by Margaret Pizer
With global and national demand for seafood growing and wild fisheries only slowly recovering from overharvesting, George Chamberlain, President of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, argues that aquaculture is the future of sustainable seafood.
That was good news for the researchers, watermen, business owners and other aquaculture enthusiasts who gathered in Williambsurg on November 18 and 19 for the biennial Virginia Aquaculture Conference. The meeting, hosted by VIMS and cosponsored by Virginia Sea Grant, featured a plenary session that examined issues of sustainable aquaculture at all scales—from global to local—and detailed sessions focused on the nitty gritty of shellfish, finfish, and prawn farming in Virginia.
In the plenary session, Chamberlain spoke about changing patterns in global seafood consumption and production. Nadine Bartholomew of the Good Foodie Organization covered national trends in seafood consumption and marketing and attitudes about sustainability. Tom Murray of VIMS described some strategies that Virginia seafood farmers can use to educate consumers about the sustainability of aqaucultured seafood products and Karen Burns of the Virginia Aquarium described the Sensible Seafood program, which helps guide Virginia consumers and restaurants towards sustainable seafood options.
The conference also included a gala reception that featured donated cultured seafood and a trade show of aquaculture equipment and products.
