For the first time in the history of the exhibition, Nor-Fishing 2014 was officially opened by a female member of the Norwegian royal family, Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway.
Queen Sonja was also joined by Norwegian Minister of Fisheries, Elisabeth Aspaker, Mayor of Trondheim, Rita Ottervik, and director of fisheries and chairman of the Nor-Fishing Foundation, Liv Holmefjord.
Her Majesty stressed that we must be aware of changes within the global environment, and that the there are common challenges that must be solved. She said that to feed the world's population of seven billion people - which is growing rapidly - we are looking more to the ocean. Queen Sonja highlighted that in order to protect the resources in the ocean for future generations, we need sustainable management.
Education, knowledge and new solutions are vital, she said.
In her closing remarks, Queen Sonja pointed out that the opening ceremony was dominated by women, and that she was sharing the podium with three other women in leading positions - and said that this was probably unthinkable at the first Nor-Fishing in 1960.
Women are increasingly more important actors in the industry, she said.
Minister of Fisheries, Elisabeth Aspaker, made the point during her speech that although fish is a renewable resource, it is not unlimited. Research and knowledge on sustainability is vital, she explained.
"World sustainability and profitability rests on knowledge and expertise," she said. The world is changing and we must adapt to equip for a new global framework - what is paid into research today, will give payback for the future," she added.
Over 450 exhibitors are present in Trondheim, Norway for the 25th Nor-Fishing exhibition, which runs from 19-22 August.
