by Alex Whitebrook, International Aquafeed
Conservation is key in our industry, considering this vital link between fisheries and aquaculture, in April International Aquafeed attended the Conservation Optimism Summit at Dulwich College, London. The conference is a three-day event focused on highlighting the positive developments in a field from which we too often hear stories of tragedy.
The need for conservation is clearly evidenced in our ‘Expert topic’, as pointed out by Dr Shuichi Satoh, Japanese amberjack production relies heavily on wild-caught fingerlings in order to sustain the industry. This dependence on fisheries is common within aquaculture.
The summit website expands, “Conservation is too often seen as a crisis discipline... We believe this is counter-productive... Budding and perennial conservationists need to feel inspired and continue in the profession, not be put off by pessimism. The public, businesses and government need to know that their actions can make a difference. With this summit, we aim to reframe the conservation movement by celebrating positive thinking in conservation, and putting forward a road map for change towards an optimistic and forward-thinking future.”
We attended the presentations with the aim of learning more about the world of marine reserves.
Crawling back from the brink on eight legs
Madagascar has a population similar to Australia’s, and yet over 90 percent of its population lives on less than two dollars per day. Over half of its children are suffering from malnutrition. Along the country’s south-west coastline, many coastal communities rely heavily on the fishing of octopus to make a living; however, recent years have seen this way of life threatened, as overfishing and population pressure have drastically reduced the livestock.
Read the full article from International Aquafeed's May edition HERE.
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