Fish farming nations forge alliance to work together

Organisations from salmon farming nations Scotland, Norway, and Chile will tomorrow be among the signatories of a declaration to promote the development and strengthening of innovation in aquaculture activity through joint and long-term work.

The signing ceremony forms part of the creation of the International Alliance for Innovation in Aquaculture at the Aquaculture Innovation Conference (InnAqua 2023) that takes place in Puerto Varas, Chile from tomorrow until Thursday. Entities from Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, and the United States are the other members of the Alliance, which will also hold its first working meeting tomorrow.

Climate change, food and transformative technologies will be on the agenda at the second edition of InnAqua. As well as a conference featuring 10 sessions and 25 speakers from Chile and overseas, InnAqua 2023 has a technology fair, poster session and ancillary activities. Around 400 people are expected to attend the event.

Speakers include two from Scotland: Lynne Falconer, a research fellow at the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture, and Martin Haberfield, business lead aqua for MSD Animal Health.

Other presenters include Good Food Institute meat and seafood farming scientist Claire Bomkamp, ecological modeller and project manager Francisco Bravo from CSIRO Chile Research, and Lars Ebbesson, from the Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE).

Ocean Decade

The objectives, programme, and scope of InnAqua 2023 led to its recognition as an activity within the framework of “The Decade of the Oceans” promoted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco). The formation of the Alliance also contributed.

Launched in January 2021, the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), also known as the Ocean Decade, provides a convening framework for a wide range of stakeholders, from around the world, to engage and collaborate, outside their traditional communities, to trigger a revolution in ocean science. The aim is to contribute to the proper functioning, productivity, resilience, and sustainability of the oceans.

“It is a pride and really exciting for our association and for the entire organising team of the conference to receive this important recognition from Unesco,” said Adolfo Alvial, executive director of the Aquaculture Innovation Club of Chile, which runs InnAqua.

“For now, we continue to refine, with great affection, the last details of this meeting that we are sure will be a success. We hope that both Chilean and foreign visitors can be nourished by excellent talks, meetings and conversations to build a better aquaculture.”