Fisheries scientists and professionals from around the country and around the world will gather in Atlantic City from August 19 to 23 for the annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society (AFS).
Aquaculture will be a primary focus, with presentations on breeding, rearing, and harvesting of aquatic organisms in freshwater, brackish and marine environments.
“The programming planned for AC is a continuation of our members' work to make aquaculture effective, efficient and aligned with the principles of natural resource stewardship,” said incoming AFS President Dr Jesse Trushenski, an expert in aquaculture.
Bigger picture
Globally, the shellfish aquaculture industry is experiencing a period of rapid growth. In 2014, US production of clams, oysters and mussels exceeded 40 million pounds and valued at US$300 million.
The sessions at the AFS annual meeting will provide a forum for discussing current aquaculture research and policy in the United States and abroad.
There will be three educational sessions on aquaculture. The first will address advances in automated instrumentation and how it can be an effective tool for monitoring and managing aquaculture and fisheries. The second will explore how fisheries can benefit from aquaculture and the third will analyse the ecological interactions of shellfish farming, specifically through the science and policy behind it.
Additional presentation topics will include shellfish aquaculture-environment interactions, marine spatial planning for shellfish aquaculture, ecosystem services provided by shellfish aquaculture, current bottlenecks to industry growth, development of hatchery methods, potential interactions with protected species and shellfish diseases.
More information from www.afsannualmeeting.fisheries.org
