Aqua Nor Day 2 – Lots to learn and see

 

Ice sculpture outside a Trondheim hotel.

Our crew headed back to Aqua Nor  today for Day Two.

The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association co-hosted an international seminar on salmon farming economics, technology and research. The day-long workshop included ten speakers.

Nell Halse, VP Communications at Cooke Aquaculture and a member of the International Salmon Farmers’ Association, gave an overview of ISFA’s recent socio-economic report on the global salmon farming industry.

Nell Halse, VP Communications at Cooke Aquaculture and a member of the International Salmon Farmers Association

The report – entitled Salmon Farming: Sustaining Communities and Feeding the World – contains some remarkable statistics.

Here’s one that will knock your socks off: Global salmon farmers produce 14.8 billion meals every year from only .00008 per cent of the world’s oceans.(262 sq km).

“Salmon farming is one of the most efficient protein producers in the world,” said Halse.

That’s a lot of healthy meals to feed a growing population.

And it’s especially impressive when you think that the salmon farming industry did not exist 40 years ago. The report also shows that based on 2012-13 statistics, the global salmon farming industry produced $10 billion (USD) worth of salmon and created  121,000 direct and indirect jobs around the world, stimulating thousands more spin-off jobs and economic growth in a wide variety of other sectors.

You can read the full report here.

Participants also heard several presentations about Recirculated Aquaculture Systems (RAS) in land-based aquaculture as well as several about biotechnology and salmon genomics.

Frode Mathisen with Grieg Seafood said RAS is working for smolt production, but there are still significant challenges to overcome before it will be feasible to grow fish to harvest that way. He said it would cost $222 Billion (NOK) and 444 sites to move Norway’s farmed salmon production to land.

“It’s just not realistic to replace what we already have (in the ocean) on land,” said Mathisen.

Some of the municipal and First Nations representatives who attended the international workshop co-hosted by ACFFA. From the left: Stanley Choptiany, Mayor, St. Andrews, New Brunswick; Roger Taylor, Warden, District of Shelburne; Terry Paul, Chief of Membertou First Nation; Aldric Benoit, Warden, Municipality of Argyle, Nova Scotia.

With at least 14 halls and display areas to see at Aqua Nor, there was still lots to do and learn. Aqua Nor is bursting with people and energy, and so is Trondheim when about 20,000 people descend upon this city. Delegates are welcomed with wonderful Norwegian hospitality; Aqua Nor flags line the streets; fish-themed ice sculptures are displayed in front of hotels; concerts are held in the city center.

After the day at the show, many of our crew walked back to their hotel along the waterfront, where we saw some neat things along the way.

Trondheim features incredible bike and walking trails almost everywhere in the city. If you are not careful, you will get hit by a bike!

 

The walking trails include these stairs right into the Norwegian Sea.

Trondheim is also experiencing some unusually warm weather. Here is what they do to cool off:

Brave swimmers jumping into the sea.

The waterfront also features several “beach” areas:

That’s a barbecue between the two picnic tables. There are several barbecues along the waterfront.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post about lump fish! I’ll bet no one has ever told you that before.

Until then, we’ll leave you with the Picture of the Day…this one taken by Ben Cleveland, Mayor of Digby, on his way home from the trade show.

A perfect reflection of a building in the water. Pic by Ben Cleveland. Thanks for sharing it!