The World Fisheries Congress (WFC) has announced that Professor Katsumi Tsukamoto of The University of Tokyo will join its roll of distinguished keynote speakers at the Congress, in May 2012, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Professor Tsukamoto, of the University’s Department of Marine Bioscience, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, discovered, with a team of researchers, that fresh water eels swim out to sea and lay their eggs on the surface, as opposed to the ocean floor, as had been assumed.
His insights potentially could be the catalyst for increased production of eel in Japan – a key market place, allowing the industry to look at new ways to satisfy a demanding market. At the Congress, Professor Tsukamoto will focus on his findings, and the impact on eel production.
He joins the other confirmed speakers at the Congress, including: Professor Sir John Beddington CMG FRS, Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government and Professor of Applied Population Biology at Imperial College London; Professor Ray Hilborn, University of Washington, Seattle, US; Mike Mitchell, Technical Director and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Youngs Seafood Company, UK; Dr Malcolm Beveridge, Director of Aquaculture and Genetics at the WorldFish Center, Zambia; and, Eric C. Schwaab of the US National Marine Fisheries Service.
The WFC, taking place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre from 7-11 May 2012, addresses the important topic of “Sustainable Fisheries in a Changing World”, and will examine the science that underpins sustainable fishing; adaptive management and tools to cope with changing environments; the social and economic cost of failure; and meeting increasing food and nutrition needs through cultivation.
