WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2014 5 CHAPTER REPORTS From 4-7 November, our second LACQUA event took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, one of the most beautiful cities in the region. LACQUA 14 had the participation of around 600 professionals from around the globe, which is a sign that more people are paying attention to what it is happening in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. This event was historic for our chapter for three reasons. First, it consolidated the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter (LACC) of the World Aquaculture Society as the second largest chapter in the Society. Second, the conference had increased participation from the Caribbean area, one of our main objectives for the chapter. Third, and most important, it confirmed that having our regional meeting in Spanish and/or Portuguese is the best way to attract producers and decision-makers to our conference. When we started with this idea, many doubted that this strategy would succeed. However, the current board envisioned that this was the only way of achieving our main goal, which was to bring together academia, producers and decision-makers under one umbrella – our chapter. During the event, more than 150 oral presentations and 50 posters were made. The commercial exposition, which attracted 700 visitors in addition to the participants of the conference, had the participation of 65 vendors. Knowledge was shared, businesses were celebrated, friends were made — LACQUA14 was a great success! Our next LACQUA conference will take place in Brazil next year. LACQUA15 will take place in the Convention Center in Fortaleza, Ceará, from 16-20 November, in coordination with FENACAM 2015. This will conclude our first three-year conference cycle, which started in Villavicencio, Colombia, last year. It will also be the time to change our board, so keep your eyes open if you want to participate as a board member for 20152017. I am sure that our organization will continue to grow along with our events. Our commitment to the chapter membership is to keep improving our services and contribute as much as we can to aquaculture development in the Latin American and Caribbean region and worldwide. It is also time for a new challenge. Our first regional workshop will take place from 9-12 December in Coquimbo, Chile. It will be the First Arid Land Aquaculture Workshop sponsored by the LACC and in partnership with the Fifth Congress of Aquaculture and the Fifth Congress of Aquaponics in Chile. These series of events will support the creation of a “Centro de Investigación Mundial para el Desarrollo de una Acuicultura Sustentable en Zonas Áridas,” which will function to promote sustainable aridland aquaculture worldwide. We are sure that LACC will be deeply involved with this center and that it will make a great contribution to achieve food security in the region. I hope to see you there. — Antonio Garza de Yta, President Latin American and Caribbean Chapter The Korea-Japan Joint Symposium on Aquaculture, which is held biannually in Korea and Japan, was held on October 31, 2014 in Kunsan National University, Korea. It was co-organized by the Aquaculture Division of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Science (KOSFAS). The symposium provided a rich variety of information to more than 80 participants, with 10 oral and 57 poster presentations by scientists from various institutions and academia. There were four invited lectures given by distinguished speakers: Dr. J. Higano (Director, Fisheries Research Agency) Suspended Culture of Asari Clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, Utilizing Natural Seeds”; Dr. Park Kwan-Ha (Kunsan National University) on “Current Concept on Aquaculture Farm Water Quality Regulation and Aquaculture Product Safety”; Dr. T. Yoshimatsu (Mie University) on “Climate Change and Its Impact on Aquaculture in Shallow Seas”; and Dr. Yoo Jin-Hyung (Bari Cooperative Co.) on “Monitoring Causes Affecting the Productivity of Flounder in Jeju Island, Korea.” Along with the symposium, the Annual Conference of KOSFAS, including three divisions — Fish Farming, Processing and Utilization of Seafood, and Biological Engineering — was held. The conference provided not only great opportunities to share knowledge and new ideas, but also to meet new scientific collaborators, old friends and fellow researchers. — Albert Kwang-Sik Choi, President Korean Chapter LEFT. Participants of the 2014 Korea-Japan Joint Symposium on Aquaculture.
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