With a decade or two, aquaculture will be the "dominate" means of seafood production worldwide, University of Stavanger professor Frank Asche told attendees on the final day of the biennial AquaVision conference in Stavanger, Norway.
"The potential for increased production seems larger for aquaculture than other food-producing technologies," said Asche, who co-authored an article on the sustainable seafood movement in the journal Science earlier this year.
Asche said he expects aquaculture production to increase without damaging the ecosystem. "There is nothing inherently unsustainable with aquaculture as long as the producers choose to operate on a sustainable basis," he explained.
Knut Nesse, executive VP of Nutreco Aquaculture/Skretting Group, shared Asche's optimism about aquaculture's potential. "Aquaculture is a winning industry. There is no doubt about that," he said. "Aquaculture is the blue revolution. We are able to supply a growing population with healthy food, but our industry is also fantastic if you look at value created."
However, attendees of the conference, which ran from Tuesday to Thursday, concur that the aquaculture industry needs to invest more in improving its reputation, according to an impromptu poll taken during the event. More than 80 percent of attendees surveyed answered "no" to the question, "Are you satisfied with how the industry manages its reputation today?"
About 340 delegates from 26 countries attended AquaVision this year.
