The fourth in a series of biennial conferences for the marine ornamentals industry, the educational event focused on ways to improve methods for collecting, distributing and managing wild marine ornamental species; ways to increase the variety, quantity and availability of cultured marine ornamental species; and promoting education and outreach activities related to husbandry and conservation.

Although fewer than 100 people registered for the conference, sessions were well-attended due to crossover from Aquaculture America 2006, which featured 141 companies in 172 booths and attracted 1,642 attendees, according to conference organizers.

Conference speakers included Svein Fossa, president of Ornamental Fish International (Marrssen, Netherlands); John Brandt, a board member of the Marine Aquarium Council (Honolulu); Gayatri Reksodihardjo-Lilley, a MAC director from Indonesia; William Walsh of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources; Sara Peck of University of Hawaii Sea Grant Extension (Honolulu); Ray Davis of the new Atlanta Aquarium; and Walt Smith from Fiji, who outlined sustainable reef management approaches in the South Pacific.

A sustainability symposium organized by Peter Rubec of East Asian Seas and Terrestrial Initiatives (St. Petersburg, Fla.) focused on current collection, transportation and conservation issues affecting sustainability of the marine ornamentals industry.

Other sessions covered topics such as invertebrate culture of giant clams, corals and peppermint shrimps; health issues involving disease, biosecurity and recirculation systems; live foods and culture of copepods; nutrition and feeding of several species of fish and sea horses; and the economics of culture systems, feeds and the wholesale/retail trade.

For more information, e-mail info@hawaiiaquaculture.org. [May 2006 PET AGE]