Hawaii Seafood Quality and Aquaculture Workshop - deadline to register is Friday, October 19, 2007
Oceanic Institute, an affiliate of Hawai‘i Pacific University, will hold a workshop, “Seafood Quality and Aquaculture,” in the Asia Room at the IMIN Conference Center (Jefferson Hall, East-West Center, University of Hawai‘i campus), from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Oct. 22-24, 2007.
The purpose is to gather information that will help seafood producers achieve safer, more reliable, and better quality products that will increase consumer confidence in the quality and safety of aquaculture products.
Nineteen experts will give presentations and discuss the potential pathways of contamination through the entire culture and delivery process, from the time the fish are stocked, through growout and harvesting, to the dinner table. The presenters include:
Gleyn Bledsoe, Ph.D., Michigan State University
Daniel P. Cheney, Ph.D., Pacific Shellfish Institute, Olympia, Washington
Anthony P. Farrell, Ph.D., University of British Columbia
Kevin Fitzsimmons, Ph.D., University of Arizona
George Flick, Jr., Ph.D., Virginia Institute of Technology
Ronald W. Hardy, Ph.D., University of Idaho
Jeffrey M. Hinshaw, Ph.D., North Carolina State University
Michael Morrissey, Ph.D., Oregon State University Food Innovation Center
Leonard Obaldo, Ph.D., Oceanic Institute, Hawai‘i
W. Steven Otwell, Ph.D., University of Florida
Barbara Rasco, Ph.D., Washington State University
David H. F. Robb, Ph.D., EWOS Innovation, Scotland, U.K.
Charles R. Santerre, Ph.D., Purdue University
Juan L. Silva, Ph.D., Mississippi State University
Katsuyasu Tachibana, Ph.D., Nagasaki University
Hannah Williams, Ph.D., Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia
Jirawan Yamprayoon, Ph.D., Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Bangkok, Thailand
Jinzeng Yang, Ph.D., University of Hawai‘i at Manoa
The contribution of aquaculture to world seafood has been increasing annually in both total quantity and as a percentage of the total seafood supply over the past decade. Although there may be no differences in flavor, food quality, and safety between wild and cultured fish, aquaculture offers producers greater control over these characteristics.
The location and the diet, life stage, and age of the fish can have a major impact on both the nutrient and contaminant levels of the product. Because farmers provide feed to the fish they culture, the final nutrient content and chemical compositions of farmed fish can be manipulated. Decontamination procedures, as part of the farming practices, may also be a possible means of reducing some contaminant levels in the final product.
“Concern over food safety and quality is a growing concern especially in the area of seafood which is largely imported,” said Dr. Bruce Anderson, President of Oceanic Institute. “This workshop will help delineate the issues and add to the body of information needed for the public to make informed decisions.”
The information gathered at this workshop is intended to benefit seafood farmers and producers. No registration fees are required for the workshop, but seating is limited. If you are interested in attending the workshop, please contact pobryen@oceanicinstitute.org by Friday, Oct. 19, 2007.
Oceanic Institute, an affiliate of Hawai‘i Pacific University, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to research, development and transfer of oceanographic, marine environmental, and aquaculture technologies. The largest marine aquaculture research institution in the U.S., Oceanic Institute is a world leader in conducting applied research in aquaculture production and marine resource conservation.
For more information, visit Oceanic Institute at www.oceanicinstitute.org.
