FEATURE
Aquaculture takes centre stage at MONACO BLUE INITIATIVE 2015 6TH EDITION We must understand that aquaculture is already bigger than any other land based farming, so it is important to work with it through a shared stewardship, rather than campaign against it
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he last edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI) in Chile in 2014 questioned the status and feedback from aquaculture in America, towards a sustainable approach to its development. The 2015 edition held in Monaco at the Monaco Royal Yacht Club, on June 25-26 2015, pursued these discussions with experts and decision-makers worldwide on the theme: Feeding and fueling the world through sustainable aquaculture. Whilst it is acknowledged that seafood is now a source of food and income for one quarter of the world’s population there is always pressure on the industry from the conservation NGOs. Today, fisheries catch remains stable but the production of aquaculture continues to rise. World production of seafood from aquaculture has more than doubled in 12 years, from 32 million to 67 million tonnes in 2012. With no stopping the global population increases there is continuous pressure being applied to ensure sustainable food production. The MBI program covered the subjects of: Aquaculture to feed the world?; New fron-
tiers for aquaculture; The struggle between quantity and quality – the path to sustainable aquaculture and MPAs and Blue Carbon Towards Ocean & Climate. The program was aiming to get the delegates to consider the implications of the ocean becoming an area for large-scale cultivation in terms of environmental protection, regulation and collaboration. Indeed, these new challenges once again highlight the importance of involving scientists, industrialists, NGOs, etc, to the establishment of a sustainable production system and make the best rather than the most of these new resources. The day started with H.E.M. Bernard Fautrier, Plenipotentiary Minister and CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Robert Calcagno, CEO of the Oceanographic Institute, Prince Albert I of Monaco Foundation, introducing the program. Moderated by François Simard (Polar and Marine Program, International Union for the Conservation of Nature) the first session included panelists Roy Palmer (Association of International Seafood Professionals); Doris Soto (FAO - FIRA); Fabio Massa (GFCM) 16 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | July-August 2015
the discussion focused on the fact that aquaculture is happening, is the fastest growing primary industry and that the demand for fish products has increased vastly in the last few years. Noting that more than one billion people in developing countries depend on fish to survive and 16.5 percent of global protein consumption is from fish with that likely to improve in the future. In order to get an understanding about the difference between the East and the West in respect of aquaculture Mr Palmer quoted Elisabeth Mann Borgese (1918-2002), founder of the International Oceans Institute. This highlights, he said, the importance of the industry to the Asian countries and the failure of the West to come to grips with production. "That aquaculture has a philosophical base in the East and a scientific base in the West has far-reaching implications. "In the East, it is culture, it is life: culture to improve life by providing food and employment. It is embedded in the social and economic infrastructure. All that science can and must do is to make this culture more effective. "In the West, aquaculture is science and technology, embodied in industry and providing profits: money. It has no social infrastructure. In this, the West has much to learn from the East." - Elizabeth Mann Borgese (19182002), Seafarm, The Story of Aquaculture, 1980