Slow Fish was born as a Slow Food awareness-raising campaign around the challenges faced by small-scale fishing communities across the world. Today, in a global context where the industrial food production model is predominant, Slow Fish represents a solid network of fishers, biologists, academics, journalists and many other actors in the seafood production chain who share a common interest in defending and promoting a good, clean and fair food system. All the activities carried out at national level as well as international projects pursue two interdependent goals: to raise awareness among citizens of sustainable consumption patterns and to support the small-scale fishing communities worldwide. The health of the oceans, and of the entire global water system, is inseparable from the health and welfare of those who rely on the seas, rivers and lakes, and who produce respecting the balance of their ecosystems. By promoting such practices, Slow Fish fosters the exchange of knowledge between different communities, with the aim of creating more favorable conditions for their survival and indeed, the preservation of the environment in which they operate. The overall goal of Slow Fish is to increase the economic and social well-being of local communities and their commitment to conservation, and to promote sustainable management of marine and coastal zones through the sustainable use of local food resources as the driving force of local development with a cultural identity.
The Slow Fish network took root in the Mediterranean and has developed over the years by embracing various other areas of the world, including North America, Northern Europe, North Africa and Latin America.
In the near future, the network intends to expand in other strategic areas based on good practices developed and tested in the Caribbean. The aim is to replicate this successful model to expand the network across the world and scale-up results. Thanks to the support of the EU, the experience gained in Mexico and Colombia will be analysed, compared and systematized. The exchange within Slow Fish network and with relevant satkholders will be strongly supported through the organization of international events reaching out to large public, decision-makers and all actors along the food chain.