20 MARCH 2018 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG In 2013, representatives of the European Union, Canada and the United States of America signed the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation, launching the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance (AORA).1 The overarching objectives of the cooperation are to improve ocean health and stewardship, promote sustainable management of resources, improve ecosystem assessments and forecasts and have a deeper understanding of vulnerabilities and risks. This includes climate change science as well as the goal of generating new tools to increase resilience, conserve rich biodiversity, manage risk and determine social, environmental, and economic priorities. Aquaculture is one priority, along with focus areas of oceanography, marine mapping, ecology, data collection and ocean education. In working together to advance results in these areas of research cooperation, the parties seek to improve efficiencies and effectiveness by leveraging research activities, sharing data and facilities, promoting researcher mobility and coordinating the planning and programming of relevant research activities and resources. Initial meetings of the aquaculture working group in 2014, and annual meetings since, included key aquaculture research managers from the European Commission, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Canada, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US, and several European institutes and universities to provide coordination and leadership. More than 50 researchers from the three jurisdictions have also met multiple times since 2014. These gatherings were organized around specific sub-themes important to aquaculture science and management. In 2015, the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance Coordination and Support Action (AORA-CSA)2 project was funded by the EU Horizon 2020 Programme with a grant to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to provide technical, logistical and scientific support to the European Commission portion of the framework of the Galway Statement in multiple areas, aquaculture included. The AORA-CSA promotes and assists in the implementation of the Galway Statement and the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance. The ICES3 provides the Trilateral AORA Aquaculture Working Group leads (Paola Reale — European Commission, Jay Parsons — Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada and Michael Rust — NOAA, US) with relevant information to support ongoing aquaculture cooperation among the three jurisdictions. This is based on findings of past international research projects and pursued in liaison with currently running initiatives advancing scientific knowledge and promoting international collaboration. Specific Actions/Planned Outcomes within Identified Sub-Themes Since cooperation among the three parties was inaugurated, the Trilateral AORA Aquaculture Working Group has held several meetings and targeted workshops where key thematic areas, strategies and solutions were discussed. The following thematic sub-groups were formed and specific actions for implementation in the near future were identified: • Modelling carrying capacity/deposition • Spatial planning • Modelling of genetic interactions • Fish health and disease (other than diseases transmission) and climate change • Harmful algal blooms, mollusc disease and climate change • Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) • Outreach; Public perception, public acceptance • Sensors Several sub-groups have made important progress already. The Aquaculture Public Perceptions sub-group has held sessions at the EMEA and USMEA conferences; the Genetics sub-group has been developing and testing genetics management tools and is now planning its fourth joint workshop; the Harmful Algal Blooms, Mollusc Disease and Climate Change sub-group has submitted a project grant proposal to the Canadian National Research Council; and the Modelling Carrying Capacity subgroup continues to refine and apply benthic and water column models useful to management. The different thematic areas of transatlantic interest, together with relevant action plans, have been detailed and described in the Aquaculture Working Group roadmap: Modelling genetic interactions and carrying capacity sub-group aims to identify methods that allow assessment, monitoring and evaluation of the genetic effects of aquaculture escapees on wild populations and develop and/or refine all relevant models at appropriate scales (i.e. regional, bay-wide). Expected impacts are avoidance of loss of genetic diversity and fitness in wild populations while allowing for genetic improvement of domestic populations. In addition, group activities are expected to further advance model effectiveness as support tools for managers and industry. The Trilateral AORA Aquaculture Working Group meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1 June 2017. From left: Mark Rath, NOAA; Wojciech Wawrzynski, ICES, AORA-CSA Aquaculture lead; Michael Rust, NOAA, AORA Aquaculture WG Co-Lead for the US; Ingrid Burgetz, DFO Canada; Paola Reale, EC AORA Aquaculture WG Co-Lead for the EU; Jay Parsons, DFO Canada, AORA Aquaculture WG Co-Lead for Canada. Promoting Transatlantic Aquaculture Research Cooperation Karolina Reducha, Margaret Rae, Paola Reale, Michael Rust, Jay Parsons and Wojciech Wawrzynski
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