World Aquaculture December 2018

20 DECEMBER 2018 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG Pres ident, continued from page 2 world. The conference theme #We RAquaculture highlighted that “we are the producers, the investors, the suppliers, the processors, the vendors, the scientists, the educators, the students and the consumers of farmed aquatic products,” together contributing to the production of high-quality food for global health and wealth. The AQUA conferences are organized every six years as a joint meeting of WAS and EAS, and this year broke all records, bringing together 3003 participants from 109 countries, 175 booths at the aquaculture tradeshow, 81 technical sessions where 800 presentations were given orally. The poster sessions covered 317 presentations in 17 sessions. In addition, ten industry sessions were organized, as well as important parallel events, such as the AQUA 18 Press Conference and a special session convened by the FAO on “Advancing Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture Through Agroecology.” Over four days, participants had the opportunity to learn about new aquaculture discoveries and technologies in a very diverse scientific program and to meet colleagues and friends to exchange experiences. The high point of the social programwas the fantastic reception at the Chateau Flaugergues! The conference Latin American and Caribbean Aquaculture 2018 (LACQUA 18), VIII Colombian Congress of Aquaculture (VIII CCA) and South American Regional Aquaculture (SARA 2018) was co-organized by the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of WAS (LACC), the Colombian Federation of Aquaculturists (FEDEACUA) and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá (October 23-26). The brand LACQUAwas established in 2013 and today is recognized as one of the main aquaculture events in Latin America, congregating a growing number of participants and exhibitors. In each edition, LACQUA brings together renowned national and foreign speakers, academics, students, farmers, extensionists, exhibitors, and representatives from government, industries and associations to discuss the recent advances and challenges of sustainable aquaculture in the region. The event had 1609 participants registered in different categories from 37 countries. A total of 511 scientific presentations were given, 330 oral and 181 posters. The trade showwas also successful, with 43 companies exhibiting their products and services. The conference also held side events, such as meetings organized by UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), FEDEACUA and the Colombian Academic Association of Aquaculture. Another important piece of information for one of the central segments of our membership is a new award approved by the Board of Directors inMontpellier called the Industry Impact Award (IIA), proposed originally by GrahamMair, a Past-President of WAS. The IIA is focused on acknowledging contributions to aquaculture by and for industry, aiming to improveWAS engagement with commercial aquaculture industries and potentially attract new industry members toWAS. Therefore, by the time you read this, the call for nominations will be issued and I expect theWAS membership to get involved nominating distinguished individuals for the three categories of this awards. Please check the Call for Nominations for details. RecentlyWAS took another step to recognize the outstanding work that our Home Office staff have been doing for many years. Past- president Bill Daniels tasked the Finance and LongRange Planning Committee to develop a plan to offer health insurance for our staff and recently this action came to fruition. AQSEHRA (Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement) plan was developed and Carol Mendoza and Judy Andrasko are now receiving benefits. Thanks to Treasurer Dr. Wendy Sealey, John Cooksey and the members of the Committee for this important accomplishment. To close this long column, I would like to remind everyone that WAS will commemorate its 50th and LACC its 25th anniversaries in 2019, and exciting celebrations are being planned throughout the year, starting at AQUACULTURE 2019 in NewOrleans, USA (March 7-11). The Honors and Awards Committee considered that this is the right moment to implement ways to acknowledge members who have contributed to the Society for a long time, and I am proud to announce that members with more than 50 years of membership will be recognized during the President’s reception and members with more than 25 years will receive a pin and certificate at theWAS booth in NewOrleans. It is time to remember and celebrate the contributions that WAS and its members have made for aquaculture growth around the world. Don’t miss the opportunity to get involved and be part of the prosperous future of WAS! — Maria Célia Portella, President