Register for Aquaculture Development Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Chuck Weirich, 252-222-6314, chuck_weirich@ncsu.edu
Katie Mosher, 919-515-9069, katie_mosher@ncsu.edu

Posted Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Registration is now open for the 2016 North Carolina Aquaculture Development Conference. The meeting will take place Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 13, 2016, in New Bern at the Doubletree by Hilton Riverfront Hotel.

People interested in fish or shellfish farming, as well as those who sell goods or services to the aquaculture industry, are encouraged to attend. They will join researchers and representatives of state agencies to discuss current topics. North Carolina Sea Grant is one of the event sponsors.

Participants will have access to conference sessions, an industry trade show, and the annual Aquafood festival. The Friday night event features an all-you-care-to-eat spread of North Carolina farm-raised seafood, including oysters, clams, catfish, rainbow trout, tilapia, hybrid striped bass, crawfish and freshwater prawns.

“The conference organizers have provided many great opportunities for the participants. Folks will be able to see what new products are available to the industry at the trade show, network with producers and researchers, and take in the informative sessions that are planned,” notes Chuck Weirich, Sea Grant marine aquaculture specialist.

Attendees can expect to receive timely information on a number of aquaculture topics relevant to both potential and established growers, including updates on production, research, regulations, permitting, aquatic animal health, and sales and marketing, he adds.

Participants also will have access to additional events related to the conference.

A session that provides an introduction to aquaculture and a self-drive tour will be available to conference registrants on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Organizers have planned visits to the aquaculture training program at Carteret Community College in Morehead City, the NOAA aquaculture research facility in Beaufort, and the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.

For an extra fee, participants can attend an aquaponics short-course sponsored by Pentair Aquatic Eco-systems. This training session will be conducted in conjunction with the conference on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

A Shellfish Aquaculture Workshop, sponsored by Sea Grant, will be held on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, in conjunction with the conference. There is no cost for this workshop, but separate registration is required. Go here for more information.

Other sponsors of the Aquaculture Development Conference are the N.C. Aquaculture Association, N.C. Cooperative Extension, N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, N.C. Farm Bureau Federation, N.C. Shellfish Growers Association, N.C. Small Business & Technology Development Center, and NC State University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences.

To register, visit http://www.ncaquaculture.org/registration.html or contact Julia Fiore at 919-515-6780 or jcfiore@ncsu.edu.

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