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Conference considers THE NEXT DECADE H ow might the aquaculture industry look ten years from now, and how would we want it to look? These and many more questions were considered by over 1000 delegates at the Skretting Australasian Aquaculture Conference 2012 in Melbourne. AA12 saw presentations from academia, researchers and industry, and provided an opportunity for those in aquaculture and related industries to network and contribute to the future of the industry. "With aquaculture now making up around 50 percent of global fi sh production, it is vital that we ensure it continues as an ecologically sustainable, as well as a profi table industry. " said Mr Jungalwalla, Chair of Australia's National Aquaculture Council. Conference delegates heard the very latest about: fi nfi sh health and hatchery technologies, planning for sustainable aqua- culture development, genetic breeding programs, new species for aquaculture, future feeds for crustaceans, new systems able to reduce water consumption by around 98 percent, and opportu- nities and threats to aquaculture over the next 10 years that offer environmentally friendly solutions to the aquaculture industry. The World Aquaculture Society will host the next event in 2014. BEST PRACTICES CERTIFICATION COULD LESSEN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS A best practice certifi cation system will not only promote responsible practices across the aquaculture sector, it will also reduce the environmental impact of the industry, according to Peter Redmond from the United States-based Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA). He said the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) seafood certifi cation was conceived to improve practices and to lessen the environmental impacts of the aquaculture industry. "BAP standards address environmental and social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability in a voluntary certifi cation program for aquaculture facilities. BAP certifi cation defi nes the most important elements of responsible aquaculture and provides quantitative guidelines by which to evaluate adherence to those practices." The BAP program outlines standards for each type of facility, from hatchery and feed mill to farm to processing plant. It currently certifi es shrimp farms and hatcheries; salmon, tilapia, channel catfi sh and pangasius farms; seafood processing plants and feed mills. Drafted by technical committees with broad stakeholder representation and overseen by a Standards Oversight Committee, the BAP standards are more comprehensive than other certifi cation systems. Although individual standards vary by facility type, all BAP standards address community and employee relations, conservation of biodiversity, soil and water management, and drug and chemical management. RECIRCULATING TECHNOLOGY A KEY PART OF AQUACULTURE'S FUTURE Technology that reduces water consumption by around 98 percent is a key feature of new recirculating systems now available to the global aquaculture industry, according Professor Thomas M Losordo, from the College of Agricultural and Life 6 ■ NZ AQUACULTURE ■ JULY/AUGUST 2012 Sciences at North Carolina State University in America. He said such technology must be part of the future for the rapidly growing aquaculture industry. With the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation reporting that more 50 percent of the world's food fi sh consumption now coming from aquaculture, it is essential that such environmentally friendly technologies are embraced as demand increases for the world's fastest-growing source of animal protein. Professor Losordo, said recirculating technology is part of the answer for the aquaculture industry, however it is not the only answer. "We are not immediately going to be moving all aquaculture that is in the ocean, on to the land." Professor Losordo believes water re-use technology is important, especially for a dry country like Australia. "We have been able to get to a point in technology where the water that goes out of the system is basically environmentally benign," he said. "You can't just create a recirculating system – you have to create the recirculating system with waste treatment. Treating waste from a tank-based recirculating system is much easier than treating waste coming out of a large pond system or even a net pen system, however, if it is not done correctly, all it is doing is concentrating the waste into a single discharge. If you don't treat that waste or re-use the waste water the recirculation system isn't green. If you do incorporate into your design waste treatment, then you can locate on a stream, a creek or a marsh and have no impact on that environment at all." SEAFOOD "EMERGENCY" TESTS INDUSTRY'S RESPONSE PLAN Delegates at a conference workshop took part in a simulated seafood "emergency" to see how its current Seafood Incident Response Plan works in the light of an emergency. Participants took part in a real life simulation where an adverse seafood related incident unfolded. The trial was structured to involve all sectors of the industry testing and strengthening the linkages between industry and existing food regulatory authorities' emergency strategies, and industry responsiveness to the SIRP. No participant received prior warning about the "incident" and they all were required to base their responses on the current SIRP developed in 2010. Alan Snow, the workshop leader for the Seafood Services Australia project said, "It also helps identify weaknesses of our current SIRP and potential improvements that can be made. We hope we will never have to use the SIRP in real life, however undertaking this test of response from industry and authorities has provided many valuable insights which would allow us to better deal with such incidents should they ever occur. It has even allowed participants to think about strategies which can reduce the likelihood of real seafood emergencies." AQUACULTURE BOOM INDUSTRY With demand for food growing at nearly twice supply in recent years, aquaculture will have a vital role in addressing future global food security concerns, "By 2060 we will need around 600 quadrillion calories every single day to feed the human race, said Julian Cribb, author of The Coming Famine. Mr Cribb "