2008 AES Issues Forum

 The next AES Issues Forum will be held July 23-24, 2008, in Roanoke, Virginia, USA, at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center (HRCC).  Gregory Boardman (AES President) and George Flick are hosting this "Members Only" Issues Forum.  The AES Issues Forum is intended for members of the AES to gather and reflect upon the advances and current issues in the field of aquacultural engineering.  The 1.5 day Forum will focus on two special topics: (1) Production of New Species and (2) Design, Loading, and Water Quality in Recirculating Systems for Salmonids.  The sessions will consist of a mix of invited and contributed presentations.  The 2008 AES Issues Forum will be held immediately before and at the same location as the 7^th International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture (ICRA), which will run from July 25-27, 2008.  As in the past, the Forum will be organized to allow for a question and answer period following each presentation.  A reception and dinner will be held at the HRCC after the first 0.5 day session on July 23.  Continuous break foods will be provided throughout the program and lunch will be served on the second day.  Selected papers from the Issues Forum will be published in a special issue of Aquacultural Engineering.  A call for papers and instructions for abstract submission are provided on the following page.  Please send abstracts for “Production of New Species” to Greg Boardman (gboard@vt.edu), and for “RAS for Salmonids” to Steven Summerfelt (s.summerfelt@freshwaterinstitute.org) by February 1, 2008.  Papers not accepted for the Forum will automatically be considered for ICRA.

Registration received before June 23, 2008 will be $265 and can be submitted along with the form being used for ICRA registration.  Those who are not members of AES can participate in the Forum by simply joining AES.  The AES membership fee ($25) can be paid when you register for the Forum.  Please contact Greg Boardman (ph: 540-231-1376; email: gboard@vt.edu) if you would like more information about the 2008 AES Issues Forum.

Special Session (0.5 day):  Production of New Species – organized by Greg Boardman and George Flick

For many years, the tools of the commercial fisherman provided a variety of finfish and shellfish for consumers.  Now, it is clear that aquacultural practices are needed to fill the voids in the wild catch.  The focus of this session is on the production of emerging species of finfish.  The session will be developed from both invited presentations and submitted abstracts.  Aquacultural researchers will be invited to share their experiences in culturing species that appear to show promise for culture in recirculating systems.  Session authors should plan on addressing the challenges faced in culturing the species, special requirements (e.g., feeds, water quality, system configuration, etc.) of the species, and future research areas. 

Special Session (1.0 day): Design, Loading, and Water Quality in Recirculating Systems for Salmonids – organized by Steve Summerfelt and Asbjorn Bergheim

Worldwide production of salmon, trout, and arctic char in recirculating systems has expanded rapidly in the past 5 yrs.  Although there is tremendous heterogeneity in production system design, water quality control is a common factor in intensive recirculating systems that produce salmonids. System design, loading, and management all interact to determine the concentration of dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, total suspended solids, bacteria, and organic carbon exiting the fish culture tank in water reuse systems. Session organizers are inviting presentations on case studies and research that describe the interaction between recirculating system design, loading, and water quality in salmonid production systems. Presentations should also include details on water use (e.g., kg feed per m³ makeup), system exchange rate (e.g., % system volume flushed daily), culture tank exchange rate (e.g., hydraulic retention time), system production (tons per yr), unit process treatment efficiency (e.g., waste removed each pass through the unit), system waste capture efficiency, fish performance, and energy consumption (e.g., KW per kg produced).  Presentations that discuss the important interaction between salmonid welfare and water quality in recirculating systems will also be considered.

Engineering, design, and fish production system oriented papers are requested in the following session areas:

· Production of New Species  

· Design, Loading, and Water Quality in Recirculating Systems for Salmonids

To be considered, authors must submit a short abstract to Dr. Greg Boardman for the “New Species” session or Dr. Steven Summerfelt for the “RAS for Salmonids” session (see contact information below).  Conference sessions will be organized based upon the abstract submissions accepted, plus key papers invited by the session chairs.  Papers not accepted for the Forum will automatically be considered for the International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture (ICRA) which immediately follows the Forum at the same location.

1. Abstracts should be concise and limited to one typewritten page.
2. Use single spacing and 12 pt font.
3. Titles should also be concise but clearly relate the subject of the article.
4. Include the name(s) of the author(s) and their affiliation(s) and address(es).
5. Note the corresponding author with an * and provide their email, phone number, and fax number, in addition to the address.
6. Submit your abstract to Boardman or Summerfelt (depending on the session topic) at the addresses listed below by February 1, 2008.
7. Please submit your abstract electronically using Word, and ensure that your file is virus-free.

Abstracts must be received by February 1, 2008.  Authors will be notified if their papers were selected by March 1, 2008, at which time they will receive detailed instructions for submission of full papers.  Authors must submit a proceedings paper to the conference organizers by approximately late April so that proceedings can be made available at the Forum.  After the meeting, the Forum organizers will select the manuscripts most suitable for publication in a special issue of the Journal of Aquacultural Engineering, and these manuscripts will be submitted for peer-review.  Contact information for abstract submissions: