Nausicaa - France : partners

The French National Marine Fisheries and Sea Farming Committee (CNPMEM) is the official joint representative body for industry stakeholders. It brings together fishermen, aquaculturists, seafood wholesalers and fishmongers, etc.  The CNPMEM was established by Act of Parliament (loi du 2 mai 1991) and is the spokesperson for the seafood industry to national and local government government. CNPMEM policy is determined by working groups and specialised commissions, which debate strategy. The Committee’s Council takes decisions, which are legally enforceable.

Coast to coast representation :

Apart from its head office in Paris, the Committee has 14 regional committees and 39 local committees, each representing maritime fisheries and farms all along the coast of metropolitan (i.e. mainland) France and its overseas territories.

Their main missions are to :
- Represent the sector and promote the public interest aspects of its activities
- Help to ensure the balanced management of marine resources
- Combine both active and precautionary measures to reconcile the interests of all stakeholders
- Contribute to improving conditions across the sector from extraction to processing, distribution and sale

Six clear commitments :
- Promote the balanced exploitation of marine resources
- Develop an ecosystem approach
- Promote the respect of environmental regulations
- Promote employment and better working conditions across the sector
- Develop and promote the industry as a career

He was born deep in the countryside, but his cooking is essentially inspired by the sea. He might easily have been a professional diver, but, instead, he chose to become a chef. Gaël Orieux is a man of subtlety and nuance rather than straightforward contrasts and cherishes his freedom. In these respects, his cuisine imitates his life.

The sea in his blood

Gaël was born in Maine-et-Loire but in his heart he is Breton and his cooking bears the  stamp of the «sea ». His breton origins meant that very early in his life he was in contact with the coast and the sea. To this day, he still loves to go back to Finistère to reconnect with the source of his inspiration. And it was his love for the sea which would lead him to his first passion, diving. After obtaining his instructorship at the age of 18 he might have made his living from diving. But strangely, it wasn’t the big blue that struck him, but cuisine. And when in 2005 he opened his restaurant, his instinct was to marry the treasures of the sea with the best ingredients from the countryside, combining, as it were, his origins with his love for the sea.

Responsible cuisine
Gaël Orieux loves and defends our planet. Very early, he understood that a restaurateur had a role to play in respect of the consumer. It’s his job to convey educational messages to his clients. And by banishing artificial  flavourings or introducing his guests to « eco-responsible » eating, this is precisely what he does everyday. For Gaël, neither the sea nor the land should be treated like a self-service buffet. Our culinary heritage, he believes, is something we harvest with care. By tredding this ecological path, by offering his guests little-known or neglected ingredients, he aims to change both mentalities and eating habits. After first applying his sustainable philosophy to poultry breeds and vegetables, Gaël turned his attention to fish, by promoting  less well known species like pout, horse mackerel or meagre on his menu without abandoning traditionally preferred fish such as bass, spiky oreo or american plaice, which he continues to offer but only when they are in season, or in abundance. This is Gaël’s way of protecting the resources of the sea that he loves so much, and echoes his culinary philosophy of constant renewal.

 Restaurant website