World Aquaculture December 2018

WWW.WA S.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2018 37 ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3 8 ) changed. There is a lot of information, several aquaculture journals, hundreds of books, and lots of information, some of dubious quality, but the role WAS plays in exchange of reliable information and in providing opportunities to showcase technology and to network with everyone associated with the industry is as or more important than ever. During my time on the Board, including the Asian Pacific Chapter, and since, we organized and ran the biggest and best conferences and trade shows in the world. We renamed the Southeast Asian chapter the Asian Pacific Chapter, to include all Asia, Australia and the Pacific, and developed and hosted smaller regional conferences in Asia, the home of aquaculture. The value of our conferences cannot be overstated. I know of no other professional association with so many well-run conferences and trade shows across the world that bring together everyone involved with the industry, from students to professors, from technicians to corporate giants, from government policy makers to politicians (even Presidents!). Global aquaculture has much to thank WAS for. Secondly, the benefits to the Society itself. The biggest benefit to WAS is the success of aquaculture. Frommodest production in the early 1990s to contribution of more than half the total volume of seafood globally (and even more by value), aquaculture has boomed. In contrast to so many professional associations, WAS remains solvent, attracts members and delegates to its conferences and produces the very type of accurate information people clamor for. During my time as President I championed new technology to stream our conference presentations. We produced a few CDs from several conferences but ultimately the demand for these products was less than the cost. I learned how much people value networking opportunities and the chance to see some of the latest products. Our programs are always well attended but I believe that it is the whole package our conferences provide that is the key to our success. Finally, the benefits to me personally. Being part of WAS has been a highlight of my career and life. I have made so many friends around the world. I met dedicated professionals from countries around the world who shared my interests, values and passion. I found my tribe. I realized that so many of the problems, issues and opportunities faced by the developing aquaculture industry in Australia are mirrored elsewhere. Being part of WAS helped me benchmark not only the science done by my laboratory and throughout Australia but also the way our industry was addressing the problems it was confronting. Happy 50th to the World Aquaculture Society! Kevin Fitzsimmons, 2004-2005 My term as WAS President has been one of the highlights of my professional career. With so much of the world’s aquaculture occurring in Asia, I was lucky to obtain a Fulbright Fellowship to work at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand during a good part of my term. More importantly the group of WAS Presidents just prior to and after my term were great leaders who have continued to be some of my best friends and colleagues. During my term, John Cooksey also organized some of the most successful meetings in WAS history in Honolulu and Bali. The Bali meeting in particular was the largest aquaculture gathering in global history at the time. The prestige of the meeting was unprecedented as we were honored to have the sitting President of Indonesia provide the in-person keynote welcoming address. The devastating Asian tsunami occurred a few months before the meeting and WAS members and partners contributed almost $100,000 to Aquaculture without Frontiers to support aquaculture restoration efforts to help the people of Aceh, Indonesia. It was an honor to be able to travel to Aceh following the Bali meeting and quickly put those funds to work to support more sustainable aquafarming methods compared to the monospecific farming of shrimp in mangroves that preceded the tsunami. Another highlight of my term was working with Craig Browdy to transition the WAS journal to internet-based publishing. It was also on honor to be invited to speak at the Southern Africa Aquaculture Conference, European Aquaculture Society, and co-host an International Symposium on Tilapia in Aquaculture in Manila, Philippines. WAS continues to be an essential force that pushes global aquaculture to grow in a more sustainable manner, providing high-quality seafood to billions of consumers all over the planet. Being able to be a small part of that legacy has, and still is, an honor. Daniel Fegan, 2005-2006 When I became WAS President, I wasn’t really prepared for the enormity of the role despite having been on the Board of Directors for several years. Fortunately, I was supported by an able Board, many of whom continue to be friends, and of course the Cooksey family, who bear the brunt of the organization of WAS meetings. The most memorable things for me were the annual meetings that bookended my presidency. As a European living in Asia, I was honored as my term started with the meeting in Bali, Indonesia, and ended with the meeting in Florence, Italy, together with the European Aquaculture Society. As a proud Scot, I think that I am the only WAS President (so far) to get away with wearing a kilt to the President’s Reception! Many of the things I worked on came to fruition before my term as President. I had been a founding member and served as President of the Asia-Pacific Chapter, organizing the first meeting of the Chapter in Bangkok in 2003. This was a great success and put the Chapter on a sound financial footing. The Chapter is one of the success stories of WAS and I am proud of my small part in its development. Being on the WAS Board brings many challenges and often pushes directors out of their comfort zone. One of my earliest tasks was to revise the WAS web site. I had to learn html and do most of the early work myself. However, developments in web design and programming rapidly outgrew my meager skills, especially as we needed to develop the WAS online store. Thankfully we found a professional web designer to take my place and the site has continued to develop over the years. I was also involved in the decision to move the journal online. Although it was the early days of online journals, it was clear that this was the future, especially with the importance given to the Impact Factor in evaluating academic performance. Online journals were increasingly more likely to be cited and going online was essential to maintain the relevance of the journal. Thanks to finding the right partner and some good negotiation skills on our part, the deal also included digitizing the journal all the way back to the first issue.