2 DECEMBER 2013 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG President’s Column Well, here I sit, soaring at 35,000 feet, on my way home after several productive days involved with aquaculture development in Baja California, Mexico. I am quickly reminded of my recent trip to Villavicencio, Colombia to attend LACQUA 2013, the annual meeting of the Latin America and Caribbean Chapter of WAS. In addition to a well-developed program and excellent tradeshow attendance and representation, the meeting attracted over 500 participants, despite logistical difficulties in reaching this wonderful location. Villavicencio is about a threehour drive southeast of Bogota, in the margins where rain from the Andes mountains create tremendous cascading rivers destined for the Amazon River and eventually the Atlantic Ocean. As with my recent trip to Mexico and the meeting in Villavicencio, it is ever more evident that aquaculture is developing rapidly in the Americas as it is around the world. Furthermore, this development is occurring with increased interest and investment from currently unrelated and established industry sectors. Numerous global giants such as Lockheed Martin and the Dutch multinational corporation Philips are evaluating and engaging in opportunities with aquaculture, with a clear understanding that aquaculture is rapidly taking its rightful place among traditional agriculture sectors towards meeting our planet’s future demand for safe, sustainable, and nutritious food. These existing industry sectors are investing heavily in aquaculture R&D and, more importantly, are bringing to bear their own areas of expertise, such as materials sciences, engineering, biological and technological capacity, systems design, automation and control, management, among others. The engagement of these new stakeholders is helping revolutionize global aquaculture at accelerating rates and addressing many of the challenges of synergizing industrial-scale sustainable development. This clear trend is not limited to any particular region of the world. There are Fortune 100 companies bringing their skills and capacities into investments in arid land regions, nearshore and offshore zones, as well as land-based recirculating production systems. There is also integration of production systems with multitrophic aquaculture towards advancement of aquaculture and agriculture development, bringing new opportunities for socioeconomic and geopolitical stability and increased food safety and security. I also observe enhanced collaboration and integration globally among aquaculture sector stakeholders. There are more academic, government, and private sector entities reaching out to each other in recognition of common goals and objectives, and the recognition of strength by integration. This too is accelerating industrial development of our sector. With the success of the recent LACQUA 2013 meeting, WAS is following with meetings in Japan and Vietnam organized by the Asian-Pacific Chapter and the upcoming Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture in Abu Dhabi, of which WAS is a Foundation Partner. Shortly thereafter, the US Aquaculture Society, a chapter of WAS, will be holding its annual meeting February 9-12, 2014, in Seattle, Washington, a great location with strong aquaculture industries and of course excellent seafood dining opportunities at the famous Fisherman’s Wharf at the waterside. In June, WAS will also be holding a joint session with the Aquaculture Association of Canada at Aquaculture Canada 2014, June 1-4 in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. The joint session will focus on global aquaculture development and global climate change. Immediately after, on June 7-11, WAS will hold its annual meeting in Adelaide, Australia. This meeting is shaping up to be an astounding success under the mentorship of a strong Steering and Program Committee. I have already been reminded by my lovely wife, less than subtly, that while the majority of my overseas travels see me flying solo, she is already packing her bags and making plans to explore the wonderful treasures of Adelaide and beyond. By the time you read this we will be well into the holiday season. My parting note for this column is, although we all work devilishly hard towards the development of aquaculture, we also need to take time to appreciate the truly important aspects of life, such as family and friends. I feel truly blessed to call so many of you my friends and I look forward to the opportunity of meeting new ones. I am also very thankful for all of the hard work and support of the entire WAS Board, Home Office staff, and Executive Conference Services over this past year. Best wishes to each and every one of you for a safe and happy holiday season from me, my family, and all of us at the WAS Board, Home Office, and Executive Services, with warm regards as well for a safe and prosperous new year. — Michael Schwarz, President Contents (continued) Society 2 President’s Column 3 Asian Pacific Chapter Report 4 Latin American and Caribbean Chapter Report 4 USAS Report 5 Korean Chapter Report 6 Editor’s Note 66 Advertisers’ Index 70 Calendar 71 Financial Report 72 Membership Application
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