AquaVision 2014, the 10th edition of the world business conference on aquaculture held in Stavanger, Norway, was officially closed today by Steven Rafferty, Managing Director of the Skretting Group.
Thanking more than 400 delegates from 45 countries for their participation in the busy conference program, Rafferty said there was no doubt that the aquaculture industry is a winning industry, and as such it needs to find the most viable industrial species to feed a global population that is going to grow to 9 billion people by 2050.
“When Kofi Annan was our keynote speaker two years ago, he said that he was a big supporter of aquaculture. He told us not to change what we were doing but asked us to accelerate our progress. Similarly, this year, Sir Bob Geldof has been extremely complimentary about our industry and challenged us to find solutions that are good for business but also good for the planet,” said Rafferty.
“Those are clear messages from our keynote speakers – two very different people with very different backgrounds – but both with a passion to feed the world and both with strong messages for us to take forward.”
The complex challenge of feeding the world’s growing population could only be properly addressed when all stakeholders – commercial operations, governments and NGOs – find genuinely fair and practical ways of working together, Sir Bob Geldof had told delegates at AquaVision 2014.
“We need to get to the point whereby aquaculture is not only a viable business but also a viable methodology for keeping so many of us alive,” said Sir Bob.
Stating that 20% of the world\'s population uses 80% of the earth\'s resources, he urged the aquaculture industry to strike the right balance between consumer and business demands together with the broader social and environmental needs of the planet.
“When you do this, and you will, you will have helped deal with the signature issue of our time, which is inequality and disequilibrium. That is worth fighting for and it is worth getting right. All of this is achievable; we just need the will, commitment and absolute understanding that we will implement that change,” he said.
Rafferty revealed that following his speech on the opening day of this year’s conference, Sir Bob has offered his help and support to the industry after becoming very motivated by the people he met at AquaVision.
With most of the population growth forecast to be in Asia and Africa, Rafferty said the sustainable expansion into developing countries and new aquaculture regions should be high on the industry’s agenda, as should its desire to innovate by increasing yields while further controlling its raw material use. Another increasingly important requirement will be to increase the involvement of governments, regulatory bodies and NGOs to make sure that aquaculture remains a responsible industry.
“I think we already have a fantastic story to tell and we should become much more vocal as we play a key part in helping deliver a more solid future for people around the world,” he said.
AquaVision is organised by Skretting and its parent company Nutreco in cooperation with DNB and DSM Nutritional Products. Blue Planet is the practical organiser of the conference.
The next AquaVision, in 2016, will mark the 20th year of the conference.
