‘Aquaculture without Frontiers’ Launched in Australia

‘Aquaculture without Frontiers’ Launched in Australia

Aquaculture, the farming of aquatic organisms, including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants, is rapidly becoming one of the biggest contributors to sustainable food production for the world.

In many developing countries, aquaculture at subsistence level is already an important source of both income and nutrition for millions of families and, when aggregated, is a key contributor to the economic growth of many nations.

Modern aquaculture can be undertaken with minimal impacts to sensitive coastal environments and can contribute to the welfare of our ocean resources, rather than depleting them, by providing a sustainable alternative to harvesting wild fish and other aquatic creatures. Additionally aquaculture is the major means to fish stock enhancement globally.

In the decades to come, aquaculture is likely to underpin the future health of all humans by providing the essential nutrients and vitamins currently missing from many diets, and at an affordable price.

The key to these outcomes is science and technology and connecting those to the world through education and training.  Australia is well placed to play an important role in this with world-class science and education institutions and an established training package, best practice technology and with skills and knowledge of many individuals with experience in this sunrise industry.

Aquaculture without Frontiers (Australia) Ltd has been created to connect Australia’s aquaculture skills and latent resources, along with enthusiastic volunteers, to opportunities to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged people both here and abroad. The organisation has linkages to the global Aquaculture without Frontiers charity.

The first board meeting of AwF Australia was held in Sydney on Monday 15 December 2014. The organisation will be structured as a charity to enable it to receive corporate sponsorships and donations by individuals interested in supporting its work.

One of its first tasks will be to create awareness of the organisation and to engage with like-minded enterprises and individuals to create projects and programs that will assist in improving the nutrition and health of disadvantaged people and to foster social and economic development. At the same time it will promote and support responsible and sustainable aquaculture to alleviate poverty and malnutrition and to enhance global food security.

In order to provide a platform for aquaculture professionals to come together and provide their skills and expertise AwF Australia invites interested parties to register to volunteer at https://www.aquaculturewithoutfrontiers.org/volunteers/, in preparation for deployment to projects in Australia and overseas.

The Board acknowledged that there is much to be done in the areas of indigenous and Pacific Islands aquaculture, boosting the status of women in aquaculture and engaging with schools and students in the region and will be working to roll out plans on these issues in the future.

The AwF Australia Board is (alphabetical order) Norman Grant, Katherine Hawes (Chair), Mark Oliver, David (DOS) O’Sullivan, Roy Palmer (Executive Director), Emma Thomson and Meryl Williams.