Dr. Catherine Chambers participates in an International Exchange Event in Shizuoka on Fisheries and Fish-Eating Culture in Iceland and Japan
Dr. Catherine Chambers, who will take on the position of Director of the University Centre of the Westfjords on April 1, is currently living in Japan with her family, where she is on research leave as a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo.
On February 5, an international exchange event was held at the Shizuoka campus under the title “International Exchange Event to Learn about Iceland's Fisheries Industry and Fish-eating Culture”. Dr. Chambers, who specializes among other things in fisheries management, was invited to be the guest speaker.
The aim of the event was to deepen mutual understanding between Iceland and Japan regarding the countries’ fisheries industries and fish-eating cultures. The event was divided into two sessions and was attended by 25 participants, including students from the research group of the event organizer, Associate Professor Lee Eun-hee of Tokai University, as well as local community members connected to the fishing industry and fisheries.
In the first part of her talk, Dr. Chambers informed participants about Iceland’s population and landscape, and also discussed fisheries around Iceland and the fish species most commonly caught in Icelandic waters. She also spoke about projects and initiatives led by local fishermen’s interest groups:
In the second part of the event, the Shizumae Fish Food Study Group took place, where participants considered dishes that could help communicate the appeal of Shizumae Fresh Fish—seafood caught off the coast of Shizuoka City—to a wider audience. Fishermen who took part prepared hairtail caught in Suruga Bay using recipes that students had developed in advance. Students and fishermen cooked five dishes together, including carpaccio, fish balls, and fish stock soup, which participants enjoyed tasting.
Finally, Associate Professor Lee stated:
