previous conference focused on marine spatial planning and was in partnership with the UK Marine Management Organisation.

Speakers include:

Dr Wendy Watson-Wright, Assistant Director-General, UNESCO and Executive Secretary Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
Prof Jacqueline McGlade, Director of the European Environment Agency
Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board
Prof Duncan Wingham, Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council
Dr Susan Avery, President and Director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
Prof Lora Fleming, Director of the European Centre for Environment and Human Health
Tim Kruger, Oxford Geoengineering Programme, Oxford University
Prof Simon Jennings, Chief Science Advisor at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)
Dr Nick Hardman-Mountford, Senior Marine Scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
Dr Steve Crooks, Climate Change Director, ESA PWA, USA
Prof Martin Attrill, Director of the Marine Institute, Plymouth University
Prof Manuel Barange, Chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)

As part of the conference (evening of Tues 11th Sept), there will be a public debate on 'Sustainable fisheries in a changing world.' The debate will include various high-profile stakeholders (industry, science and end-users) and will be chaired by Monty Halls whose recent work includes BBC TV series on a year living and working with crab fishermen in Cornwall and on the Great Barrier Reef. Come and join in! Other panel members include:

Charles Clover – Writer/journalist including End of the Line; Chairman of Blue Marine Foundation & Fish2Fork
Sheryll Murray MP – Member of Parliament for South East Cornwall and past representative of Fishing Industry
Mike Park - Chief Executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers' Association (SWFPA)
Manuel Barange - Chair of ICES Scientific Committee
Samuel Stone – Marine Conservation Society Fisheries Officer

Conference Secretariat
+44 0 1752 633100
pde@plymouth.ac.uk
Oceans of Potential Website