LACQUA 24 “Aquaculture in Latin America: innovation and sustainability for a global aquaculture” is almost here. I want to thank again our two Board Directors Dr. Adriana Muñoz in the academics field, and Dr. Paola Barato also in the academics but mainly in the industry sector, and our Executive Secretariat Carolina Amezquita, who have finished a very attractive program, including pre-event training courses devoted to areas like nutrition and feeding, genetics, and tilapia culture. Combined events will include the XI Colombian Congress of Aquaculture and the meeting of the Latin American Association of Native Fish Culture.

LACQUA 24 “Aquaculture in Latin America: innovation and sustainability for a global aquaculture,” is approaching and we are very enthusiastic about the kind of event that is taking shape. Our two Board Directors Dr. Adriana Muñoz in the academics field, and Dr. Paola Barato also in the academics but mainly in the industry sector, and our Secretariat Carolina Amezquita have finished developing a wonderful program. Combined events will be the XI Colombian Congress of Aquaculture, and the meeting of the Latin American Association of Native Fish Culture.

So many challenges exist in our region for the sustainable development of aquaculture. Not only are we lacking behind the 2030 SDGs, but the impacts of Climate Change are manifesting in a faster way than anticipated, urging a very efficient response and articulation of actors. Mainly, the situation demands quick decisions from our governments to find solutions. Governance is critical in the real capacity of governments to head efforts to tackle these emerging problems.

The aquaculture production forecast for the Latin American region is again, this year, telling a well known story as witnessed in recent years: impacts from different external sources, learning to adapt to them, and many tests of farmers’ and their communities’ resilience. In particular, the commercial tilapia industry in the continent is facing new challenges with impacts from diseases.

It seems like yesterday we were planning for LACQUA23 in Panama and now our LACC Chapter is already focused on Medellín, Colombia for LACQUA24. LACQUA23 in Panamá City was a very nice conference. There were 1189 total attendees from 48 countries, including 58 students.

In 2022, the total population of Latin America and the Caribbean reached 660.3 million, with a total annual population growth rate of 6.7 percent. Projections for 2050 indicate that 737 million people will inhabit the region. Currently, 32.3 percent of the population lives in poverty, with 12.9 percent in conditions of extreme poverty.

The year 2022 was a very busy year for our Chapter. We decided to help our Society in getting back to normal as soon as possible, but of course respecting the sanitary conditions worldwide and by specific countries regarding the Covid 19 pandemic. That’s why our world event coincided with LACQUA 2022, and was held in April 2023 in beautiful Mérida, Yucatán, México.

FAO’s most recent State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture SOFIA 2022 shows that aquaculture´s production in the American continent (Americas in the document) reached 4.4 million t live weight for all species, representing a a 57 percent increase in the period 2010-2020.

The recently concluded World Aquaculture conference in Mérida, Yucatán, México, was a small but very rich conference. This repeatedly delayed conference — that included the Latin America and Caribbean Chapter representation — served to re-establish our WAS in-person conferences in the region. It was the first time in more than two years for many of us to greet and talk to colleagues, mostly from México but also from our continent.

As I am writing this column on 30 November, the International Day of Aquaculture, it is fitting to talk today about some general aspects that will shape our sector in the coming years. We are still learning to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and to try to adapt to the changes it causes in our lives, but at the same time new challenges are emerging for the aquaculture community.