World Aquaculture 2011 A Success

This year’s event was held in conjunction with FENACAM 2011, the annual National Shrimp Fair hosted by ABCC, the Brazilian Shrimp Farmers Association.

After the milestone WAS 2003 event held in the Brazilian city of Salvador where attendance records were set, organisers were prepared to establish a new benchmark for future WAS events after two years of preparation for 2011.

With the theme “Aquaculture for a Changing World”, the Conference drew international participants from all sectors of aquaculture representing over 65 countries plus a large contingent from the host country for a total attendance of 4,290 people.

Included was a large representation of Brazilian students, helping contribute to the 998 submissions for the poster session which ran concurrently throughout the four day event.

The well attended plenary session offered “seasoned” industrial perspectives towards sustainability in a changing world through: Perspectives on the Development of the Aquaculture Industry by Francisco Saraiva Gomes, and Aquaculture Business Models for a Changing World by Bjorn Myrseth.

The conference sessions that followed for four days covered topics ranging from Marine Shrimp Health, Genetics, Nutrition in Aquaculture, Pre and Probiotics, Cage Culture, Biofloc Systems, and Tilapia, to many others which helped to emphasise the overarching industrial trend towards sustainability.

The eight International Shrimp Farming Symposium organised by ABCC contributed greatly to the success of the Conference with the presence of speakers from 13 countries that together are responsible for approximately 90 per cent of world farmed shrimp production.

The Trade Show of the Conference was completely sold out with 120 companies, government institutions, associations and universities presenting their products and services to 7,880 visitors over a three day period.

With WAS/FENACAM 2011 just completed, the World Aquaculture Society in conjunction with the European Aquaculture Society is already well into development of their next joint meeting, AQUA 2012 Global Aquaculture - Securing our Future which is scheduled for 1-5 September in the Czech Republic capital, Prague.