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| Incoming EAS president Kjell Maroni left and Yves Harache |
The annual general assembly of the European Aquaculture Society appointed Kjell Maroni, director of research and development for aquaculture at the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund in Trondheim as its new president this evening in Prague, Czech Republic.
He succeeds Yves Harache of France who has held the position for the past two years.
The mandate from the membership on Dr Maroni's appointment was to deliver high quality conferences where presentations were of value to the attendee and where all participants could exchange ideas, discuss projects and develop useful contacts through networking opportunities.
"That's the membership's mandate but delivered in an environment that is broadly based yet contains focused areas of activity."
Dr Maroni see a key challenge for his presidency over the next two years in bringing "active connection" between industry and science.
With his background in science prior to joining the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund, he is naturally sympathetic towards researchers.
"Many scientists feel that their work is very important but not always acknowledged by industry. That must be carried forward while also inviting more people to our conferences from industry."
He says addressing this issue is more of an opportunity than a challenge. He is also aware that not all industry is the same.
"There are huge differences between an industrialised farm to small-scale farms such as pond farms in Eastern Europe which are based on hundreds of years of farming. It's important to learn and understand the differences between these sectors."
Dr Maroni also identifies the shortcoming in knowledge surrounding such issues as the impact of fish farming on traditional fishing practices, the interaction between wild and farmed fish, the real footprint of aquaculture in terms of not only carbon but parasitic populations such as sea lice and the impact of catching or producing raw materials for aquaculture that leads to a negative image for the industry.
"The picture is more complex than you would expect and good documentation based on good science will help improve the total perception of aquaculture. Industry needs more science-based findings to counter negativity," he concluded.
He succeeds Yves Harache of France who has held the position for the past two years.
The mandate from the membership on Dr Maroni's appointment was to deliver high quality conferences where presentations were of value to the attendee and where all participants could exchange ideas, discuss projects and develop useful contacts through networking opportunities.
"That's the membership's mandate but delivered in an environment that is broadly based yet contains focused areas of activity."
Dr Maroni see a key challenge for his presidency over the next two years in bringing "active connection" between industry and science.
With his background in science prior to joining the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund, he is naturally sympathetic towards researchers.
"Many scientists feel that their work is very important but not always acknowledged by industry. That must be carried forward while also inviting more people to our conferences from industry."
He says addressing this issue is more of an opportunity than a challenge. He is also aware that not all industry is the same.
"There are huge differences between an industrialised farm to small-scale farms such as pond farms in Eastern Europe which are based on hundreds of years of farming. It's important to learn and understand the differences between these sectors."
Dr Maroni also identifies the shortcoming in knowledge surrounding such issues as the impact of fish farming on traditional fishing practices, the interaction between wild and farmed fish, the real footprint of aquaculture in terms of not only carbon but parasitic populations such as sea lice and the impact of catching or producing raw materials for aquaculture that leads to a negative image for the industry.
"The picture is more complex than you would expect and good documentation based on good science will help improve the total perception of aquaculture. Industry needs more science-based findings to counter negativity," he concluded.
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