Chile's positive response to a disease outbreak that severely impacted the country's salmon farming industry will be highlighted in a special session of the November 6-9 GOAL 2011 conference in Santiago.
 
The Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) event is organized by the Global Aquaculture Alliance to bring leaders of the aquaculture and seafood sectors together to track the progress of farmed seafood and explore solutions to industry concerns. Under the theme of "Double in a Decade ---- Responsibly," GOAL 2011 will be co-hosted by the Undersecretariat of Fisheries of Chile and SalmonChile.
 
Chilean salmon farmers are recovering from a severe outbreak of infectious salmon anemia (ISA) that began in 2007. The outbreak cut Atlantic salmon production and impacted employment, social welfare and international market presence.
 
A new production model is advancing the recovery under new rules and practices. Major stakeholders have agreed to measures leading to a new regulatory system.
 
The experiences of the Chilean industry represent a valuable case study for other sectors of global aquaculture. Therefore, the Responsible Aquaculture Foundation and Chilean Undersecretariat of Fisheries established a survey to analyze the evolution of the ISA crisis and the recovery process. The survey will be part of a project promoted by the World Bank to prevent or mitigate similar disease crises in aquaculture around the world. Its results will be reported at GOAL 2011.
 
Other GOAL 2011 program highlights will reflect the urgent need to bring the industry up to capacity to feed an ever-increasing global population, as projected by World Bank research presented at GOAL 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A session on global aquaculture investment will feature a keynote presentation by Gorjan Nikolik of Rabobank International and follow-up panel discussion. Given the need to quickly expand aquaculture output to meet growing world food demands, what are the opportunities and potential barriers for investors?
 
In addition, GOAL participants will hear a report on the World Bank's Fish 2030 project, which explores pathways to raising seafood productivity in emerging economies. Questions entertained will include ongoing changes in aquafeed, as manufacturers use less fishmeal and seek non-marine ingredient alternatives. Energy use, an increasingly important element of responsible production, will also be discussed.
 
In targeted sessions, Ragnar Tveteras of the University of Stavanger in Norway and James Anderson of the World Bank and University of Rhode Island in the United States will summarize data on recent and projected growth in the global production of shrimp, salmon, tilapia, Pangasius and other farmed species. Their programs will help define how production trends are affecting international seafood markets.
 
On the market side, experts will summarize current and projected demand in retail, foodservice and quick-serve markets for farmed fish and shrimp in Europe, Canada and the United States, and examine market expansion in China, India and Brazil. Topics will also include regulatory constraints and innovations that will help more aquaculture products reach more consumers.
 
For registration and other information on GOAL 2011, see www.gaalliance.org/GOAL2011/ or contact the Global Aquaculture Alliance - homeoffice@gaalliance.org or +1-314-293-5500.