WGAQUA - ICES inaugural meeting | 18-22 March 2013, Ifremer Palavas station

WGAQUA Mission: "Develop science and advice for sustainable aquaculture in the ICES area"

The inaugural meeting of WGAQUA took place at Ifremer, Palavas, France, 18–22 March 2013. 24 researchers from Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Nederlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Spain, UK and United-States have participated to this meeting. Since 1977, several ICES expert groups have contributed to developing science on the environmentaldependence and effects of aquaculture. A single group (WGAQUA) has now been established with a mandate to focus on aquaculture-environment interactions and to address advisory and science requests by member states related to the sustainability of aquaculture farming practices.

The following themes were discussed during the meeting: Aquaculture Technologies and Ecological Services, Sustainable Aquaculture Management Approaches, Environment and Fisheries Interactions with Aquaculture. A visit of the Ifremer Experimental Marine Aquaculture Platform in Palavas was organised on the 20th of March as well as a visit of a shellfish farm located on Thau lagoon (Medithau).

For more information, please contact the WGAQUA chairs: Pauline Kamermans, The Netherlands (Pauline.Kamermans@WUR.nl), Karin Kroon Boxaspen, Norway (KarinB@IMR.no) and Peter Cranford, Canada (CranfordP@mar.DFO-MPO.gc.ca).