"Aquaculture is Agriculture" is the theme of this year's Canadian aquaculture meeting.
With the end of an election, there’s a renewed sense of hope that the industry has a future in this country. Cautious optimism was expressed by many in the industry with the recent changes in the Canadian government particularly with regards to the conditions the Canadian West Coast is facing.
The Aquaculture Association of Canada (AAC) has partnered with the provincial Government in New Brunswick to host the 38th annual Aquaculture Canada Conference and Tradeshow in Fredericton, N.B. on June 8-11.
This international gathering in Fredericton, N.B. allowed groups from various sectors of the aquaculture industry to discuss the latest advancements in technology, innovation, veterinary care, aquaculture feed, research and development in the Canadian aquaculture industry.
“There are many things to take away from this conference for everyone who comes. For some, it’s to find job opportunities. Others, to know what research is being done throughout the industry, and others to find business liaisons and contractors,” said Cyr Couturier, AAC president.
Over 250 people from the general public, exhibitors, university students, industry executives, politicians and community leaders got the opportunity to attend presentations that covered a wide range of topics related to seaweed, shellfish and finfish aquaculture in Canada, and the various advancements and challenges that they face.
The theme of the conference was “Aquaculture is agriculture: Feeding the future with innovation and resilience.” The main highlights of the conference revolved around the keynote speakers: Amber Garber, the lead research scientist of breeding & genetics at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre. In her presentation, Garber focused on the importance of trait selection and selective breeding for increased growth, temperature tolerance, pathogen resistance among many others.
The second keynote speaker, Glenn Cooke, the CEO of Cooke Inc., revolved around the global perspective of farmed seafood in relation to his 40 years of experience in the global aquaculture industry.
Several scholarships and awards were given to deserving students, in addition to the AAC Lifetime Achievement Award to Tillmann Benfey of the University of New Brunswick. A panel of note was also hosted on the last day of the conference by the Young B.C. Salmon Farmers Association (YBCSFA), where topics concerning the aquaculture industry in British Columbia (B.C.) were discussed by young professionals of the industry, all of which are from B.C.
Conferences such as these are important because they offer the industry to become more interconnected. It gives its people the chance to find out and understand what the current area of research is being investigated, and what is being discovered.