RTD Needs in Mediterranean Fish Farming

May 30^th-31^st 2003

profet-gr@feap.info

The second Workshop of the PROFET initiative is to be held at the Metropolitan Hotel (Athens - Greece) on the 30th and 31st May 2003 and is being coordinated by the Federation of Greek Maricultures and the FEAP .

The theme of the Workshop is “RTD Needs in Mediterranean Fish Farming” where the opportunities provided by  farming of seabass, seabream and alternative species will be covered in detail.

The provisional programme and forms for Workshop Registration and Hotel Reservation can be downloaded from the links on the right pane of this window (in Word or PDF format). Many distinguished and experienced players from the European aquaculture sector (producers, scientists and administrators) will be making short presentations and participating in the debates.

Simultaneous translation in English, Greek, Italian and French will be provided.

The Workshop is divided into 7 separate sessions, covering the following issues:

Opportunities for the development of European Aquaculture

This session is devoted to elaborating the current position of aquaculture in Europe, where representatives from the European Commission (DG FISH) will present the actions taken for the Sustainable Development of European Aquaculture and the possibilities for RTD actions within the 6th Framework Programme. In addition, presentations on Networking within the sector and the possibilities for Training will also be made.

New Species in Mediterranean Aquaculture

The use and availability of alternative species to the 'traditional' Mediterranean products (seabass and seabream) will presented and discussed in detail, from the points of view of the scientists and the producers. The issues, problems and advantages of introducing 'new' species will be debated

Environmental challenges for Fish Farming - Fish Health & Fish Welfare

Key issues to be presented and debated include:

• the impact of the nutrient waste of mariculture
• diseases and the availability of therapeutic agents
• vaccination and immunostimulation
• fish welfare issues

These issues are of prime importance to the profession, the legislator and the consumer and a wide range of topics will be addressed, including the role of the aquaculture industry in assuring the approaches required.

Food Safety & Quality

Assuring the safety and quality of the products of aquaculture are one of the key considerations of the profession. The role of industry in assuring the mulit-faceted aspects of 'quality' will be presented while the needs for applying and improving Quality assurance and traceability will be discussed.

Additional topics will include an assessment of organic fish farming and standards, while examining the RTD needs of the profession in respect of this.

Using the Market as a Driving Force for Development

Different issues wll be presented and debated within this session, where trends and opportunities will be discussed while the issues and hopes of the consumer will be put forward by a representative of a Consumer Protection Institute.

Threats and opportunities

Identifying and addressing the threats and opportunities for the European Aquaculture sector is the penultimate session, where presentations will be made on the future for fish feeds, broodstock selection and hatchery technology and the public image of aquaculture will be made. The business of professional aquaculture has changed considerably in the last 10 years, subject to increased legislation and changes in consumer preceptions and behaviour. Discussion will be made on structural changes and the anticipated developments of the sector.

The conclusions of the Workshop will be developed in the final round-table session and these will be used to formulate the recommendations by the Workshop for RTD policy in the future.

The presentations and conclusions of the Workshop will be copied to all Workshop participants.

Additional information

Workshop participation should be made using the Workshop Registration Form - access to these is on  the right-hand pane of this window (the WebForm is for sending by Email (Don't forget to save the file before despatch!) - the Fax Form (Word/PDF) for faxing)

Hotel Registration can be made using the Hotel Registration form (please note that the organisers are unable to intervene in Hotel Registration) - access to these is on  the right-hand pane of this window (the WebForm is for sending by Email (Don't forget to save the file before despatch!)- the Fax Form (Word/PDF) for faxing).

For any further information, please contact profet-gr@feap.info

The PROFET intitiative is being achieved with financial support from the European Commission.