The Global Aquaculture Alliance’s 2018 Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) conference will land in Ecuador in 2018.
The annual conference, which is dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture, will take place at the Hilton Colon Guayaquil in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from 25 to 27 September, the organization announced on Monday, 8 January.
Guayaquil is Ecuador’s largest city and is the hub of its prosperous shrimp-farming and-processing sector. This is the first time in seven years that GOAL is being held in Latin America and the first time that GOAL has been held in Ecuador.
“Ecuador, one of the earliest supporters of GAA, has become one of the world’s leading shrimp producers and a hotbed of foreign investment,” GAA President George Chamberlain. “GOAL 2018 will celebrate Ecuador’s leadership, which has redefined the term ‘sustainability’ with farms that have been in continuous operation for more than three decades. Production efficiency has steadily improved using a unique combination of breeding, high-quality feeds and semi-intensive management without antibiotics. We look forward to bringing many of the world’s aquaculture thought leaders to Guayaquil to advance the responsible aquaculture discussion.”
The conference will be hosted in conjunction with Ecuador’s Cámara Nacional de Acuacultura (CNA), the trade organization representing Ecuador’s aquaculture sector.
“For more than 50 years, Ecuador has proven to be a leader in shrimp aquaculture, complying with the highest environmental and social standards, which has made it a world reference in the industry,” CNA Executive President José Antonio Camposano said. “For our country and our organization, this is a great opportunity to show other countries and buyers the commitment of this industry on producing a healthy, nutritious and pure premium quality shrimp, farmed in the most sustainable way.”
Established in 2001, the three-day GOAL conference features more than 60 speakers, as well as multiple social and networking opportunities. Last year’s conference was held at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, and attracted more than 400 attendees.
