World Aquaculture December 2018

8 DECEMBER 2018 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG C H A P T E R R E P O R T S T he LACC conference LACQUA 2018 was held in Bogotá, Colombia in October. Bogotá is a city of contrasts, modern and historical buildings can be found and the city offers visitors and locals many museums and restaurants fromwhich to choose, and of course great opportunities for sightseeing. Total attendance was 1,609 people and of that there were 612 full conference registratants and 197 students from 37 countries including scientists from Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. The 43 booths in the trade show received many visitors. Latin America and Caribbean countries were very well represented, from southernmost Chile to Mexico, of course led in number by the host country Colombia. There were 511 abstracts submitted to LACQUA 2018. Oral presentations were given mostly in Spanish but also in Portuguese and English. The multi-language feature is the spirit of LACC conferences, permitted to give the opportunity for all members to make presentations. The 181 posters were placed side by side with the trade show booths and the coffee break tables, making it more accessible for everyone. We are looking forward to establish a strategy to increase the attractiveness of posters and comments on how to achieve this are most welcome by the LACC Board and Conference Chairs. ProgramChairs Sandra Pardo and Ricardo Rodrigues, along with invited Session Chairs did a very good job organizing 330 oral presentations divided into 36 sessions that pretty much covered all aspects of aquaculture, including different species and subjects. Once again the participation of students was stimulated by offering them special rates for registration for LACQUA 2018. Adriana Muñoz, Chair of the Student Committee, put together a team to organize the already famous student reception, with food, drinks, and an aquaculture quiz, it all ended up with a great dance with local and international music. Student poster and oral presentations were evaluated by a distinguished team consisting of the ProgramChairs and Session Chairs. Written abstracts and the actual presentations were evaluated for judgment, and as such, the results only came out after all presentations were finished. An excited audience gathered at the Ágora Convention Center to wait for announcement of the winners at what became the unofficial closing ceremony of the conference. The room full of students made it a really special moment, when the winners received their certificates and a total prize of $600, supported by LACC, were split among them. Oral Presentations First place: José Gabriel Pérez Rojas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Aproximación del bienestar animal como una herramienta de evaluación de elasmobranquios en cautiverio (Animal welfare as a tool to evaluate elasmobranch in captivity). Second place: Leonor Margarita Rivera, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Ecuador, Functional food as stimulators of the immune system of Litopenaeus vannamei cultivated in Machala, Province of El Oro, Ecuador. Third place: Ariane Martins Guimarães, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil, Schizochytrium limacinum meal in replace- ment of fish oil in practical diets for the juvenile Pacific white shrimp. Poster Presentations First place: Ariel Capote, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia, Design and implementation of a low-cost oxygen generator for small- scale aquaculture applications. Second Place: Mónica Berenice Luna Badillo, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, Mexico, Detección de enfermedades en organismos silvestres (crustáceos) en el noreste de México (Detection of diseases in wild crustaceans in northeastern Mexico). Third place: Jenifer Gómez fromUniversidad de Nariño, Colombia, Evaluación hidráulica de dos sistemas fotobiorreactor cónico y helicoidal (Hydraulic evaluation of two conical and helical photobioreactor systems). One year has gone by since I took office. The experience of serving on the Board of Directors of an important society such as LACC is very challenging, but it is also very rewarding, and as such I am pleased to keep working one more year as LACC President. I want to welcome Karina Ribeiro fromBrazil, who just joined the Board as a Director, replacing Nelson Peña fromCosta Rica, who remains on the Board as the new LACC secretary. As we say goodbye to Bogotá, I would like to remind you to get ready for LACQUA 2019. It will be held in San José, Costa Rica, from 19 to 22 November. We are expecting another great conference. Start planning your trip to visit the beautiful volcanos and beaches and get to know the great fauna and flora of Costa Rica. —Luís André Sampaio, President Latin American and Caribbean Chapter L to R. Participants at LACQUA 2018 in Bogotá, winner of first place oral presentation José Gabriel Pérez Rojas, part of the trade show at LACQUA 2018.