World Aquaculture December 2019

8 DECEMBER 2019 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG C H A P T E R R E P O R T S I am just returning from San José, Costa Rica, where we had our annual assembly and conference. During the assembly, Luis André Sampaio thanked Lorenzo Juarez, Daercy Rezende Ayroza and Adriana Muñoz for their hard work these past years as Past- president, Treasurer and Director, respectively. Luis then welcomed the new members and introduced the full Board to the more than 60 affiliates attending the assembly. For the coming year, the Board composition is the following: • President – Laurence Massaut (Ecuador) • Immediate Past-president – Luis André Sampaio (Brazil) • President-Elect – Francisco Javier Martínez Cordero (Mexico) • Secretary – Nelson Peña Navarro (Costa Rica) • Treasurer – Luis Gonzalez Agraz (Mexico) • Director – Karina Ribeiro (Brazil) • Director – Julio Estrella Tepatl (Mexico) With Carolina Amezquita, our Chapter Secretary, we are all committed to continue the solidification of the various services the Chapter offers to its members and work on the issues that were mentioned during the assembly: increase communication with all members and continue improve the scientific and technical quality of LACQUA events. Over the past few years, thanks to the leadership of Lorenzo Juarez and Antonio Garza, the Chapter has strengthened its finances and paved the road for the increasing success of LACQUA events. Last year’s conference in Bogotá showed us the importance of aquaculture in the region, particularly for rural communities that crave alternatives in areas prone to social instability. This year’s conference – LACQUA19 – put the spotlight on Costa Rica, with its bustling biodiversity and bold moves to protect the environment. It was thus logic that this year’s conference focused on the sustainable future of our industry. We had the luxury to start each of the three days with a thought-provoking keynote presentation from leading European researchers that all have active collaborations with universities in Costa Rica. They shared their perspectives on three critical aspects for the further growth of aquaculture and ensuring that it fulfills its role as a sustainable producer of healthy proteins: “Could aquaculture fulfill the increasing world demand for omega-3?” by Dr. Maria Soledad Izquierdo López, from Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. “The challenges of aquaculture of the 21st century” by Dr. Enric Gisbert from the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Spain “Early nutrition affects fish larval and juvenile quality” by Dr. Luís Conceição from SPAROS, Portugal. The 892 attendants then had the opportunity to listen to one of the 464 oral presentations, divided into 92 sessions. The Conference Chairs, Luis André Sampaio and Nelson Peña, in coordination with the Program Co-Chairs, Silvia Valverde, Ricardo Rogrigues and Antonio Campos, did an excellent job in presenting a diverse program where not only shrimp, crayfish, native freshwater fishes, tilapia, mollusks and marine fishes were present but also important space was dedicated to nutrition and novel ingredients, production technologies such as RAS, IMTA and aquaponics, as well as the importance of diseases and the environment. There were also new sessions offered on the aquaculture of pangasius and salmonids, as well as on the use of vaccines and genetics. An important aspect of LACQUA this year was the excellent poster sessions, with 160 topics offered. I was particularly impressed with the level of the work presented by our students. This made the selection for best oral and best poster presentations somewhat difficult. Among the 249 works submitted by students this year, the Student Committee awarded the following prizes: The best oral presentation ($350) at LACQUA was by Márcio Moreira and was called “Is Amyloodinium ocellatum a Toxin- producing Parasitic Dinoflagellate? A Toxicological Study.” In second place ($250) was “Resultados de Ejecución de Acciones de Fortalecimiento de Mejores Prácticas en la Produción Sustenable de Trucha Arcoiris en Amanalco, Edo, México” by Marisol Gallardo. Third prize ($150) for best oral presentation went to Maria Fernanda Oliveira da Silva for “Effect of Feeding Frequency and Feeding Rate on Growth and Plasma Metabolites of Juvenile Nile Tilapia.” The best poster ($350) at LACQUA was by Marcelo Felisberto dos Reis and was titled “Bacteriostatic and Bactericide Activities of Eucalyptus Eucalyptus sp. Pirolenous Extract in Front of Isolated Streptococcus agalactiae from Oreochromis niloticus .” The second-place poster ($250) was “Combined Effects of Temperature and CO 2 Concentration on the Growth and Chemical Composition of Marine Phytoplankton Nannochloropsis oculata and Chaetoceros gracilis ” by Rebeca Mata. Third prize ($150) for best poster was awarded to Aliet Vives for “Evaluación de la Calidad de la Gónada del Erizo de Mar Tripneustes depressus en Baja California Sur México.” One topic that perhaps did not receive the attention we hoped for was the session on Education and Careers in Aquaculture. As a Chapter, we would like to find a way to help create synergies among the various groups working in the region to reinforce our research programs and facilitate the exchange of students and professors. Although most countries in the region recognize the importance of aquaculture for food security and rural development, few offer continuous support to academia. As the economy is slowing down in various countries in the region, funds for research and training are reduced. This offer a good opportunity to use LACQUA as a platform to create bridges within the region. As I start my two-year journey as President of the Chapter, I wish to share with you my enthusiasm for aquaculture in the region and I hope to see you at future events and meetings. Please feel free to contact Carolina or me directly if you have suggestions or specific requests for us. — Laurence Massaut, President Latin American and Caribbean Chapter