AQUA 2012 : Global Aquaculture - Securing our future

The AQUA events are co-organised by EAS and WAS every 6 years, and AQUA 2012 succeeds the 2006 event in Florence, Italy and the 2000 event held in Nice, France. The event comprises an international scientific conference, an international trade exhibition, workshops for aquaculture producers, forums organised by students and by the European Commission Directorate General for research and many other satellite workshops and meetings.

The previous AQUA events each attracted more than 2000 participants from over 50 countries, showing the global importance of aquaculture and specifically this event.

The theme "Securing our Future" has several aspects. It has obvious implication in global and regional food security and aquaculture trade, placing aquaculture products in the global fisheries market. It also refers to economic and environmental sustainability and the image of aquaculture activities. Our future is what we make of it now - how we alleviate poverty; how we manage our future resource needs and especially how we educate, train and manage knowledge for the next generation of aquaculture researchers, producers and other stakeholders.

AQUA 2012 Programme co-chairs Marco Saroglia, José Polanco and Zdenek Adamek have put together a vast programme of more than 50 technical sessions that will be open for abstract submission. Major pillars of the technical programme include Environment, Biodiversity and Climate Change; Aquaculture Certification; Aquaculture and Human Health; Production Systems; Feedstuffs, Feeds and Feed additives; Molluscs & other Invertebrates; Marine Shrimp; General Finfish Culture; Freshwater Fish Culture; Marine Fish Culture; Seaweeds; Ornamentals; Aquaculture Economics; Animal Welfare, Health and Diseases; Breeding and Genetics and other specialised topics. The programme therefore covers many aspects of the global aquaculture value chain for contribution by authors from all over the world.

Following the approval of the location by EAS and WAS Boards, Michael New OBE, Chair of the AQUA 2012 Steering Committee commented: "After somewhat delicate discussions over the past 2 years with our partners and authorities in St. Petersburg, Russia and subsequently in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the approved location in Prague is for me definitely not a ‘third choice' location. We just hadn't considered it in our earliest discussions. After visiting Prague for the first time early this year, I was taken in by its beauty and fascinated by the centuries-old tradition of aquaculture, pond and water management in the Czech Republic. Prague is at the centre of Europe. It is an easy location to fly or drive to and the congress centre is close to the centre, with excellent metro links stopping in front of the building and with an extremely wide choice of luxury and budget hotels within easy reach".

AQUA 2012 will be organised with the local partnership of the University of South Bohemia, the home of Czech aquaculture and pond fisheries. Professor Otomar Linhart, Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters at the university expressed his support, saying that "the University of South Bohemia is exceptionally proud to host the organisation of AQUA 2012 in our country. This year, we are celebrating the 90th birthday of the Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology and the chance that we have to announce AQUA 2012 at the upcoming inauguration of the South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses is one that we will not miss. Our Institute staff members are young, dynamic and motivated and we will do our utmost to support the success of AQUA 2012."