At the forefront of the aquacultural technological revolution Record attendance - up 30% in 2017 The development of commercial aquaculture in Norway began around 1970, and with the majority of its towns and cities being coastal, it was and remains a prime country for the marine aquaculture industry to absolutely boom. Salmon farming is by far the heart of Norwegian aquaculture production, amounting for more than 80 percent of the farmed fish. Rainbow trout, which features this month as International Aquafeed’s ‘Expert Topic’, is also very important, alongside cod, halibut and shellfish species such as blue mussels and oysters, all of which are in the process of become commercially viable sectors. Of course, aquaculture itself in Norway dates back to 1850 when the first brown trout were hatched, with a history this rich in the practice it is unsurprising that by 2015 nearly 1.4 million tonnes of aquaculture production was recorded. It is for reasons such as these that events such as Aqua-Nor and Nor-Fishing are so imperative for the global fish farming industry. Not to mention that in today’s industrial climate technology is this region is an absolute hot spot for development and research – and the focus for which Aqua-Nor is so internationally famous for. The Crown Prince of Norway Speaking of famous, as aquaculture is such an integral part of Norwegian culture it makes sense, but still a notable privilege, Crown Prince of Norway, Haakon Magnus (left), talks with Payne-Carter, managing director of the Scottish company Ace Aquatec, which won Aqua-Nor 2017’s Innovation Award for its in-line fish stunner. The award comes with a cheque for NOK100,000 The Norwegian Royal family have been participants in the opening of AquaNor for several years.
46 | October 2017 - International Aquafeed