IFM Appoints Training Coordinator
The Institute of Fisheries Management has appointed Ian Wellby as its full-time Training Co-ordinator
The services that IFM provides to members and its customers continues to grow. As well as providing our Certificate and Diploma courses to an increasing number of students, we are providing more and more short courses and bespoke courses to more clients. For example, we provide electro-fishing courses to Rivers Trusts, consultancies, universities and, recently, to DAERA (the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) in Northern Ireland. We provide the Award Course for the Environment Agency, a Fisheries Foundation Course for Natural Resources Wales, Fish Identification Courses (both freshwater and marine), and conferences and Citizen Science training for Natural England. We also now offer a specialist conference in the spring each year, to complement the autumn annual conference.
As a result of all this, we are proud to say that IFM is now the biggest provider of freshwater fisheries and aquatic training courses in the UK and Ireland (measured as number of delegates). This is a reflection of the quality and value for money of the courses we deliver, and the reputation that IFM has in the aquatic and fisheries sector.
As demand has become limited by our capacity to deliver, we have recently appointed a full time Training Co-ordinator, responsible for delivery of this increasing portfolio. We are delighted to say that Ian Wellby, previously the IFM’s Training Director (on a voluntary basis), has been appointed to this role, starting on 1 November 2022. This will enable us to provide current training portfolio and to expand our wider offer to members, the public and customers.
A little more about Ian Wellby, in his words:
Having completed a Biology degree at Plymouth Polytechnic I went from working in hotels to working on a local trout farm. After four years of hard graft on a variety of fish farms in the South West of England, Germany and Portugal I was lucky enough to cross paths with Professor Margaret Mannings. She persuaded me to try for a Masters in Applied Fish Biology and changed my life with her quiet authority and by introducing me to the joy of knowing stuff… During this time I met several inspirational teachers including Ben and Tony Mathews and Jack Harris.
After a fantastic year at Plymouth University I was lucky enough to land a job at the National Rivers Authority’s National Fisheries Laboratory which really developed my love of parasites. Again I was fortunate enough in the ten years at the Lab to work with a whole variety of fantastic colleagues. A dream to teach took me on to Brooksby College in Leicestershire where I became a lecturer and met a whole range of interesting students. I promise you that teachers have the hardest job in the world!
I Have run my own business, Blueroof Ltd., for 20 years and continue with teaching and parasites and fish in equal measure.
The Institute of Fisheries Management has run throughout my time in fisheries and I have held a variety of posts including Editor of FISH Magazine and Director of Training.
David Bunt, Chief Executive with the Institute of Fisheries Management said: “With growing demand for our courses, I am delighted that Ian Wellby, with his track record, is filling this important role. This will allow us to provide a better experience to our current delegates, and to help us offer more and better courses to even more people“.
Ian will be able to be contacted at: [email protected] from 1 November.
For more information about our training courses see:
For more information contact:
David Bunt, Chief Executive, 07770 793900, [email protected]
Notes for Editors
The Institute of Fisheries Management (www.ifm.org.uk) is dedicated to professional and sustainable fisheries management. It is the provider of the greatest number of training course places to students of freshwater fisheries and aquatic management in the UK and Ireland.