While we are all focussed on managing our way through the current round of financial turmoil, it is important to remember that fishing and aquaculture are the economic bedrock of many producing countries. Banks and the 'credit crunch' may be getting most of the headlines, but nets are still being hauled. This edition of the World Fishing Exhibition, taking place in Vigo, is being held at a crucial time for the fishing and aquaculture industries which have to find ways to meet the growing global demand for seafood. It will include the Fifth International Fisheries Ministers' Conference and the World Summit on Sustainability of Fisheries. The objective of these important conferences will be to provide a framework within which government ministers, representatives of the industry, scientific, government and international organisations can meet with the purpose of planning future development by identifying sustainable fisheries and ensuring their responsible development.

Also, the other significant enhancement to this edition is the acknowledgement of the structural changes that are occurring in the industry. It is important that production is boosted through the increase in scale and productivity of aquaculture. Towards helping the industry meet this objective, Vigo will play host to the first AQA - Aqua Farming International, a professional aquaculture exhibition where companies and professionals of the aquaculture sector can meet and do business. AQA will be co-located with the WFE and will benefit from the same features that make the occasion truly unique. The launch will be supported by a targeted media campaign and the presence of the influential authorities in fisheries attending the Ministers' Conference. These reasons are a big incentive to manufacturers of equipment destined for the aquaculture sector to exhibit their latest technologies and new products.

Thanks to Aqua Farming International, the aquaculture will receive the recognition it deserves. We are also finalising plans for the AQA Conference programme being developed in co-operation with the European Aquaculture Society. With a little over six months to go, it is exciting that so many companies have acknowledged and committed to the WFE. We have national pavilions from Italy, France, Faroe Islands, United Kingdom, Cuba, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, all of which have already confirmed their participation. We are confident that we will exceed the figures of the last edition in 2003, when 800 companies from 80 countries participated. We are also targeting the big emerging countries in the fishing field, especially those from Southeast Asia.