BERLIN Industry Events
Aquaculture Europe
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by Rebecca Sherratt, Features Editor, International Aquafeed
he latest rendition of Aquaculture Europe, as hosted by the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) recently took place at the ESTREL Convention Centre on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany. Hosted over the course of four days, from October 7-10th, the event provided plenty for attendees to enjoy, with its plentiful array of conference sessions designed to complement the 130 exhibitors from a record-breaking 85 countries available to approach and network with at the event. Aquaculture Europe 2019 certainly proved to be a success, organiser Mario Stael confirming over 2,700 attendees present, 1,700 of which attended the conferences whilst the remaining 1,000 attended specifically for the exhibition. In addition, over 50 percent of the exhibitors were new to the event, showing that AES are increasing in both influence and popularity. BioMar were the gold sponsor for the event, and also provided exhibitors with a lovely networking dinner on the evening of the seventh.
Women in Aquaculture and the AE2019 Innovation Forum
On October 9th I attended the conference jointly organised by EAS and The Fish Site, entitled ‘Women in Aquaculture’. Hosted by Synnøve Hellund of NOFIMA and the European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform (EATIP), as well as Rob Fletcher from The Fish Site, the conference promoted open discussion on challenges, success stories and difficulties women face in the aquaculture industry. The conference also featured six panel members, Lara Barazi of Kephalonian Fisheries, Ben Hadfield of MOWI, Ole Christiansen of BioMar, Birgit Schmidt-Puckhaber from the German Agricultural Society, Selina Stead of the University of Stirling and Matthijs Metselaar of Benchmark Animal Health. It surprised me immensely to discover, as Rob Fletcher stated in his opening speech, that women make up 70 percent of the global aquaculture workforce but are “chronically underrepresented”. The
lack of women visible in the field is also strange, considering that the vast majority of students studying master’s degrees and PhDs in aquaculture and the sciences are women, added Ms Hellund. A variety of hard-hitting questions and points were raised in the conference, including the specific challenges women face in how to behave in the workforce. Lara Barazi noted that one challenge she has faced frequently is how to assert yourself as an authoritative force in the workplace as a woman, without being seen as rude rather than assertive. Issues regarding maternity and paternity leave were also discussed, along with the importance to provide a proper support network for colleagues of all genders who want to openly discuss issues they may come across at work. Birgit Schmidt and Matthijs Metselaar also emphasised the importance of self-confidence and being vocal about your aspirations to attain a higher position within a company. Being bold and honest with others about your aspirations, they state, are key traits needed to elevate yourself in any industry. International Aquafeed also attended a variety of other conferences during the exhibition, including the especially intriguing AE2019 Innovation Forum. With the aquaculture industry evolving at such a rapid rate, EAS expressed the need to promote these new technologies to help develop the sector. 12 companies gave brief presentations throughout the day on their innovative new technologies, which they eagerly offered as investment opportunities to clients. Topics ranged from algal bloom diagnosis and prevention to quality control, real-time monitoring solutions, oyster production equipment and wood as a protein source, to name a few of the many great ideas expressed throughout the day.
A successful week of aquatic innovations
Aquaculture Europe 2019 certainly delivered with its blend of conferences and exhibitions, and it was clear from speaking to the organisers following the event that they are extremely pleased with the brilliant turnout at the event. The next Aquaculture Europe exhibition will take place in Cork, Ireland on September 29-October 2nd, 2020, with the theme ‘The Blue in the Green’.