The BLUE and the GREEN
Cork is a maritime city and port situated on Ireland’s south coast. It is located where the wild Atlantic Ocean meets the wandering gulf stream giving rise to clean and productive growing conditions for shellfish, salmon and sea vegetables. Clearly, it is important to get an understanding of the relationships between offshore upwelling nutrients and land-based enrichment from a rich agricultural catchment. Here, where a traditional green economy rubs shoulders with an ever expanding blue one, we can begin to look into the synergies made possible by sharing a productive coastal catchment. There is now a momentum in all aspects of food production towards a circular economy whereby we no longer regard waste as a problem to be disposed of, but instead look for ways to make it a resource which can be re-used - thereby closing the loop on aquaculture inputs and outputs and reducing environmental impact. Aquaculture can take the lead in the Blue - Green BioEconomy and is well placed to lead by example with new technologies such as land-based marine aquaponics, large-scale recirculating marine farms and innovative, integrated freshwater initiatives on brown field sites. When it comes to having a societal impact, recent research has shown that aquaculture products, from seaweed to salmon, should be included as part of a balanced diet from the first 1000 days right through to promoting healthy ageing. This conference will bring together stakeholders from many diverse disciplines to discuss and debate cross cutting issues such as new circular economies, life-long health and environmentally sustainable production.
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