WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2018 25 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 26) and aquaponics are priority research areas. Universidad del Magdalena is a leader in the cultivation and genetic improvement of oysters Nodipecten nodosus and Argopecten nucleus, generating interest in its cultivation in private companies and small producers in the area. It has also contributed to the development of technology for production and cultivation of the burgao snail Cittarium pica. Studies have been developed related to the culture of estuarine fish, such as Centropomus undecimalis, its maintenance and growing in captivity and research related to the effects of environmental factors on fish larval development, essentially light, photoperiod and their effect on spawning induction and the effect of temperature on sex determination in fish using molecular tools (e.g., RT qPCR). The institution is also a national pioneer in knowledge related to the acclimation and production in captivity of sea cucumber Isostichopus sp. Its researchers have developed research and extension projects related to the processing of fish and aquaculture products (sausages, canned, antipasti), training fishermen, women heads of household, students of schools, colleges and entities of technical and technological training. Their teachers / researchers have been trainers, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, because they have the only fisheries engineering program in the country. The university offers a biology program and a Master in Aquaculture degree, and has more than 12 years of training personnel specializing in aquaculture. The Doctorate of Marine Sciences is offered in consortium with other five other universities nationwide. In this context, Universidad del Magdalena contributes to the diversification and dynamism of aquaculture in the country. Public and Private Entities Related to the Aquaculture Sector In the country there are several public and private entities that develop activities that seek to promote aquaculture development. AUNAP (National Authority of Aquaculture and Fisheries) exercises the fisheries and aquaculture authority of Colombia, through planning, research, regulation, promotion, registration, information, inspection, monitoring and control of fishing and aquaculture activities, applying the sanctions that may arise, within a policy of promotion and sustainable development of fishery resources. FEDEACUA (Colombian Federation of Aquaculture Producers) is a non-profit organization founded in 1998, which positioned itself as a national association in 2012, achieving the goal of fish farming LEFT: Small-scale farmers of the native fish species cachama and bocachico. RIGHT: Silver arowana Osteoglossum bicirrhosum male with fry. Ornamental native fish are produced in the southern region of Colombia. Aquaculture in the Jimain indigenous community, Resguardo Arhuaco. LEFT: Native fish production in an integrated agri-aquaculture system. RIGHT: Workshop on native fish production in integrated agri-aquaculture systems.
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