Presentations pour in for Aquaculture Europe 2019
Organisers of Aquaculture Europe 2019 are anticipating the Berlin event that runs from October 7-11 will be one the biggest and most varied ever held after receiving more than 880 abstracts for presentation.
They will be presented in 55 sessions the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) has organised over the three days of the event’s scientific conference.
Another eight special sessions will link business and science.
Ecosystem health
The opening plenary sessions of AE2019 will include a view on “The Environment and Fish Health” by Professor Charles R Tyler of the University of Exeter.
Fish are excellent barometers of aquatic ecosystem health and declines in both their diversity and abundance globally is a major cause for concern, not least because of their fundamental roles in ecosystem function and as a source for food. Tyler’s talk will be free ranging with the purpose of provoking thought into how we might better translate knowledge on fish physiology for optimising aquaculture practice.
Producers and suppliers
A look at “Producer, trade and consumer” will involve a presentation/panel session moderated by Alexander Wever of AWF Consulting, Berlin, that will give voice to the concerns and standpoints of producers, traders and consumers, additionally challenging them with highlighted individual statements from random European stakeholders, relayed in video messages.
The AE2019 Special Sessions are targeted towards aquaculture producers and suppliers. They include sessions on marine litter, parasite management, nutrition and breeding innovations, shrimp production and aquaculture in Central and Eastern Europe. Programmes of all of the special sessions will be posted online.
One of the special sessions, “Women in Aquaculture”, will look at ways to ensure greater gender diversity at all levels of the aquaculture sector and offer first-hand insights into how women can overcome perceived gender-related obstacles.
Supporting start-ups
Aquaculture Europe (AE2019), which is being held at the Estrel Hotel and Conference Centre, will also introduce its first Innovation Forum on October 9 to promote and support start-ups and emerging business models in aquaculture.
In partnership with aquaculture accelerator programme Hatch Blue and the German Startups Association, the day will be made up of introductory speakers and then pitches from 12 new companies that wish to seek further investment to develop.
Speakers include Viggo Halseth, chief innovation officer for Nutreco and Sigi Gruber, head of the Healthy Oceans & Seas Unit, in the Directorate General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission.
The pitches will be assessed by panellists with a wealth of experience in aquaculture and also in financing. These include Robin Shields from the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), Halseth and Harald Sveier of Lerøy Seafood Group, Norway.
Focus on Germany
The winner in each session will receive a free booth at AE2020 in Cork to showcase their innovation.
The AE2019 trade show currently has 148 booths sold to 130 companies from 23 countries. Exhibitors include the main companies operating in Germany, as well as speciality companies proposing products and services for the sector.
AE2019’s local organising committee has put together a varied programme for a day specifically focussed on aquaculture in Germany, the AE2019 Industry Forum.
In German and in English, the day will include presentations and discussions on intensifying production to improve performance and efficiency, coupling caviar production with a power plant and trout ponds, new solutions for old problems, sharing insights from a Bavarian indoor RAS farm for tropical shrimp production, the use of digital systems in aquaculture and science-based insights into animal welfare in aquaculture.
Registration for AE2019 is open via the EAS website.
