World Aquaculture Magazine - June 2020

16 JUNE 2020 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG he moved to NACA as Director General. He was the perfect example of “do what you preach”: from theoretical, scientific work, to hands- on, real-world implementation, extension and capacity building. Sena’s legacy to aquaculture is immense but his legacy to those with the privilege to know him personally is even larger. Sena, with his direct example, showed us how to do things and this is what I aspire to emulate: to do things how Sena did them, without any prejudice, without any anger and always with grace, good humour, gentleness, dignity, compassion, skill, integrity, passion and charm. —Giovanni Turchini, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, Deakin University (Australia) • I first met Sena in Stirling in the early 1980s, when he was a visiting researcher and where we shared our passions and started a long professional relationship of just under 40 years. We immediately clicked and also sometimes clashed with our peers concerning our backgrounds and beliefs —both of us had a passion to help researchers in developing countries, where the bulk of aquaculture was being produced. We always kept in contact and one of the many times that we managed to get together was during an FAO Expert Workshop on the Use of Feed and Fertilizer for Sustainable Aquaculture Development inWuxi, China (18-21 March 2006). It was after this meeting, in the departure lounge of the airport, that Sena and I drafted a proposal to set up a new journal —Reviews in Aquaculture—and so in this way we managed to stay connected with each other and the aquaculture community, including China (with all our abstracts being translated into Chinese for the benefit of Chinese scientists —a first for an aquaculture journal at that time). I will miss Sena’s wit, smile and wisdom for eternity. —Albert Tacon (Hawaii, USA) • I first met Sena in the early 1990s while collaborating on fisheries projects with Deakin University, and from that time, I was fortunate enough to work with him on numerous projects within Australia and across Southeast Asia. My esteem for Sena grew over this time, particularly watching him strive to make a difference in everything he did. Regardless of whether you were an esteemed international scientist, a student or a small-scale farmer in a rural village, he was always generous with his time and knowledge. Sena was an incredible mentor, not only to me but to so many people across the globe, always willing to share his knowledge and his passion. But more importantly, Sena was a great friend, and it was over many occasions, eating, drinking, laughing (and he had an incredibly infectious laugh), travelling and enjoying life that I will remember Sena most vividly. I will be forever grateful for Sena’s impact on my life, professionally and personally, and he will forever hold a special place in my heart. Our first scientific publication was in 1997 and the last was in 2015. —Brett Ingram, Victorian Fisheries Authority (Australia) • I knew Sena for almost forty years, meeting up irregularly over the years not only in Scotland but in the field in Sri Lanka and at meetings across the world, most recently in Australia. Sena had a huge depth of knowledge of aquaculture and fisheries and like all who knew him I respected him hugely. He was great fun to be with too, particularly when discussing all things fishy over a quiet beer. He had such a wonderful smile and a twinkle in his eye.  —Malcolm Beveridge (Scotland) • I first met Sena in 1988. We met each other almost every year since then and become close friends. Sena was not only a top aquaculture scientist but also a real gentleman. He told me that China is the big- gest aquaculture producer and you should share your experiences with the world, which always raised me up. We have co-supervised dozens of post-graduate students and co-published dozens of peer- reviewed English papers on aquaculture and the book Aquaculture in China: Success Stories and Modern Trends . Sena will be remem- bered by the Chinese aquaculture sector and missed by me forever. — Jiashou Liu, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) • Professor Sena S. De Silva was my teacher, supervisor of my special degree research project and a person who extended his fullest support to complete my Ph.D. dissertation. As a first-year undergraduate I saw him at the Ruhuna University College at Maddewaththa and later I was lucky to be one of his students at the University of Ruhuna at Wellamadama until he left the university and the country to undertake foreign assignment at a time when the country was suffering from political unrest in 1989. He laid down the foundation to initiate a special degree program in Botany and Zoology at our institution and I am very proud to say that I was among the first batch of students recruited to follow that program. He was the pioneer who worked hard to establish both Ruhuna-Stirling and Ruhuna-Reading links, which granted many Ph.D. and M.Sc. opportunities for academics and training programs for technical officers presently working in the University of Ruhuna. In addition, he won a very prestigious grant (WOTRO) from the Netherlands and in which I got the opportunity to pursue doctoral studies in the early 1990s. The Department of Zoology was a big part of his life during the time he served the university. I still remember an incident during one weekend. He came to the department wearing a pair of short trousers and was pouring water on the trees he himself had planted around the department premises, proving that he was the good model of a humble character. Dear sir, you taught us many things in addition to subject-based knowledge and we learned much more from you. May he attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana. —W.A.H.P. Guruge, Department of Zoology, University of Ruhuna, Matara (Sri Lanka) • I met my mentor and guru Prof. Sena De Silva way back in 1975- 1976, just after returning to Sri Lanka fromChina after receiving training on integrated fish farming at the Pearl River Integrated Fish Farming Research Facility in Pai Ho Thung, in Kwangtung Province. I expressed my interest in commencing a M.Sc. research program in aquaculture and without any hesitation he agreed to be my supervisor. I received my M.Phil. degree in 1982 from the University of Kelaniya. Professor Sena helped me in pursuing my postgraduate studies for Ph.D. in fish nutrition and not only managed to convince IDRC to finance my research, but also to make my program a split- center research project. During this entire period that I had known him, which spanned 40+ years, I found him to be a very kind, gentle and a friendly human being who never hesitated to come to anyone’s assistance in their time of need. One thing I remember most about himwas when he graciously offered to accommodate me at his residence in Matara, Sri Lanka, during my Ph.D. research. I still remember his two daughters, who were small kids at the time, joking