6 SEPTEMBER 2024 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG LACQUA 24 “Aquaculture in Latin America: innovation and sustainability for a global aquaculture,” is already here, and it is going to be such a magnificent event that we will talk about it for many years. The core of the Academic Program includes 320 oral presentations in 18 sessions and 172 posters. But there will also be seven industry talks, and pre- and postConference courses and workshops will be carried out in topics as important as reproduction, larviculture, nutritional optimization, omics, biointegrated systems, sample collection, and others. This work is supported by many persons helping the academic committee, all of whom I want to thank. Drs. Paola Barato and Adriana Muñoz, Directors of our LACC Board, have been leaders and put so much effort in consolidating the program. Carolina Amezquita, our Executive Officer, complemented this trio of talented ladies who wanted to make the Colombian Conference one of the highest quality, and they definitively achieved it. Our Chapter had elections the past month of April, and I want to inform you of the new members elected to the Board: Marcelo Shei (Brazil) as Elected President, Jesaias Ismael da Costa (Brazil) as Treasurer and Juli-Anne Royes (Jamaica) as Director, for the period September 2024-2026. Thank you Maria Celia Portella for conducting our Election so efficiently and welcome to our new Board members. To the ones who are leaving (Drs Paola Barato and Ricardo Rodrigues Vieira) it was my pleasure to work together. For sure this WAS Chapter will find ways to keep you involved since you are international leaders. Having a Board Member from the Caribbean for the first time ever, speaks to our interest for strengthening inclusion in our regional decision-making and the Chapter´s growth. I personally met Dr. Royes after her oral presentation in the WAS Aquaculture America Conference in San Antonio, Texas in 2024. We spoke about the importance of having the Caribbean incorporated in our regional organizations like WAS. For the case of our LACC Chapter, I have always looked for an increased inclusion of countries, but keeping in mind that we need to maintain and grow our membership to fully participate in WAS decision-making. I’m sure that we will increase the involvement of the Caribbean aquaculturists through Juli-Anne. And just to confirm this, a clear example: Hurricane Beryl hit the Caribbean in late June and early July. As always happens when a big hurricane passes through this region, impacts on farmers are high. But Dra. Paola Barato, our Director, reacted immediately contacting Juli-Anne and a webinar was established, both in presence (Dominican Republic) and by distance (farmers in the Caribbean), to talk about resilience to Climate Change in this region of the world. This sets a clear example that our role in WAS must be of active involvement with our farmers, on site, through many channels. I’m sure we will grow from this work from Paola, giving her the leadership to conduct and strengthening these actions. Our social media is an example of what we expect to achieve in the Chapter´s future: after the Board discussed ways to strengthen and improve it in 2024, currently it is a very dynamic communication multi-channel, continuously posting not only Conference-related information but also regarding the relevance of aquaculture in the region, the role of the women and students, and many other topics. I want to thank the joint work of Laura Silva Ledezma (Chapter Secretary), Carolina Amezquita and our Student Representative Angelica Barrera. What is in the line-up of our future regional WAS Conferences? Our plans: The LACQUA25 Conference will take place in wonderful Chile, specifically in Puerto Varas, 6-9 October. But talks are well advanced to return to Mexico for LACQUA 26, although a new interest has been presented by the General Director of CENDEPESCA (Federal Government) of El Salvador. If not in 2026, I am sure El Salvador can be considered as of now as a strong candidate for our regional Conference in 2027. We will keep you posted as important news, analyses and discussions evolve and we have a clearer picture. For example, having two new Brazilian Board Members starting in 2025, will return this important country to hosting our regional conferences in the years to come. Again, thank you Carolina Amezquita for developing these contacts and resolving doubts, with high efficiency. And thanks to John Cooksey too, for all his support to our region. Finally, some work that is in process at the WAS Board level, of utmost relevance to our Chapter: a better inclusion of the small-scale aquaculturists in the WAS work, conferences, and support. Thanks to both Angela Caporelli and Yahira Piedrahita, of the Industry Committee and the Industry Representative, respectively. This is a central, critical issue for regions like ours, where small- and medium-scale farmers are a clear majority, generating huge socioeconomic impacts through thousands of “points of entry” in rural territories. But also, unfortunately, these kinds of entrepreneurs are the most vulnerable and suffer the highest externalities from, for example, Climate Change and other external impacts. I have volunteered to work in this analysis in order to decisively bring to the table our SME rural aquaculturists’ perspective and problems. We hope to see all of you in Medellín, Colombia, September 24-27 for LACQUA 2024!!!! — Francisco Javier Martinez Cordero, President Latin American and Caribbean Chapter CHAPTER REPORTS
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