The Meeting of the Seas, the international congress forging links between gastronomy, marine science and the fishing sector will once again be bringing together oceanographers, marine biologists, researchers, chefs and major figures in the fishing industry to discuss the current situation and future of the oceans in Andalusia from the 5th to the 7th of July. This year, reforesting the oceans will be the main theme of an event which is being held for its third year and returns on-site in Seville, the province of Cádiz (Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Chiclana, Puerto de Santa María and Jerez) and Marbella. The congress can be followed free of charge on the internet, upon registration on the official web site of the event: encuentrodelosmares.com.

The oceans, key to environmental recovery

Sea vegetables may be the key to ensuring that our way of life does not collapse and the plans to reforest the seas on a large scale may be the best formula to counter the impact of humanity. Preserving and restoring life in marine ecosystems is a priority. That is why this year some of the best scientists in the world will be talking about the benefits that kelp forests may bring; the role that their cultivation plays in a sustainable future; microalgae, considered by the UN to be the food of the millennium; the feasibility of using them to create ‘bioplastics, to try and find solutions to fight against sea vegetable species that are currently invasive or to produce new kinds of medication. 

Carlos Duarte, Scientific Director of the Meeting of the Seas and Holder of the Research Chair at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia; Karen McGlathery, director of the Environmental Resilience Institute at the University of Virginia; Atsushi Watanabe, head researcher on Ocean Policies at the Sakasawa Peace Foundation in Japan; Susana Agustí, biologist and oceanographer who has taken part in more than 25 oceanographical expeditions in the Arctic, Antarctic, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans and is a major figure in marine microalgae, Alexandra Cousteau, president and co-founder of Oceans 2050; Juan Luis Gómez Pinchetti, director of the Spanish Algae Bank; or the professors of Ecology and Biology at Cadiz University, Fernando G. Brun and José Lucas Pérez Lloréns, appear on the list of scientific speakers. 

The oceans are destined to become the major source of healthy food for humans in the next few decades. It is essential for them to remain healthy. Protecting the culture of the seas involves reducing the impact that human activities have on marine ecosystems, by introducing regulations to do away with overfishing and strategies to prevent illegal fishing. The Meeting of the Seas will also address the search for a balance between plans for sustainable fishing and the conservation of the oceans in the presentation by Javier Garat, a leading international figure in fishing vessel owners associations. 

Gastronomy at the service of the sea

The list of chefs at EDM 2021 includes Ángel León (Aponiente***, Puerto de Santa María), who will also be receiving the 3rd Sartún Award for his work in protecting the seas at an event that will be held at Bodegas Osborne; Aitor Arregi (Elkano* Getaria, Gipuzkoa), a major figure in grilling fish from the Cantabrian Sea who will be acting as host of the congress at Cataria (Santi Pectri, Chiclana), the Cadiz branch that he has 1,000 kilometers away; Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, the first Peruvian chef who went deep into the Amazon to work on its produce who has discovered the gastronomic possibilities of paiche, a rich freshwater fish with zero waste; the Italian chef Giuseppe Iannotti (Krésios*, Talese Terme, Campania, Italy), who has developed his 8pus project during the pandemic, a delivery service in which everything comes from and revolves around the sea; the Portuguese chef João Rodrigues (Feitoria* Lisbon, Portugal), whose ambition was to become a marine biologist, who with his Matéria project has tried to find the marine DNA of Portuguese cuisine; or the Galician Xosé T. Cannas (Pepe Vieira*, Serpe, Pontevedra), who through his anthropological research has created an original, innovative culinary proposal, that is deeply rooted in everything that the sea offers in Galicia.

Other chefs such as Pepe Solla (Casa Solla*, Pontevedra), Albert Raurich (Dos palillos*, Barcelona), Juanlu Fernández (LÚ cocina y alma*, Jerez), Isaac Loya (Real Balneario*, Salinas, Asturias),  Fernando Hermoso (Casa Bigote, Sanlúcar de Barrameda), Javier Córdoba (El Faro, Puerto de Santa María), Benito Gómez (Bardal**, Ronda, Malaga), Luis Callealta (Restaurante Ciclo, Cadiz), Álvaro Arbeloa (TaKumi, Marbella, Malaga) or Dani Carnero (La Cosmopolita, Malaga) are also taking part in the Meeting of the Seas this year.

Sustainability – more present than ever

The Meeting of the Seas, organised by Vocento Gastronomía whose institutional promoter is the Regional Government of Andalusia, has the Iberostar Group as a sustainable partner this year. Present in 35 countries with more than 80% of its hotels on the seafront, it has taken a pioneering step forward in management with its 'Wave of Change’ movement with which it aims to totally reduce the consumption of single-use plastics, encourage sustainable fishing in purchases for its restaurants and improve coastal well-being in order to protect and care for the marine environments where its hotels are located. Soraya Romero, its global director of Engagement & Diversity, also forms part of the speakers’ panel this year. 

Sessions of presentations, cooking shows and all kinds of complementary gastronomic activities held over three days form part of the 3rd Meeting of the Seas, which will also be visiting the Andalusian Aquaculture Technology Centre and the Fitoplancton Marino installations in El Puerto de Santa María and this year is also being supported by Seville City Council, Osborne, González Byass, Hyundai and Des Garçons de Café.