Whilst cleaner fish have become very popular on salmon farms in Scotland and Norway for the control of sea lice, better knowledge is needed of the biology, diagnostics and vaccination of cleaner fish.
In a session dedicated to cleaner fish, experts discussed the current pathogens affecting production and best practice to reduce disease transmission.
The behaviour of cleaner fish was also examined. Asa Johannesen from the Nesvík Marine Centre, Faroe Islands, studied whether lumpfish personality affected sea lice consumption - Read More.
Opening the conference on Wednesday morning, school students took to the stage to take part in a seafood cooking challenge. As well as filling the auditorium with delicious smells, the aim of the talk was to raise awareness about the Seafood in Schools project that is helping educate children in Scotland about the importance of fish, how to cook it, open their eyes to new species and also how farms operate.
The project appears to be working, with children much more connected with seafood. Some children also explained how they were surprised to learn how important aquaculture is to Scotland's economy and job security.
Many were asked if they could see themselves working in the aquaculture industry in the future. While many said they were keen to work in the marketing or cooking side, it is important that we look at how we can encourage our young people to get involved in the less glamorous production side.
On Thursday, Sainsbury's Aquaculture and Fisheries Manager, Ally Dingwall, opened the sessions with his talk on Sainsbury's commitment to sourcing only sustainably certified seafood and how more research and development will be needed in order for aquaculture to fulfil its important role in food security.
You can find more coverage from Aquaculture Europe, here. More Aquaculture Europe news will be added over the next week.
