4 DECEMBER 2014 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Year by year more people in Asia rely on aquaculture for food and as a source of income but disease and poor management threaten the industry. According to the FAO, fish farming holds tremendous opportunities in responding to the increasing demand for food, which is taking place due to global population growth. Asia – including South Asia, Southeast Asia, China and Japan – is projected to represent 70 percent of global fish consumption by 2030. Asia is the largest producer of farmed shrimp but, in recent years, growth in some countries has declined significantly due to diseases. Since 2012, shrimp production in China, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia has declined due to early mortality syndrome (EMS). Other countries, including Indonesia and India, have not been impacted by EMS and their shrimp farming sectors are on the rise. Vietnam is having a promising recovery from the EMS outbreak. However, Thailand remains in doubt, with an estimated shrimp production of less than 250,000 t for 2014, which is 50 percent less than its normal production. As promised in my previous column, we have started working on the new website for the APC Chapter and expect it to be ready to launch by the first quarter of 2015. We are also finalizing the employment of an APC secretariat with a qualified candidate. Two small symposia have been confirmed, one in India in January 2015 and the other in Iran, both related to shrimp farming. The Iran symposium is pending for final confirmation from government authorities. The first steering committee meeting for the APC meeting in Surabaya, Indonesia in 2016 will be held on December 8 and there is great support from the government and private sector. Finally I would like to congratulate our new President-Elect, Dr. Enday from Indonesia and two new board members, Brett Glencross and Jenny Cobcroft as Directors. Welcome on board. — Farshad Shishehchian, President CHAPTER REPORTS U.S. Aquaculture Society Asian Pacific Chapter Thank It is the time of year to give thanks and to reflect on who we are and where we going. First, I truly appreciate the time and dedication of my fellow current volunteer USAS Board Members. They have endured many a frantic “blonde moment” with me this year. Thanks to each of you for your enduring patience and good sense of humor. I also want to recognize and thank our old and new sponsors for the USAS student awards. Because of their support and commitment, in partnership with USAS, we will award over $17,000 to students for travel and presentation excellence. Through our combined efforts, we intend to have a positive and lasting impact on the next generation of aquaculture scientists among us. The 2015 USAS Student Award Sponsors are: American Fisheries Society, Fish Culture Section; Aqualogic; Drs. Ebeling and Timmons; Merck Animal Health; Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems; Sea Grant, National Sea Grant College Program; Soy Aquaculture Alliance; Tyson Foods, Inc. In addition to these sponsors, Alltech. USAS and Alltech have partnered to create an exciting opportunity for USAS students presenting at Aquaculture America 2015 (AA15) in New Orleans, LA, from February 19-22, 2015. The USAS student (graduate or undergraduate) receiving the USAS Merck Best Presentation Award will be eligible to advance to the Alltech Young Scientist (AYS) competition at the regional level for North America, where they will compete with other AYS country/affiliation winners. The top three winners in each of the regional phases will be an AYS Finalist and invited to compete (all expenses paid) in the Global Competition held at the Alltech Annual Symposium in Lexington, KY in May, 2015. The USAS AYS winner and their mentor will receive AYS Affiliation Awards (trophies, medals and certificates). Regional and Global Competition winners will receive certificates and cash awards. For USAS student winners to compete in the AYS North American Regional Competition, they will need to prepare and submit an aquaculture sciencerelated paper following the AYS paper submission requirements (3,500 words for undergraduate and 5,000 words for graduate). For more information on the Alltech Young Scientist Program and requirements go to www.alltech.com/ education/alltech-young-scientist/about. Thanks to all who stepped up to be judges for the USAS student abstracts for AA15. Your time is appreciated. Students, it is not too late to submit an application for some of these awards. You can visit the USAS website (www.was.org/USAS/) or contact me for more information. Deadlines are in early December 2014. Another thank you to Hayward Industries for their support and making possible our student field trips and activities at AA15. Hayward – you delivered when we needed it most! USAS has exciting news from the Publications Committee. The USAS Board has approved sponsorship of the new book by Drs. Boyd and Tucker, Handbook for Aquaculture Water Quality. (See review this issue. – Ed.) The book will be sold through the WAS online store (www.was.org/Shopping/). The USAS appreciates Drs. Boyd and Tucker for thinking of the USAS and our membership. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 72)
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