Successful B-USEFUL Third Annual Meeting held at Cefas, Lowestoft
CEFAS – Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, UK
United Kingdom
Thirty-two members from across the wide B-USEFUL ‘family’ came together in Lowestoft, on England’s east coast. During an inspiring meeting that spanned from November 11th – 15th, partners shared their findings achieved so far, celebrating successes achieved but also engaging in conversations about any topic that might come up, relevant for the conservation of marine life in Europe’s regional seas.
We had a series of dedicated mini-workshops, in which particular themes were discussed – such as the risks to sensitive habitats, or how to collate diverse datasets and be able to analyse these in meaningful and consistent ways. The mini-workshops have already, since the workshop, been highly effective to effectively progress the work of the project.
We also discussed synergies with other Horizon projects including MARBEFES, ACTNOW and NID4OCEAN, and it was very nice to exchange ideas from representatives of these other streams of work.
The Huxley Lecture Theatre – named after the UK’s first government vessel specifically dedicated to monitoring the marine environment, over one-hundred years ago – was the venue where all got together. It was a pleasure hosting the meeting as one of the first bigger EU Horizon workshops held in Cefas’ new building since its official opening by HRH The Princess Royal in 2023.
Thanks to my co-hosts Michael Clarke and Louise Rutterford, and for Martin Lindegren and everybody in the B-USEFUL team for making this a successful workshop.