World Aquaculture December 2020

18 DECEMBER 2020 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG C H A P T E R R E P O R T S Institute of Biological Resources has published three volumes of ‘Invertebrates of Dokdo,’ containing information on mollusks (2014), large crustaceans (2017) and echinoderms (2018). Among them, mollusks are known to have the highest diversity and resource value. Dokdo was created by a volcanic eruption and has never been connected to mainland Korea and thus has a unique natural environment that is different from the Korean Peninsula. In addition, the sea area around Dokdo is an excellent habitat for a variety of marine organisms, so the Ministry of Environment has designated and protected Dokdo as Korea’s “Specific Island No. 1” (Ministry of Environment Notification No. 2000-109). The author, Dr. Saheung Kim (Adjunct Professor at Gyeongsang National Univ.) said, “The coast of Dokdo is an excellent habitat for a variety of marine life. However, due to difficult access, systematic research has not been conducted much. Therefore, we first introduced information on 104 of the 173 mollusks known to live on Dokdo. Of the mollusks of Dokdo, conch and mussels have the highest resource value, and Dokdo is home to the largest mussel community in Korea, and these mussel communities play an important role as a habitat for other organisms.” Gyeongsangbuk-do plans to distribute ‘Invertebrates of Dokdo’ to major overseas libraries and diplomatic missions abroad. else around the world, the fear of the virus resurgence or a second- wave scenario still worries many on the continent. We pray and hope for the best, especially now, when we keep hearing good news about the effectiveness of vaccines. Lastly, let me once again wish you and your family’s safety and good health as we enter the festive season. Let’s also keep fighting to keep our dear aquaculture sector strong and resilient as we weather through the storm. My prayer is that all the challenges of 2020 go away with the year —and that 2021 will be a successful and fruitful one. — Sherif Sadek, President Afr ica Chap t er , continued from page 7 Kore a Chap t er , continued from page 9 The 18th Busan International Fisheries Expo 2020 (BISFE 2020) The BISFE 2020 organized by BEXCO, Korea Fisheries Trade Association, and National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (Suhyup) was held at BEXCO Busan in November. This year, 278 companies from 10 countries participated in the event, which was smaller than past years in response to changes in the domestic and foreign trade environment caused by the COVID 19 pandemic. For reference, 1,190 booths from 30 countries and 420 companies participated last year. The overseas buyers’ online video export consultation, a special non-face-to-face event to promote the consumption of seafood, exhibition, and on/offline academic events proceeded. Special concurrent events such as delivering lunch boxes to COVID 19 medical staff was held. The feature of this year’s expo was the online video conference. The online video conference was jointly promoted by the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, Korea Fisheries Trade Association, Busan Economic Promotion Agency and Busan LA Trade Office to lead the overseas markets of fishery export companies suffering from the COVID 19 pandemic. Over 100 buyers from 15 countries and 150 domestic companies participated in the event. — Jin-Hyung Yoo, President atmosphere for everyone interested in aquaculture. When you receive an email requesting participation in the survey, I encourage you to complete it. All responses will remain anonymous, unless you choose to have someone from the Committee contact you. USAS is also planning for our Annual Business Meeting, as required in our bylaws. Although the meeting date has not yet been set, we expect the meeting to be held virtually in February 2021. All USAS members will receive information via email to register for the Annual Business Meeting. Hosting the meeting virtually will allow us to install newOfficers and Directors. During the November USAS Board conference call, it was brought to our attention that some students may be required to pres- ent research at a national meeting to meet graduation and/or grant requirements. The USAS Board wants to be supportive of its student members and is exploring the idea of hosting a virtual national student colloquium sometime in the spring to give student members the op- portunity to present their research before they graduate. Please watch for additional announcements as this idea is more fully developed. I have been impressed by the USASWebinar Committee that has hosted a monthly aquaculture-related webinar for all of 2020. With travel restrictions, the Webinar Committee has really stepped up to provide relevant, useful aquaculture information to USAS members. Live attendance of webinars and subsequent views on YouTube have also increased this year. USAS plans to continue hosting webinars and is exploring the idea of webinar-based workshops in the future due to travel restrictions. Please continue to register for the webinars and view past webinars on the USAS YouTube channel. Finally, the USAS website (https://usaquaculture.org ) and social media channels are getting an overhaul. I hope that the USAS website will be more useful and easier to navigate moving forward. In addition, I encourage everyone to follow the USAS on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/usaquasoc ) and Twitter (https://twitter. com/USAquaSoc) social media channels. Our Social Media Intern, Marina Rubio Benito (rubi3631@vandals.uidaho.edu ), has been doing a fantastic job to increase our social media presence. If you have pictures or ideas for content, please send them her way. I wish all a happy and safe winter season! —Matt Parker, President U. S. Aquacult ure Soci e t y, continued from page 10