WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2018 9 CHAPTER REPORTS Over the past few years, I have been privileged to participate in the APC first as a Director on the Board and now in this leadership role. With thanks to those of you who elected me as President, this year it is my turn to carry the torch for the Asian Pacific Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society. This has not been done alone; the people who have gone before me have provided steady direction and dedication to show the path forward. As we close the year, it is time to thank board members for their service to the chapter and welcome some new faces. The Asian Pacific Aquaculture Conference and Exposition took place from April 23-26 in Taipei, Taiwan. The event was held at the Taipei International Convention Centre, which was a very welcoming venue for the conference and trade show. APA18 featured 40 technical sessions on recent trends on aquaculture along with a trade show. During the event, 295 oral presentations and 150 posters were made. The trade show had 100 booths that attracted over 1890 attendees. Thanks to John Cooksey and his team, in association with National Taiwan Ocean University, for their outstanding job. WAS-APC also awarded and recognized students by awarding preconference and women travel awards. Shrimp production has grown multifold, making India stand neck and neck with China, which is currently the largest producer of shrimp in the world. Food safety and traceability are gaining importance and we need to ensure the quality of produce to have smooth exports. It is imperative that the industry revisit farming and hatchery practices to make the industry more sustainable and successful. Commitment at all levels will be facilitated through the APC and discussions are already underway to focus on regional training program and conferences in Indonesia, Myanmar and Oman. Next year, the Asian Pacific Aquaculture conference (APA19) is scheduled to be held at Chennai Trade Centre, India from June 19-21. This is a major event where the giants of world aquaculture will gather to discuss the theme on “Aquaculture for Health, Wealth and Happiness.” The APA19 will provide an exceptional opportunity for academics and representatives of commercial sectors to enhance and share their knowledge, have peer engagements, widen their network and expand their vision of the industry. APA19 Chennai will coincide with the 50th Anniversary (Golden Jubilee) of WAS and we need to make this event global. Please submit your abstract and get connected with the organizers for registration. We’re growing fast and this month the APC is sponsoring to the Third International Symposium on Fisheries Education at India. The APC is currently exploring opportunities to enhance efforts on newer perspectives of aquaculture and we will continue our efforts to encourage the development of the APC to reach out to the world in real terms! We understand the need to improve the chapter services and would appreciate any ideas and feedback from the members. For more information visit wasapc.org. — S. Felix, President Student Awards at APA18 in Taiwan To foster women’s participation and recognize the achievements of women in aquaculture, the APC provided travel grant awards (US$ 600 each) to Ms. Dyahruri Sanjayasari, University of Auckland, New Zealand and Ms. Amina Moss, Kagoshima University, Japan to attend Asian Pacific Aquaculture 2018. Preconference travel awards for best abstracts (US$ 400 each) were conferred to Menaga Meenakshisundaram, Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University, Tamil Nadu, India for “Effect Of Dietary Supplementation Of Phytobiotic Feed Additive On Growth Performance And Resistance Of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) to Streptococcus agalactiae Serotype II” and Chao-Fen Lin, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan for “Decreased Expression Of SPARC by Immuno-Inhibition Enhances Cell Proliferation in Orange-Spotted Grouper (Epinephelus coioides).” The Asian Pacific Chapter of WAS is pleased to announce the results for the best oral and poster presentations from students at Asian Pacific Aquaculture 2018. The evaluation took place during the conference in Taipei, Taiwan at the end of April. The APC will continue to support excellent young and promising scientists a5 its conferences. The award committee together with external reviewers have chosen the following students for the high quality of their work. Oral Presentations: • Dayang Nur Jazlyn Abang Zamhari, Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (US$ 600), “Dietary Supplementation of Local Medicinal Herbs for Hybrid Grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × E. lanceolatus Juvenile”. • Noor Syazwani binti Omar, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (US$ 400), “Probiotic Bacteria as Quorum Sensing Degrader in Controling Diseases Of Cultured Freshwater Fish.” Poster Presentations: • Ping-Hung Lai , National Cheng Kung University (US$ 600), “The Role Of Sirt4 In White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) Pathogenesis.” • Chun- Hsi- Tso, National Taiwan Ocean University (US$ 400), “Transcriptome Profiling Analysis Of Grouper During Nervous Necrosis Virus Persistent Infection.” Asian Pacific Chapter New Book in the WAS Online Store Aquaculture: Will it rise to its potential to feed the world? By George S. Lockwood. Aquaculture is the most environmentally sustainable means to feed the population boom that threatens the planet. Will government allow it to do this critically important job? Paperback 199 pages. ISBN: 9781366393340
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