Scottish farmed salmon exports last year were up by a quarter. This year Scotland is selling into a market reckoned to have a deficit in supply compared with demand of 190,000 tonnes – rather more than Scotland’s total output. Optimism abounds and equipment manufacturers have booked every last foot of exhibition space at the event on May 18th and 19th at the MacDonald Highland Resort, Aviemore, in Scotland to show their wares to producers and processors who are expected to expand while the going is good.
Organiser David Mack of Ascomber has lined up speakers for Wednesday May 19th to address whether the Scottish and wider world industry can hope to ride a sustained wave of prosperity. The scene will be set by Brian Dornan, Head of Aquaculture Policy at Marine Scotland, and Scott Lansburgh of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation will outline the industry’s own vision for the future.
Donnie Morrison of Gael Force Aqua will look at which new technologies are needed, Mark Taylor of Thistle Consultants will focus on containment issues and a speaker from EWOS will describe how the ingredients in aquafeed are changing.
European aquaculture’s modest one per cent growth rate in recent years, compared with the global figure of seven to eight per cent, is at least partially attributed to the influence of environmental legislators and green activists. A key question, therefore, is by how much growth might be constrained by protective legislation and by NGO influence on consumers and the supermarkets. Douglas Sinclair of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency will explain the official Government line on environmental issues and constraints; Dr Martin Solan of Sealab Aberdeen University will report on a study which has show that bigger production units do not necessarily mean greater environmental impact; and Dawn Purchase of the Marine Conservation Society will give NGO perspective on the limits to sustainable development.
First day (Tuesday 18th) conference topics include how HD technology is improving underwater images and the new certification programme for fishmeal and fish oil from the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organisation, known as the IFFO RS. IFFO is forecasting one-third of world fishmeal and oil will be certified by the end of this year.
Delegates to Aquaculture 2010 can organise their visits to the exhibition areas around the conference seminars which take place conveniently in the Alvie, Morlich and Glenmore rooms on the first floor. Registration as an exhibition visitor grants free entry to all conference sessions which run on both days from 10.30am to 1pm and from 2pm to 4.30pm.
Opportunities For Scottish Salmon
UK - Is it another cycle of boom and bust, or sustained expansion, for Scottish salmon? Conference speakers at Aquaculture 2010 in four weeks time have been challenged to provide the answer to this question.
