European Aquaculture Society
Virtual virtuosos
AE20 couldn’t take place in Cork, but the online event was a success
T
he European Aquaculture Society’s 2020 Conference, “Creating an Optimal Environment”, postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, eventually took place in April 2021. Originally planned for Cork, Ireland, AE20 was held as an online event, the first time the annual conference had taken place in this format. In another first, AE20 also featured an extra day dedicated to recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), with sessions on disinfection; monitoring and autonomy in RAS; and challenging interactions between fish and the RAS environment. Herve Migaud of the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture, who co-chaired the first RAS session and chaired the session in the main conference on innovation in the UK, comments: “There were a lot of topics. It is clear that there is a critical need for more research, and more standardisation, in RAS. We need to find what works and what doesn’t work.” He notes that RAS technology has been improving, but there is a range of different technologies and we also need to better understand the interaction between fish, water, feed, staff and the protocols we are applying. He also argues that we need to focus on fish behaviour and welfare in RAS systems, not just on water quality. Migaud says: “We especially need more research on the impact of RAS on the fish, and on better automation. There is also a need for training, since not many people yet have the skills or experience needed for these systems.” The RAS day’s first session, on disinfection, was moderated by Professor Jaap van Rijn, Professor in the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and included a presentation from Christopher Good, Director of Research of the Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute in the USA. Session 2, “Where are we going with monitoring and autonomy?” was moderated by Øyvind Fylling-Jensen of Nofima, Norway and
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need “We to find
included an introductory presentation by Bard Skjelstad of ScaleAQ, Norway. He asked: “Why is more automation NOT happening, or happening faster? Automation is not about reducing staff. Is the market asking the wrong questions?” Session 3, on challenging interactions, was moderated by Damien Toner of Bord Lascaigh Mhara (BIM) Ireland and included an introductory presentation by Jelena Kolarevic, a senior research scientist at Nofima and Professor of RAS Biology at the University of Tromsø. Toner explained: “The four main actors in RAS are the system itself; the fish; the water; and - what’s quite often forgotten, the people that manage these systems.” She added that RAS is a relatively novel environment for aquaculture. It has well understood benefits, but also challenges such as potential exposure to sublethal concentrations of toxic compounds, like ammonia; biologically active water; and artificial light. The presentations in all three sessions were followed by panel discussions. The programme for the main conference, over the next two days, covered a wide range of topics including disease prevention and treatment; IMTA and aquaponics; offshore aquaculture and multiuse of space; recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS); climate change; fish welfare; shellfish; selective breeding; and the role of genomic research. There was also a session highlighting the role of ARCH in encouraging knowledge exchange and innovation in aquaculture in the UK.
what works and what doesn’t work
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www.fishfarmermagazine.com
10/05/2021 15:12:56
