42 March 2009 Scenes from Seattle The United States Aquaculture Society meeting in Seattle, Washington USA began on Monday, February 16 at the Seattle Convention Center. The initially cloudy day turned clear and pleasant, somewhat unusual for the rainy season in the Pacific Northwest. WAS Executive Director John Cooksey told World Aquaculture that nearly 1,400 had preregistered for the meeting and that perhaps as many as 1,500 would ultimately attend. There were more than 100 booths in the Trade Show. The keynote speaker at the plenary session on Monday morning was Jay Whelan from the Department of Nutrition, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, whose topic was “Fish as a Functional Food?” Whelan gave an excellent presentation on the health benefits of consuming at least two meals a week of fish containing high levels of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, a high molecular ω3 fatty acid). Studies he cited included those that have shown some protection from or reduction in the onset by DHA from such ailments as heart disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. Whelan indicated that student he teaches have the opinion that farmed fish are inferior to their wild counterparts in terms of their healthfulness, including their levels of DHA. He showed data from studies that clearly demonstrated that, at least in the case of salmon and trout, higher levels of DHA can be obtained from cultured fish than those taken from the wild. He also said that many health professionals, including nutritionists, often consider all ω3 fatty acids to have the same beneficial characteristics, when the data clearly show that is not the case. He stressed that the aquaculture community needs to get its message out by whatever means possible to change the public perception with respect to the healthfulness of the species that are being farmed. Text and Photos by Robert R. Stickney Master of ceremonies Ron Hardy Plenary keynote speaker Jay Whelan Claude Boyd receives the Lifetime Achievement Award. Registration at the Seattle Convention Center Seattle Convention Center
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