World Aquaculture 7 Indaqua 2009 Indaqua 2009 is a biennial event organized by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA). The event is used as a platform to present the trends in aquaculture production globally and showcase the new potential opportunities by inviting leading experts from different parts of the world to share their experience with Indian entrepreneurs. The 4th Indaqua was held Jan. 21-23, 2009 and attracted more than 300 delegates from India and overseas. The proceedings focused on the potentials for India to increase income through the export of cultured aquatic organisms. Dr. M.C. Nandeesha from the World Aquaculture Society was invited to participate in the event and as the Co-Chair of the Promotion and Membership committee of WAS, he utilized the opportunity to describe the activities and the interest of WAS in promoting responsible aquaculture. India at present exports nearly US$ two billion worth of seafood and, based on the latest statistics, this is the eighth largest export earner for the country. Among the various commodities, shrimp constitute more than 50 percent of the total export and the contribution from aquaculture for this commodity is increasing steadily. There is an effort to diversify the species cultured and promote new species and aquaculture techniques. The conference was inaugurated by Mr. Naveen Patnaik , Chief Minister of Orissa on Jan. 21, 2009, in the presence of several distinguished persons including Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Honorable Minister of State for Commerce from the Government of India. Both the Chief Minister and the Commerce Minister highlighted the need to develop the aquaculture sector and create employment opportunities for youth, besides enhancing income through exports. The Government would develop programs to attract investments and wherever necessary and it was sugChief Minister of Orissa Naveen Patnaik inaugurated Indaqua 2009. gested to outsource the technology to hasten aquaculture technology development for different commodities. Mr. G. Mohanakumar, Chairman, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has been heading the organization for the past few years and has contributed in many ways to promote costal aquaculture development in the country by exploring new options and opportunities. With professional planning, MPEDA is in the forefront of sustainable aquaculture development in the country with the establishment of a dedicated institution called the National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture Development in Andhra Pradesh and another centre called the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture, which focuses mainly on developing technologies. Mr. Vishnu Bhat is providing support as the Director on technical side while Director K. Thomas is developing marketing strategies. The team has helped the organization stimulate export oriented aquaculture development in the country, while safeguarding the natural ecosystem by promoting the best management practices. Technical Sessions. The first keynote address for the conference was delivered by Dr. Mohammad R. Hasan, Fisheries Officer (Aquaculture ) from FAO, Rome. Dr. Hasan not only reviewed global trends in major aquaculture species, but also helped with projections on various potential species as well as the input supplies for aquaculture development. In 2006, with a production of 70 t, the aquaculture sector contributed US$ 90 billion for the trade. Though Asia continues to contribute the majority of aquaculture production, the rate of growth has been better in Africa and Latin America. Within Asia, China has consistently demonstrated 11.2 percent growth for the past three decades, while the average growth for Asia was around 6 percent. Dr. Hasan also highlighted the diversity of aquaculture, which now totals over 200 species and supports the livelihoods of people besides contributing to food security and supply. He recommended that the focus of research and development should aim mainly to explore more of plant protein, oil and carbohydrate sources in aquaculture feeds. Ms. May Noe Lwin from Thailand presented the technology developed for soft shell crab production. She indicated that the fattening technology available in Thailand in conjunction with the local breeding techniques may help the new industry. Mr. Y.C.Thampi Samraj from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture discussed developments on the technology for the culture of sea bass in cages. With commercial feed available, it appears that in coastal areas sea bass culture technology may become viable. Professor Kevin Fitzsimmons from Arizona presented the global trend in tilapia production and indicated that it is the 5th most widely consumed item in USA. With the technological progress in evolving new varieties of tilapia and the development of processing technology to develop fillets and other products, it was predicated that tilapia will continue to dominate the aquaculture sector in the coming years. Since
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