8 DECEMBER 2017 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG LACQUA17 is over now, but I’m sure it’s still alive in the memory of the lucky ones who had the opportunity to be in Mazatlán (México) in November. Conferences are the place to meet old friends, make new ones, visit the trade show, and get to know what is new in the aquaculture world by listening to oral presentations and visiting the posters. Furthermore, conferences are also good opportunities to get to know beautiful places and different cultures. In that way, México was not different. Apart from the beautiful scenery, the country was still celebrating the Dia de dos Muertos holiday when conference attendants flew into Mexico City. I was overwhelmed by the richness of this celebration. The Catrinas and other personages of Dia de los Muertos made really a strong impression on me, especially at dusk, when the city lights were just coming on. By the numbers, LACQUA17 was a great success. There were 1,298 participants from 32 countries. Out of the five inhabited continents, there were representatives from all over the world. Of course, México led the way with 864 participants, but the LACC region was well represented, with participants from 14 countries. Conference Chairs Antonio Garza and Juan Pablo Lazo did an amazing job setting up such a great conference. There were 357 abstracts submitted for LACQUA17 and presentations were made in in 29 sessions that covered all aspects of the aquaculture industry. You name it, we had it. I would like to thank Program Chairs Francisco Javier Martines Cordero and Maria Celia Portella for coordinating such a large program and interacting with Session Chairs to secure a successful conference. The invaluable contribution of Session Chairs is also acknowledged. LACC conferences value the participation of students. For that, special rates were provided, so students can spare some money from registration and invest it in airline tickets and accommodation. Here I take the opportunity to congratulate Samia Sarkis, Chair of the Student Committee, for organizing all student activities with such passion. She managed to put together a hardworking committee to make sure all students were taken good care of during the conference. Samia counted on a big help from Jose Pablo Fuentes Quezada during the conference. Pablo, originally from Costa Rica, is a graduate student of the Aquaculture Department at CICESE (Ensenada, México). LACC is already planning the next chapter conferences. Please save the dates to visit Bogotá, Colombia, from October 23-26 next year and San Jose, Costa Rica, from November 1922 in 2019. More information on upcoming LACC conferences can be found on our website (www. was.org/LACC/en/portal.aspx) or on Facebook (@ laccwas). Samia Sarkis (Director), Laurence Massaut (Treasurer) and Antonio Garza (Past President) are leaving the LACC Board of Directors. We appreciate very much their invaluable contributions to our chapter and membership. Nash Rodríguez, LACC secretariat, is also leaving us. We thank her for all the good work she has done for LACC. At the same time, I welcome new LACC Board of Directors members. Adriana Patricia Muñoz Ramírez from Colombia is a new Director and Daercy Ayroza from Brazil is the new Treasurer. Laurence Massaut is coming back as President-Elect. Last but not least, I also thank Lorenzo Juarez, who is leaving the President position but remaining on the LACC Board of Directors as Past President. It is my first week as LACC President and I can already feel the pressure to continue the good job Lorenzo has done. I am sure that, with his assistance and the good work of our Board of Directors, LACC will continue to grow and serve its membership well. — Luís André Sampaio, President Student Awards at LACQUA 17 There was a healthy competition among students for the best oral and poster presentations at LACQUA 17. Pentair has been sponsoring these prizes for the last couple of years, and in Mazatlan US$ 600.00 was apportioned to the winners. Oral Presentation First place: Pedro G. Romero-García, Juan M. Pacheco-Vega, Marco A. Cadena-Roa, Oscar I. Zavala-Leal, Francisco J. Valdez-González, Daniel E. Godínez-Siordia for “Reduction or replacement of dry diets by macroalgae in a biofloc system for shrimp Penaeus vannamei production.” (Respuesta de un sistema biofloc a la sustitución y disminución de alimento inerte por macroalgas en un cultivo de camarón blanco Penaeus vannamei). Second Place: Andressa Vieira de Moraes, Lilian D. Latin American and Caribbean Chapter CHAPTER REPORTS Luís André Sampaio (LACC President) and Maria Célia Portella (WAS President-Elect) presented Jose Pablo Fuentes Quezada - LACQUA 17 Student Coordinator - a certificate of recognition for his hard work.
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