Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Dialogues

Dr. Steven Summerfelt will be attending the Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Dialogue November 5 to 6, 2009, Barcelona, Spain

 

Contact: Steve Summerfelt, 304-876-2815 ext. 211

 

Dr. Steven Summerfelt of the Conservation Fund's Freshwater Institute will be attending the next meeting of the Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Dialogue, which will be held on November 5-6, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain. This will be the third gathering of the Dialogue, which is a group of trout producers, conservationists, scientists and others who began meeting in November 2008 to develop global standards for responsible Rainbow Trout aquaculture.

At the Spain meeting, participants will finalize the criteria – the areas to focus on to address the key impacts associated with freshwater trout aquaculture – and begin creating indicators for measuring the extent of each impact. The criteria and indicators will be the foundation for the performance-based standards that producers will need to adopt to become certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, a new organization that will be responsible for working with independent, third party entities to certify farms that are in compliance with the Dialogue standards.

When adopted, the final standards will help minimize the key environmental and social impacts of freshwater trout aquaculture – such as water pollution and the transfer of diseases to other fish – which were identified at the inaugural meeting of the Dialogue.

“The process we use recognizes the value of getting input from as many people as possible,” said Christoph Mathiesen of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), who coordinates the Dialogue. “By engaging with the people who care most about trout aquaculture and know the most about it, we are confident we will end up with standards that are fair and attainable.”

To ensure the standards are based on the best science available, one of the other goals of the November meeting will be to identify research that needs to be done to fill information gaps related to freshwater trout aquaculture.

The meeting will be held at the Hotel AC Diplomatic.

For more information about the trout Dialogue, go to www.worldwildlife.org/troutdialogue

About The Conservation Fund

The Conservation Fund is the nation's foremost environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting America's land and water legacy for current and future generations. Seeking innovative conservation solutions for the 21st century, the Fund works to integrate economic and environmental goals. Since its founding in 1985, the Fund has helped its partners safeguard wildlife habitat, working landscapes, community “greenspace” and historic sites totaling more than 6 million acres. With 1% fundraising costs and 97% program allocation, The Conservation Fund is recognized as the nation's top-rated environmental nonprofit by both the American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator.