Report of the Working Group on Environmental Interactions of Mariculture (WGEIM)

Dr. Edward Black (Chair), opened the 2003 meeting of Working Group on the Environmental Interactions of Mariculture (WGEIM) at the Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo of the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) in Vigo, Spain. This year’s meeting was attended by 15 members from 9 countries (see Annex 1). The membership constituted a range of expertise able to cover fish, shellfish and marine plant mariculture integration into the array of coastal uses experienced in member countries from both an academic and applied perspective.

The group expressed its appreciation for the special effort the Director (Dr. Alberto González-Garcés) of the Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo made to ensure that the Working Group was technically well supported and for all the hospitality extended. Due to unforeseen circumstances Dr. González-Garcés was unable to give the welcoming address. In his absence the welcoming address was delivered by the Acting Director, Dr. Juan José González. In Dr. González’s speech, on behalf of the IEO, he noted that the group’s area of study is important in Galicia as aquaculture is a big economic factor in the local economy and recent experience has demonstrated the need to safeguard and better integrate aquaculture into the mix of local coastal resource users.