Slow Fish: coming together for the future of our waters

Sally recently attended Terra Madre in Turin, where she joined fellow members of the Slow Fish network to discuss its future and the people, communities and waters at its heart.

Organised by Slow Food, Terra Madre brings together farmers, fishers, food producers, cooks and campaigners from around the world. It is a gathering for sharing food, knowledge and ideas, exploring how we can build a fairer food system that respects nature, cultural traditions and the people who feed us.

Within that wider movement, Slow Fish connects small-scale fishers, Indigenous communities, seafood gatherers, cooks, researchers and others working to protect aquatic ecosystems and the livelihoods they sustain. Its work recognises that the fish we eat carry stories of place, skill and tradition, and that healthy waters and thriving communities depend on one another.

Sally took part in meetings exploring how the network can stay connected and continue its work. Those conversations have since led to a collective declaration, calling for stronger relationships across communities and generations, greater protection for our waters and solidarity with fishing communities around the world.

Its opening message captures that shared commitment: “Let no one labour alone who knows the true value of their catch.”

The declaration also calls for communities to have a stronger voice in the future of their waters and food, and for the knowledge of those who fish, gather and care for these places to be respected and passed on.

Here in West Cork, these concerns are close to home. The future of wild fish, the health of our rivers and seas, and the survival of small-scale fishing traditions have long mattered deeply to Sally. They shape her work at Woodcock Smokery and the conversations we share around the table at The Keep.

Terra Madre offered a chance to bring those concerns into an international conversation, learn from others and help shape the network’s next chapter. The shared commitment was clear: keep Slow Fish alive and strengthen the connections that let its work continue, locally and around the world.