Global fisheries and aquaculture conference in Colombo tomorrow

The second International Conference on Fisheries and Aquaculture 2015, organised by the International Institute of Knowledge Management, will begin Tuesday at Hotel Galadari in Colombo.

The conference and an exhibition as part of the conference will be held from 25-27 August under the theme ‘Aquaculture in a Global Age’.

The exhibition will provide a unique opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products and services to participants with interests in all areas of fisheries and aquaculture, the organisers said.

The conference is co-hosted by the World Aquaculture Society, the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA), the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) and the Export Development Board.

The event will see the participation of more than 100 representatives from 40 countries.

Around 50 research reports in the fields of advances in seafood processing, crustacean culture, emerging issues in aquaculture, aquaculture standards and certifications and more will be discussed.

The main objectives of the exhibition will be to develop a direct relationship with foreign buyers and to raise the profile of the company and products in the international industry.

The fish and fishery products sector contributes about 9% of the total agricultural exports from Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan fish and fishery product sector has shown an 8% growth over the last five years.

In 2014, Sri Lanka managed to secure third place in the world’s fresh and chilled tuna export sector with a 10% market share. 

In 2014, total exports of fish and fishery products reached $ 253 million and the US, Japan, Italy, UK and the Netherlands were the main export markets. In 2014, total exports of ornamental fish reached $ 13 million.