Opening speech at AquaNor 2001

Otto Gregussen, Minister of Fisheries, Norway

Your Royal Highness

Ladies and gentlemen

It is a pleasure to greet you all on the occasion of the Aqua Nor trade fair. It is a special honour to welcome Your Royal Highness, who will be opening Aqua Nor for the second year in a row.

Aquaculture can become Norway’s leading growth industry. The fishery and aquaculture industry will be an important pillar of Norway’s future economy.

At the same time, the fishery and aquaculture industry is one of our most international industries. Norwegian seafood is sold in over 150 countries. We also see that Norwegian fishery companies are setting up operations beyond Norway’s borders. We see this occurring throughout the value chain, and we see that foreign companies are investing in Norway. Fisheries and aquaculture are and will be an international industry and Norwegian business and industry are increasingly becoming an important driving force. This trade fair here in Trondheim today is certainly proof of that.

Both nationally and internationally, however, we are just at the beginning of what can best be called the blue revolution – cultivating the sea. It is only now that we have both the practical and scientific experience to take on new challenges in the form of new species and production methods. As Minister of Fisheries in Norway, I am proud that Norway is at the vanguard in this area.

As a result of the industry’s international nature, the government is also giving high priority to the efforts to improve the terms for trade and increase our access to markets. In the context of the WTO we want to maintain a high profile and help ensure that industrial products, including fish, are on the agenda in the upcoming negotiations. No one should doubt that we give priority to our number one industry of the future.

The international nature of the industry is strongly underlined by the fact that today we are opening the world’s foremost aquaculture trade fair here in Trondheim. The trade fair – and those of you who are exhibiting here – are one of the key factors in the development of an industry that will become increasingly important for the world’s food supply. It is not just the fishery and aquaculture industry that provides jobs and income; those of you who provide goods and services to the industry in so many different ways do so as well. The Aqua Nor Trade Fair reveals the variety of business activities that are involved.

Aqua-Nor’s importance is also underlined by the many foreign guests who attend it – politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen. It pleases us that you are visiting Aqua Nor and Trondheim. I would like to extend a special welcome to my Chilean colleague – Daniel Albaran – and his delegation.

The future of aquaculture is so very, very much more than just salmon and trout. It also includes the farming of shellfish and marine fish species, sea ranching, by-products and biotechnology. If we are going to succeed in taking advantage of these opportunities, we must give priority to and invest in research and economic development, and we must be capable of putting the necessary coastal and marine areas to use.

Among the marine species, there is particular interest in the commercial farming of cod. A strategic plan for cod farming has now been drawn up, in which government funding and backing for projects will be channelled through the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Industrial and Regional Development Fund. The government is also implementing a programme to promote innovation in the commercial utilisation of marine resources. This year, 86 million kroner have been allocated for this purpose.

The aquaculture industry’s growth requires co-operation among all of the industry’s sectors. Just think about the logistical requirements for producing high quality food in our unpolluted, but oh so remote coastal areas. Think about the requirements for transporting our products to the markets, and think about the challenges the carriers will face if the current volumes should double. Thus, it is important that each individual step in the chain focus on its tasks.

It ought to be obvious that those who focus on doing their jobs as well as possible will be competetive at the next crossroad, whether it involves people or products or, for that matter, whether the customers are from the private sector or the public sector.

The administrators must also focus on their job. My goal is to see that we have a modern aquaculture administration with expertise and capacity adapted to the industry’s needs. Likewise, I want to have a body of regulations that promote – rather than restrict – economic development. We must take advantage of our opportunities. If we are going to succeed, we must invest in the industry now. Through a joint effort we can achieve our goals.

Aqua Nor has its natural place in this picture, and I want to wish the visitors, exhibitors, the organiser, Nor-Fishing Foundation, and the technical organiser, Nidarøhallen AS, a great success in the coming days with the Aqua Nor 2001 trade fair.

Thank you very much for your attention.