4 MARCH 2017 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG CHAPTER REPORTS Professor Sungchul Charles Bai Named as a Fellow of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology Professor Bai was elected as a Fellow of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), the nation’s highest intergraded think-tank for science and technology. He received a Fellowship Badge at a ceremony in Seoul in January. There were 31 scientists who became new Fellows but Charles was the only professor from Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongnam areas, in the southeastern part of Korea. He has published more than 200 domestic and international papers and presented over 500 academic talks in the field of nutritional research and aquaculture. He has been playing a leading role in the development of aquaculture. He has been a professor at Pukyong National University since 1993. He was President of WAS from 2007-2008. He recently received the Won Jong Hoon Academic Award of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and the Excellence Prize of the Korean Ocean and Fisheries Science and Technology Award. The Korean Chapter of WAS congratulates Professor Bai on his achievement of being named as a Fellow of the KAST. Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) Introduces ‘Major Business Plan 2017’ The MOF introduced ‘Major Business Plan 2017’ at the Joint Governmental Policy Direction Report Session. The MOF will focus on fostering new industry, creating jobs, and industrializing traditional fisheries industry in 2017 under the theme of “creating new industries and strengthening competitiveness in the marine and fisheries sectors.” There are five major direct plans, one of which includes scaling-up the aquaculture industry. For this section, the MOF will make efforts to attract private-sector investment and foster inland aquaculture. The First Korea Sea Farm Forum in Jeju The MOF and the Korea Sea Farm Forum held the First Korea Sea Farm Forum in Jeju. The Korea Sea Farm Forum was launched last year to replicate the Norwegian North Atlantic Seafood Forum, which promotes convergence between advanced technology and aquaculture technology and stimulates investment (see Korean Chapter News - December 2016 issue). Experts from Information Technology, finance, fisheries, and stakeholders from more than 140 fields participated in this event. The forum introduced promising business models that aquaculture companies can participate in and examine the possibility of commercialization. Polaris Shipping, a company specialized in the transportation of raw materials, proposed the Blue Revolution Project that will utilize its own large vessels to provide a production station for aquaculture, renewable energy production, and marine tourism. Currently, a preliminary project is underway to produce 3,000 tons of fish annually by 2019 by cultivating sea trout in 200,000 t tanks. Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute introduced an ‘Urban Aqua Farm (UAF)’ that can easily produce aquatic products regardless of the location and weather conditions. The producers who operate the UAF could make up a group, and the processing, distribution and sales would be jointly carried out to secure the price competitiveness and high quality. Korea-ASEAN Forum on Aquaculture Held by The Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) The Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) held the First KoreaASEAN Forum on Aquaculture to strengthen co-operation between Korea and ASEAN countries in Denpasar, Indonesia. The forum, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by experts from Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. The Korean delegate presented the current situation of the domestic aquaculture industry and abalone farming technology and proposed possible cooperation in the field of aquacultureenvironment surveys, productivity improvement and disease management technology in the future. In particular, ASEAN countries have suitable environments for aquaculture, and it would be possible to create synergy by applying Korea’s advanced aquaculture technology. In addition, delegates from seven countries who are members of the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries (ASWGFi), provided an overview of the current situation of each country’s aquaculture and expressed the hope of having the entry of Korean aquaculture industry and investment. — Ik Kyo Chung, President Korean Chapter Korean Media Stories The following are recent headlines of notable aquaculture news stories covered by the Korean media. • South Koreans top consumers of seafood: FAO report — Yonhap News • Korea invests in aquaculture in anticipation of growing seafood demand — Arirang TV News • Government to open fish farming business to conglomerates — Yonhap News • Desert-raised shrimps highlight Korean farming tech — Korea Times • Abalone aquaculture firm seeks Korea’s first-ever ASC certification — Korea Herald • Jeju’s women divers gain UNESCO recognition — Korea Herald
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