Industry Events
The ninth International Sturgeon Conference
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by Matt Holmes, Features Editor, Fish Farming Technology & International Aquafeed ish farmers and scientists came together for the ninth International Sturgeon Conference in Warsaw, Poland on November 21st, 2018. The one-day conference, at the Airport Hotel Okechie, saw more than 100 people from over 20 countries gather to discuss the plight of one of the world’s oldest fish, sturgeon, and its valuable by-product, caviar. The conference began with an introduction from Jacek Juchniewicz, CEO of Aller Aqua Poland, who said the conference, now in its ninth year, had evolved over the years, from a gathering of dedicated sturgeon farmers, to a meeting encompassing many other areas and topics, like species protection and scientific achievement. Genetics, feed, clean water and additives to help extend the shelf life of caviar, as well as IT to help run fish farms, were all on the agenda at this year’s conference. “There is also an ambition to take sturgeon out on the silk road,” said Mr Juchniewicz. The conference also heard from Harold Rosenthal, President of the World Sturgeon Conservation Society, who said the conference enabled close cooperation at an international level for people involved with sturgeon. Mr Rosenthal said, “there are some opportunities for specific discussions and close cooperation at an international level.”
The Vienna Declaration
He spoke about the Vienna Declaration which has been signed up to by 17 nations already. The Vienna Declaration has four aims: To protect and preserve sturgeon species as emblematic flagship or umbrella species on biodiversity conservation for future generations To account for the need for long-term and adequately-resourced sturgeon conservation measures, supported by improved governance frameworks
To protect and restore rivers as dynamic disturbance driven systems. Their hydro-morphology and ecosystems services depend upon intact functionality, as well as longitudinal/lateral connectivity To ensure that attempts to restore and protect sturgeon populations to effective control and combat fraud and illegal, unrelated and unrecorded catch and trade, while at the same time supporting sustainable aquaculture as an alternative mode of production of sturgeon commodities. Mr Rosenthal spoke of the need to restore river connectivity and to adjust fisheries management to ensure the survival of the species. Sturgeon is one of the most endangered fish on the planet, he said. Communities need to find new ways of making an alternative income to sturgeon farming and to have a coordinated management structure for restocking the fish. “The illegal fishing of sturgeon and the trade in caviar must be a focal area of enforcement actions,” he said. “Farms cultivating sturgeon for consumer markets may be partners in conservation programmes.” The conference also heard from Paolo Bronzi, a board member with the WSCS, about recent moves in the sturgeon meat and caviar market. He spoke about the rapid growth in sturgeon and caviar production in China. There are now 2,314 plants producing sturgeon – including three in the UK. “China is the driver of global production,” said Mr Bronzi. He also spoke about the five “p’s” of marketing: products, place, price, promotion and perception.
Saving the sturgeon
Professor Leonardo Congiu, of Padua University, went into some detail about the genetics of sturgeon and the importance of getting the broodstock mix right in aquaculture farms. Jutta Jahrl, of the Worldwide Fund for Nature, spoke about the importance of improved traceability of caviar to fight illegal trade. “Seizures of illegal caviar have decreased but poaching continues,” she said.
58 | January 2019 - International Aquafeed