The European Aquaculture Society (EAS) Aquaculture Europe 2004 meeting is shaping up nicely. The meeting will be held at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), from October 20-23, in the beautiful Spanish city of Barcelona. Details of the conference and workshop programmes, along with hotel and registration forms and a wealth of practical information is now available at http://www.easonline.org
This annual EAS forum is the European meeting for EAS members and conference delegates from many countries to come together and discuss issues related to the development of European aquaculture. Organised in cooperation with The European Association of Marine Biotechnology (EAMB) and the European Association of Fish Pathologists (EAFP), this year’s theme of “Biotechnologies for Quality” has attracted more than 400 spontaneous contributions from 46 countries. Recent advances in aquaculture biotechnology and the role that the industry must play in providing safe, high-quality, health-promoting seafood, underline this extraordinary interest level.
Plenary speakers include Rita Colwell (USA), Laurent Bochereau (European Commission), Sandra Adams (UK), Bob Devlin (Canada), Øyvind Lie (Norway) and Fernando de la Calle (Spain). They will set the scene for the parallel and poster discussion sessions, and time has been allocated for ample discussion. Their profiles, along with those of the keynote speakers, are also available on the EAS web site. The parallel and poster sessions will focus on topics including genetics and reproduction; production of larvae and juveniles; ongrowing; rapid health detection methods; vaccines; health management, consumer satisfaction and health benefits; safety and traceability and bioactive products through aquaculture, as well as other challenges for aquaculture development.
In addition, a workshop on “Challenges for Mediterranean Aquaculture” will take place on Wednesday, October 20 and will address the current constraints and future trends of the sector and its products. Organised in two sessions, it will focus on following up the recently published EC report on the market for farmed sea bass and sea bream and will address regulatory aspects (including the implications for marine aquaculture of the EU Water Framework Directive) and the licensing and regulation of permits for aquaculture farms, through case studies from various Mediterranean countries.
The European Commission is also organising a special EU Genomics Forum to present the recent development of aquaculture genomics RTD projects financed by the EC. The main objectives and achievements of past and on-going projects will be presented by project participants, providing the opportunity for a wider discussion on scientific issues and the applicability of project results.
The AquaFlow Forum is a new initiative to provide dissemination of ongoing European initiatives in aquaculture within the framework of the Aquaculture Europe meetings. It allows the detailed presentation of single or clusters of EU projects and a forum for more open discussion on various aspects of the projects and their impacts. AquaFlow itself is a dissemination network co-ordinated by EAS and managed by EAS and FEAP.
AE2004 “Biotechnologies for Quality” will provide an open forum on recent advances in different biotechnologies and their impact on the improvement and guarantee of seafood quality. It will be a useful tool for the aquaculture sector to increase knowledge, exchange ideas and draw conclusions on the challenges required for the present and future.
"Excellent reasons for joining us at Aquaculture Europe 2004!", say the organizers.
More information at www.easonline.org or at ae2004@aquaculture.cc or by fax on +32 59 32 10 05
