URI to sponsor Aquaculture Conference
KINGSTON, R.I. -- August 29, 2000 -- The University of Rhode Island
will cosponsor the first Southern New England Aquaculture Conference and
the fifth annual Rhode Island Aquaculture Conference on Oct. 1 and 2 at
the Pell Center at Salve Regina University in Newport. The event is open
to the public.
The conference will showcase the emerging aquaculture industry in the
region and address a wide range of economic, environmental, education and
management issues pertinent to the industry. Representatives from Connecticut,
Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island will participate.
"Although aquaculture has been practiced for thousands of years
in Europe and Asia, it's finally gaining some acceptance in southern New
England," said conference co-chairman Michael Rice, chairman of URI's
Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science. "But it's
also facing a number of critical issues that impede its development to full
potential. This conference will address problems common to aquaculturists
in the Northeast in an effort to resolve the difficulties that hamper the
continued growth of this important industry."
Featured speakers for the conference are Thomas Losordo, who was instrumental
in developing aquaculture in North Carolina and who serves as the president
of the World Aquaculture Society, and August Schumacher, undersecretary
of the Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Additional conference highlights include a discussion of the different
issues the industry faces in various northeastern states, a daylong session
on the use of aquaculture in the classroom, and a four-part working session
for industry representatives and regulators. A reception following the
event's first day will feature a competition to determine which state has
the best tasting shellfish.
Joining URI in sponsoring the event are the Rhode Island Legislative
Commission on Aquaculture, Salve Regina University, Roger Williams University,
URI's Cooperative Extension, Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council,
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Narragansett Bay Commission,
Sea Grant, Connecticut Department of Agriculture, and Massachusetts Department
of Food and Agriculture.
For further information or to register for the conference, contact Michael
Rice at 874-2477 or rice@uri.edu.
-xxx-
For Information: Michael Rice 874-2943, Todd McLeish 874-7892
| 
