APC Board Officer: See our board officer with their contact information

 

PRESIDENT  – Dr. Krishna R. Salin

Dr. Krishna R. SALIN is currently an Associate Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, coordinating the AIT’s Aquaculture Program as its Chair. He has been active in the industry as a researcher, entrepreneur, and academic for over 23 years. He holds a Bachelor of Fisheries Science, Master’s in Aquaculture, and Ph.D. in Mariculture from India; and completed the post-doctoral research at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia where he was also appointed as a Visiting Fellow. Dr. Salin was a recipient of the Best Young Scientist Award (2003, India), Australian Endeavour Award (2009, Govt. of Australia); and CREST Biotechnology Award (2012, DBT, Govt. of India).

Teaching and supervising Masters and Doctoral students at AIT, Dr. Salin’s research focus covers innovative aquaculture systems, grow-out and hatchery technologies for fish and shrimp, and applied genetics for stock improvement. Dr. Salin serves as a Technical Consultant and Hon. Advisor to national and international organizations and handles several aquaculture research and development projects in India, Thailand, and East Africa. He is a Visiting Professor at the Shanghai Ocean University, China; and Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco (UJAT) – one of the biggest public universities in Mexico; and serves as the Associate Editor of international journals including Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (Springer Nature) and Aquaculture and Fisheries (Elsevier).

Dr. Salin has served as a member of the Affiliation Committee of WAS and also partnered with WAS in organizing international conferences, workshops, and training programs. He brings this experience to the WAS-APC Board for a closer engagement with the Society and support in expanding the presence of WAS in the Asia Pacific region.

 

PRESIDENT ELECT – Dr. Bibha Kumari

Dr. Bibha Kumari (Ph.D. in Zoology), currently working as a guest faculty at Magadh Mahila College, Patna University, Patna, India, and also freelance researcher for social and environmental sciences. I have served as a member of Board of Director from 2016 to 2019 in WAS-APC as Student Director. Since 2006, I have been continuously getting experiences as a teacher and researcher. My expertise is in Fish biology, social fishery, and Environmental science. Many of my research articles have been published, I have reviewed international journals and I have also been associated with Editorial services for international journals. I am the Master trainer of Youth leadership, Green skill development program of India under the project of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India (MoEFCC).  I have shared many of my research findings in different international conferences and seminars including WAS events. I have also served as the Session chair and session moderator in the WAS and WAS-APC events. I was the Steering Committee member in the event of APA2019 of WAS-APC which was held in Chennai, India.  I have been regularly involved in public participation for popularization of science.  Apart from WAS, I am also a committee member of Women’s Network in Aquaculture without Frontier (AwF), Founder member of Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF), and member of various societies like Asian Fishery Society, Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Organization for Women in Science of Developing country, Women In Seafood Industry, etc.

PAST PRESIDENT – Dr. Jean Yves Mevel

Dr. Jean-Yves MEVEL is an Aquaculture Expert, Aquaculture Engineering and owner of Tropical Aquaponics (under development) in Vientiane, Laos PDR. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Aquaculture Engineering and master’s degree in Aquaculture and Fish Diseases at Auburn University, USA. Since 1979, he has been involved with most aspects of aquaculture in over 30 countries and 5 continents. Since 1994, most of his work has been in Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, allowing him to better understand the needs and requirements for the region. In 2001 to 2003, he was National Aquaculture Expert at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Cambodia and Oman. He has been invited to be the speaker and attended many seminars. This experience in the industry and the academic sector in Asia associated with a horizontal approach to aquaculture training has given him the knowledge to adapt to most situations and find original solution to unexpected challenges encountered in aquaculture. The organization of seminars, such as the Arid Land Aquaculture Seminar and Workshop at UAEU (in association with WAS), and the Indian Ocean Rim Association’s First Meeting of the Group of Experts on Fisheries in Oman, has further refined his communication skills and technical expertise to organize and promote seminars and workshops. Now based in Laos, he is investing in his own aquaponics commercial venture, learning about issues encountered by small startup companies in the region. In charge of his time and activities, he is now able to devote some significant amount of time to the management of WAS-APC.

TREASURER – Dr. Ruth Garcia Gomez

Ruth Garcia Gomez is currently working as a consultant for NFIAP Team as aquaculture specialist. Previously to joining FAO she was based in the Pacific Region, working for the Cawthron Aquaculture Institute and Aquaculture New Zealand, based in New Zealand during 2020-2021, and for the Secretariat of Pacific Community (SPC) as Aquaculture and Aquatic Biosecurity Specialist between 2010-2020. At the SPC her role was to provide technical assistance in the field of aquaculture, aquatic health management and aquatic biosecurity to the 22 Member countries and territories of the Pacific region (e.g., Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, among others). Before joining the SPC, Ruth Garcia Gomez worked as Aquaculture Officer within the Aquaculture Branch of the FAO Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

She graduated in Veterinary Science-Animal Husbandry from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, with a specialization in Aquaculture Science and completed her PhD in the Veterinary Science Branch-Aquatic Animal Health Department at the same University.  Ruth Garcia Gomez obtained a master’s degree in international development strategies, agents and policies from the Basque Country University of HEGOA, in 2006.

Since 2001, Ruth Garcia Gomez has worked in Africa (Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo), Asia (Viet Nam and Cambodia), the Maghreb (Morocco and Egypt), Latin America (Ecuador and Colombia) and Europe (Spain and France), in the fields of aquaculture, aquatic animal health, aquatic biosecurity and aquatic genetic resources management, both in cooperation for development and research projects.

 

DIRECTOR – Dr. Belinda Yaxley

Dr Belinda Yaxley holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and PhD in Zoology from the University of Tasmania. For over a decade she has been working at an operational level on salmon and barramundi farms helping companies develop systems that support responsible farming practices, more recently she has added prawn and molluscs to her portfolio.  Belinda is a bench-marking committee member of the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative and a Country Coordinator for Global Aquaculture Alliance (across two teams – business development and program integrity). Currently Belinda is managing GAA’s Open Philanthropy Project on Animal Welfare. Areas of interest include sustainable feed, cumulative impact assessment in aquaculture and policy development.

DIRECTOR – Dr. Alistair Douglas

Dr. Alistair Douglas works at the intersection of industry, technology and sustainability with over 25 years as a researcher, auditor, trader, consultant, lecturer, and a technology and services provider in the aquaculture industry. This involves collaborating with those directly involved in supply chains such as ingredients suppliers, feed integrators, farmers, processors, logistics providers, wholesalers, and retailers, as well as those ancillary to the supply chain such as technology and service providers, governments, non-government organizations, industry organizations, cooperatives, associations, and institutes of higher learning. Although linked to nutrition, husbandry and harvesting, strictly speaking, my research and expertise lies in the qualitative and quantitative determination of the qualities of fish. With a farmer’s focus naturally on growing fish they can overlook the fact that they’re actually in the business of producing seafood. Indeed, farmers can invest over 20,000 hours in growing a cage of fish and then practically destroy them as seafood in one hour of poor harvest and post-harvest practices. Further, some neglect to consider or invest in technologies that help to protect their product and/or their brand.

Sometimes this lack of consideration extends back to before ground is broken on an operation, not asking whether there is a market demand for the species, in what specification, where those markets are, and whether they can reach those markets cost effectively. Just because you can grow a fish doesn’t mean you should grow a fish. And then it is a case of how much fish do I need to grow and keep cadence with business development.

 

DIRECTOR – Dr. Loc Tran

Loc Huu Tran, Ph.D is the Assistant Professor at Faculty of Fisheries, Nong Lam University at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Founder and CEO, Minh Phu Aquamekong ShrimpVet Laboratory, ShrimpVet Food Co. LtD: Chairman & CEO, Luxneo Biologicals Jointstock Co. LtD: Chairman & CEO.

Leading a young team of 80+ people, Loc and his co-workers have been working on various field related to aquaculture including: genetics, diagnostics, aquaculture products testing, disease prevention technologies, hatchery technologies, and farming technologies. ShrimpVet, a private independent research Lab, is now recognized as an international research team that serves the industry in Vietnam and several other aquaculture countries.

 

DIRECTOR – Dr. Lilian Wong

Associate Professor Dr Lilian Wong is currently affiliated with the Institute of Marine Biotechnology (IMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), specializing in Fisheries Genomics. She graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Fisheries) from UMT and PhD in Fish Genetics from Auburn University, USA. She was appointed as the Final Year Project Coordinator in the Faculty of Fisheries and Food Sciences (2012-2015) and the Head of Biotechnology Section in the Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (2016-2019). She has taught 14 different courses of diploma, undergraduate and post-graduate levels. She has also closely monitored a total number of 41 students for their academic projects.

 

STUDENT DIRECTOR – Dr. Fanny Ayumi Yasumaru

Dr. Fanny Ayumi Yasumaru Background aquaculture engineering, with emphasis in aquaculture nutrition, including in vitro protein digestion for quality assessment in feedstuffs and finished feeds, aiming at industrial application for marine shrimp from early larval to juvenile stages, and freshwater and marine fish species. Additionally, technical expertise in feed formulation, feed making, in vivo digestibility and feeding trials with fish and shrimp species, proximate analysis of ingredients and finished feeds. Joined Aquaculture Innovation Centre (Singapore) in July 2019 as Research Scientist and since December 2020 is Manager of Research and Services, participating in research projects with aquaculture industry partners. Also involved in providing training on entrepreneurship in aquaculture, good aquaculture practices, and responsible care and use of fish for research purposes. Recently, has been involved in co-organizing the webinar series “Talking with Titans” with Dr. Albert Tacon and Dr. Kabir Chowdhury, from the Aquaculture Nutritionists Network.