The Food Programme The Food Innovators: 2025
Oct 17, 2025
Dr. Robert Ennevar, a conservation engineer and founder of Fishtech, discusses his innovative disco scallop pot technique that uses light to attract scallops, promoting sustainable fishing. Martin Crawford, an agroforestry pioneer, shares insights on food forests, emphasizing the benefits of perennial crops and biodiversity for resilient food systems. They explore the intersection of conservation and culinary trends, with a focus on how these innovations could reshape our approach to seafood and food production.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Light-Based Low-Impact Scallop Fishing
- Disco scallop pots use light instead of bait to attract scallops, offering near-zero seabed impact compared with dredging.
- The method could scale to reduce destructive dredging and help marine biodiversity recover.
Fisherman Learns The Pot Placement Skill
- Sam Shuka recounts learning where and when to place lighted pots to dramatically increase catches.
- He describes going from few scallops to dozens or hundreds as he refined placement and timing.
Build Premium Markets For Sustainable Catch
- Create premium supply chains and branding to make low-impact catches economically viable for fishers.
- Without buyers and higher prices, small-scale innovations will fail despite ecological benefits.