Both exhibitor and visitor numbers were up at this event, which encompassed everything from equipment to services for fish and shellfish farming businesses, and the gala dinner for 450 was a sell-out.
The accompanying conference was also well attended, with some excellent presentations given on the current challenges and opportunities for Scottish aquaculture.
A competition to find the best student presentation was won by Marie Smedley from the University of Stirling, for her research into the use of nutrition as a tool to improve performance in triploid Atlantic salmon in freshwater and seawater production. She impressed the judges with her innovative research and clear passion for her work.
The award was sponsored by pharmaceutical company Novartis, who will host Marie on a visit to their research and development facilities in Prince Edward Island, Canada, as part of her prize.
For exhibitors, the excellent turnout resulted in some brisk business, with plenty of interest shown in their products and services.
Iain Forbes, director of Fusion Marine, said: “We had a very busy show and there was a large amount of interest in our range of fish farm pen systems, as well as our participation in the exciting H2OCEAN project. Shellfish farmers were keen to find out more about the innovative Ortac Oyster Farming System, which enhances growth rates whilst minimising the amount of time and labour required.
“One noticeable feature was the strong interest in our recycled plastic range for onshore applications. We recently supplied a complete package of decking and outdoor furniture for a Marine Harvest site at Lochailort and this sparked several enquiries at the show from other fish farm operators.”
The next Aquaculture UK show takes place in 2016, and having set the bar so high for Aquaculture UK 2014, David Mack is already in planning mode.
“Each show takes an enormous amount of work to pull together, and builds on feedback to make it bigger and better. I would like to thank everyone who helped to make this year such a resounding success and I look forward to meeting old friends and making new acquaintances in two years’ time,” he said.
