If you're a fish producer, live hauler, or paylake operator, plan on attending the West Kentucky Aquaculture Marketing Conference, Fish Fry, and Workshop on Thursday and Friday, February 17th and 18th. The conference will give you an opportunity to meet others in the industry, and exchange information on a variety of interests and concerns.

"A lot of our Kentucky producers are small-scale farmers that have smaller acreages, and so they need to network with as many others in the industry as possible," said Bill Wurts, aquaculture specialist with Kentucky State University's Cooperative Extension Service. "This conference is an excellent place to meet other producers, live haulers, and our paylake operators."

The Aquaculture Conference and Fish Fry is sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and hosted by Graves County's University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension office. Although it's geared to western Kentucky, past participants have come from all areas of the Commonwealth, including eastern Kentucky.

"This is for anyone in our fish industry who wants to improve communications with others, learn more about the business, and improve marketing potential," said Bill Green, Graves county Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources. "It's a cooperative effort between Extension and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and we try to make it a friendly, informal setting where participants can make valuable contacts and exchange ideas."

Green said attendees are given names tags with different colors. Each color indicates whether a person is a hauler, a lake operator, or a farmer. The system allows participants to instantly recognize another person's specialty, thereby making contact easier and quicker.

The Thursday evening conference and meal will be at 6:30 p.m. (central time) on February 17 at the Sedalia Restaurant, Sedalia, Kentucky. The workshop conducted by Kentucky State University aquaculture specialists will be the following morning, February 18, at the Graves County Cooperative Extension office, 251 Housman Street in Mayfield. Workshop topics include pay lake management, live hauling, fish stress, and channel catfish production. For registration, contact Bill Green at 270-247-2334. His email address is wgreen@ca.uky.edu.