HALIFAX — While there is still space available, early popular demand for registration at their aquaculture conference this September has proven so strong that the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) and the Canadian Aquaculture Institute (CAI) are announcing their intention to hold a West Coast version of the event in Vancouver in February 2001.

“How to farm the seas II: the science, economics and politics of aquaculture on the West Coast will add some distinctively west coast themes to an already strong international programme about the future of the aquaculture industry,” according to AIMS President and Conference Co-Chairman Brian Lee Crowley. “Not only will we continue to give extensive treatment to hot topics like the safety of aquaculture food products, the environmental effects of aquaculture and the impact of exotic species escapes, but we will be adding topics like the role of the aboriginal community in the aquaculture industry.”

In May, AIMS and CAI launched a joint project to make a contribution to improving both public policy and public understanding with respect to aquaculture nationally. The first initiative of this joint project, How to farm the seas: The science, economics, and politics of aquaculture, will be held in Montague, PEI on September 28-30, 2000.

How to farm the seas II in Vancouver will, like its East Coast predecessor, bring together a team of leading national and international experts to clarify both the strengths and weaknesses of aquaculture, and to discuss the basis for a sensible public policy to govern the industry.

Conference Co-Chairman Dr. Gerry Johnson of the CAI says, “We are delighted that the response to our first conference has been so strong that we feel justified in organising this second event. We have put together a conference programme of international calibre, and people made it clear to us that it had to be just as available to those interested in aquaculture on the Pacific coast as on the Atlantic.”

How to farm the seas II will be held at the Sheraton Vancouver hotel on February 16 – 17, 2001. Early registration (between November 1, 2000 and December 31, 2000) will be $200. After January 1, 2001, registration fees will rise to $275. Registration will close on February 12, 2001. We regret that due to a clerical error, incorrect dates and fees were posted in an earlier version of this announcement. Further information and program updates will be posted regularly.

Information on how to register for the east coast conference at Brudenell River Resort in PEI, Sept. 28-30, 2000, is also available on the AIMS website.

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For further information, please contact:

Brian Lee Crowley, President, AIMS: 902-499-1998, [email protected]

Gerry Johnson, Professor, Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI: 902-566-0853, [email protected]