World Aquaculture - December 2014

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• WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2014 5
C H A P T E R R E P O R T S
From 4-7 November, our second LACQUA event
took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, one of the most
beautiful cities in the region. LACQUA 14 had the
participation of around 600 professionals from around
the globe, which is a sign that more people are paying
attention to what it is happening in the Latin America
and the Caribbean region. This event was historic for
our chapter for three reasons. First, it consolidated the
Latin American and Caribbean Chapter (LACC) of
the World Aquaculture Society as the second largest
chapter in the Society. Second, the conference had
increased participation from the Caribbean area, one of our main
objectives for the chapter. Third, and most important, it confirmed
that having our regional meeting in Spanish and/or Portuguese
is the best way to attract producers and decision-makers to our
conference. When we started with this idea, many doubted that this
strategy would succeed. However, the current board envisioned that
this was the only way of achieving our main goal, which was to
bring together academia, producers and decision-makers under one
umbrella – our chapter.
During the event, more than 150 oral presentations and 50
posters were made. The commercial exposition, which attracted
700 visitors in addition to the participants of the conference, had the
participation of 65 vendors. Knowledge was shared, businesses were
celebrated, friends were made —LACQUA14 was a great success!
Our next LACQUA conference will take place
in Brazil next year. LACQUA15 will take place in
the Convention Center in Fortaleza, Ceará, from
16-20 November, in coordination with FENACAM
2015. This will conclude our first three-year
conference cycle, which started in Villavicencio,
Colombia, last year. It will also be the time to
change our board, so keep your eyes open if you
want to participate as a board member for 2015-
2017. I am sure that our organization will continue
to grow along with our events. Our commitment
to the chapter membership is to keep improving our services and
contribute as much as we can to aquaculture development in the
Latin American and Caribbean region and worldwide.
It is also time for a new challenge. Our first regional workshop
will take place from 9-12 December in Coquimbo, Chile. It will
be the First Arid Land Aquaculture Workshop sponsored by the
LACC and in partnership with the Fifth Congress of Aquaculture
and the Fifth Congress of Aquaponics in Chile. These series of
events will support the creation of a “Centro de Investigación
Mundial para el Desarrollo de una Acuicultura Sustentable en
Zonas Áridas,” which will function to promote sustainable arid-
land aquaculture worldwide. We are sure that LACC will be deeply
involved with this center and that it will make a great contribution
to achieve food security in the region. I hope to see you there.
— Antonio Garza de Yta, President
Latin American and Caribbean Chapter
The Korea-Japan Joint Symposium on
Aquaculture, which is held biannually in Korea
and Japan, was held on October 31, 2014 in Kunsan
National University, Korea. It was co-organized by
the Aquaculture Division of the Korean Society
of Fisheries and Aquatic Science (KOSFAS). The
symposium provided a rich variety of information to
more than 80 participants, with 10 oral and 57 poster
presentations by scientists from various institutions
and academia.
There were four invited
lectures given by distinguished
speakers: Dr. J. Higano (Director,
Fisheries Research Agency)
Suspended Culture of Asari
Clam, Ruditapes philippinarum,
Utilizing Natural Seeds”;
Dr. Park Kwan-Ha (Kunsan
National University) on “Current
Concept on Aquaculture Farm
Water Quality Regulation and
Aquaculture Product Safety”; Dr. T. Yoshimatsu
(Mie University) on “Climate Change and Its Impact
on Aquaculture in Shallow Seas”; and Dr. Yoo
Jin-Hyung (Bari Cooperative Co.) on “Monitoring
Causes Affecting the Productivity of Flounder in Jeju
Island, Korea.”
Along with the symposium, the Annual
Conference of KOSFAS, including three divisions —
Fish Farming, Processing and Utilization of Seafood,
and Biological Engineering
—was held. The conference
provided not only great
opportunities to share knowledge
and new ideas, but also to meet
new scientific collaborators, old
friends and fellow researchers.
— Albert Kwang-Sik Choi,
President
Korean Chapter
LEFT. Participants of the 2014 Korea-Japan
Joint Symposium on Aquaculture.