Paolo Bray, director of Friend of the Sea, will be speaking at the 2012 meeting of the World Aquaculture Society, which will be held from the 1-5 September in Prague.
The theme of the event is ‘Global Aquaculture – Securing our Future’. According to last UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, aquaculture output is expected to rise 33% over the next decade. By 2018 farmed fish will exceed captured fish for human consumption for the first time and its share should reach 52% in 2021. Global fish demand is increasing as it represents a valuable source of protein and essential micronutrients for a balanced nutrition, according to Reuters.
From this point of view aquaculture is facing a big challenge and both economic and environmental sustainability are a key-issue to be considered for the development of the entire sector.
The first Friend of the Sea certifications of farmed fish date back to 2006 when the first Shetland Islands salmon plant and Italian seabream and rainbow trout were approved. From then on the variety of species and the number of certified products originated from aquaculture activities, all over the world, has notably increased. Now around 65% of all FOS certified products are farmed and a further increase is likely.
At Aqua 2012, on 2 September, Dr Bray will give an update on the FOS certification program, explaining the procedures and giving evidence of all the benefits the certification entails.
