Aquaculture Europe 2019 in Berlin has the theme “Our Future – Growing from Water”. The Plenary sessions of the event feature prominent speakers to give their opinions and overviews of different aspects of the them. So we are pleased to present you our AE2019 Plenary Sessions and speakers.
Day 1. Tuesday, October 8th 09h00 to 09h40. “The Environment and Fish Health” – Professor Charles R. Tyler, Biosciences, University of Exeter, UK
Fish are incredibly diverse and have adapted to live in almost every type of water on earth (in some cases even heavily polluted waters). The physiological diversity that has enabled them to do so is quite staggering. Equally aquatic environments, most notably freshwaters, are some of the most threatened globally due to high demands for freshwater, excessive pollution, overfishing and alterations due to changes in climate. Fish are excellent barometers of aquatic ecosystem health and declines in both their diversity and abundance globally is a major cause for concern, not least because of their fundamental roles in ecosystem function and as a source for food for hundreds of millions of millions of people. Understanding the adaptive physiological mechanisms of fish is important as we seek ways to better protect our fisheries to ensure their sustainability and also for aquaculture as we look to develop efficiencies in production, preservation of genetic integrity and ensuring good animal welfare. This talk will be free ranging with the purpose of provoking thought into might better translate knowledge on fish physiology for optimizing aquaculture practice.
Charles Tyler is a reproductive physiologist, ecotoxicologist and environmental biologist. His research spans investigations into the mechanisms of endocrine disrupting chemicals and nanoparticle ecotoxicology, population level effects of environmental contaminants in wildlife, principally fish, and sustainable aquaculture.
Much of his research involves applying molecular techniques to understand the mechanisms through animal physiological processes are disrupted by environmental contaminants and other stressors and includes the development of novel transgenic fish. He studies in aquaculture are focused on understanding microbiomes and their associations with fish health, largely carried out in Malawi, India and Bangladesh. He has a deep passion for wildlife and his projects also include studies into the natural ecology of insects, fish, and birds.
Charles is co-Director both of the centre for Sustainable Aquaculture Futures at the University of Exeter and the Great Western (Universities of Bristol, Bath, Cardiff, Exeter) Water Security Alliance. He also plays leading roles in various strategic research partnerships with external partners including AstraZeneca and the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences. He has published 285 research papers/reviews and has an h index of 90. He has trained 80 PhD/MPhil students.
Day 2. Wednesday 9th 09h00 to 10h00. “Producer, trade and consumer” A presentation/panel session moderated by Alexander Wever, AWF Consulting, Berlin, Germany
The Day 2 plenary is a presentation/discussion on the most relevant topics from the tri-lateral constellation of aquaculture production, trade and consumption in Europe. It shall give voice to the concerns and standpoints of producers, traders and consumers, referring to the “elephant in the room” which are standpoints that are very clear to everyone familiar with the business but usually left unsaid, additionally challenging them with highlighted individual statements from random European stakeholders (video messages).
Within this short time slot, we would like to provide delegates an insight in the complexity of professional aquaculture production and trade in the very sensitive context of European consumer expectations, globalized market structures and other “realities”. The session will be introduced by Birgit Schmidt-Puckhaber with an initial presentation by Alexander Wever, AWF Consulting and followed by a discussion with our panellists from Aquapri and ASC
Founded in 2008 by Alexander Wever, AWF Consulting is now an established management consultancy specialising in the fishing industry. We support companies in the fishing industry with business issues and companies in other sectors of the economy with questions in the fields of fish/seafood. This includes, in particular, market analysis, market research and the development of tailor-made marketing concepts. Our clients are national and international companies, from small fish businesses to globally active food companies. We pay particular attention to a practical, comprehensible approach, which should be reflected in quickly implementable results. In addition, we represent the interests of national and international organisations and companies on the German-speaking and Northern European market.
The founder and owner of AWF, Alexander Wever, has been working full-time in the fish/seafood sector for more than 20 years, so that AWF has a wide-ranging, personal-based, excellent professional network. The exclusive specialization in the fish/seafood sector enables AWF to offer consulting services in a broad and depth-wide manner on this topic, which should be unique in the German-speaking world. This includes, in particular, the exact analysis of value chains and sales channels, the assessment of consumer preferences and complex calculation models for seafood. In addition, we also focus on very practical topics such as the preparation of seminar concepts and their implementation, the rough planning of fish departments, specialist articles and specialist lectures.
Day 3. Thursday 10th 11h45 to 12h30 (PLEASE NOTE THE TIME!). “Managing risks in a changing environment” – Dr. Dina Dziuba, Senior Underwriter, Agricultural Risks, Hannover Re, Germany.
Over recent years, we have seen various impacts of climate change influencing the agriculture – and especially aquaculture – insurance and reinsurance world. Frequency and severity of extreme weather conditions, e.g. hail and storm damage in the polar regions, heat and drought in the equatorial regions, not only require adapted production management and improved technology, but also new approaches to risk management. Other impact factors, e.g. based on geopolitical stability and operations in new and emerging regions, have also challenged the methods and models used to understand, assess and eventually predict risks and damages.
As reinsurance provider, we interact closely with our customers and producers to work on new coping strategies. A key element for us is the improved understanding of weather and climate . This final plenary will dive into this and give insights into future changes in food production systems and how aquaculture fits in that picture.
Dr. Dina Dziuba was born in Hannover, Germany. She is a Veterinarian and graduated at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at University Leipzig. Dina conducted her Doctorate at Veterinary University of Hannover in a topic related to Animal Husbandry and Welfare. She gained veterinary experience during some years of General and Equine Practice and during her Post-doc position in Orthopaedic Research at the Veterinary University of Hannover. In 2011, Dina joined Hannover Re and is responsible as Senior Underwriter for Livestock-, Bloodstock- and Aquaculture business Worldwide as well as Agriculture business in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, Austria.
This last plenary presentation will be followed by the AE2019 Poster Awards ceremony.
