H.M. King Harald will officially open Aqua Nor 2011

H.M. King Harald will officiate at the opening of Aqua Nor 2011 on 16th August 2011 in Trondheim, Norway. Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Mrs. Lisbeth Berg-Hansen, will also attend the official opening together with guests from the fisheries authorities of other countries.

The Chairperson of the Nor-Fishing Foundation, Director of Fisheries Liv Holmefjord, expressed her gratitude to His Majesty on behalf of the industry. "This underscores the enormous importance of the aquaculture industry for Norway, and we are indeed grateful that His Majesty will honour the event with his presence in this way," she said. His Majesty has attended the official opening of both Aqua Nor and the sister event, Nor-Fishing, several times through the years, and as recent as in 2010 he officially opened the fisheries exhibition Nor-Fishing 2010 in Trondheim.

For over a century the Royal Family has shown great interest in the fisheries and aquaculture industry. As early as in 1908, then King Haakon VII, accompanied by Queen Maud and the young Crown Prince Olav, opened the large Scandinavian Fisheries Exhibition in Trondheim. In later years, both King Olav V, King Harald V, and Crown Prince Haakon have attended the official openings of Nor-Fishing and Aqua Nor (see attached list of official openings).

This year's Aqua Nor will be the 17th aquaculture exhibition since the start in 1979. From very modest beginnings in 1979, Aqua Nor has grown into the world's largest and most important exhibition of aquaculture technology, with visitors from about 50 nations. The interest in Aqua Nor 2011 is very strong, and practically the whole exhibition area has already been booked. The organisers also point out that several international conferences and seminars will be held in Trondheim during the exhibition in August.

More information about AQUA NOR on the event website