World Aquaculture December 2019

10 DECEMBER 2019 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG C H A P T E R R E P O R T S T he African Chapter is currently celebrating its one-year anniversary and when I look back to where we started, where we are today,where we are going and the achievements we have made to this day, I just feel so blessed to be leading such a progressive society. We are slowly getting there! We had our very first annual Board of Directors meeting in early September in Stellenbosch, South Africa, where we also inaugurated the Chapter’s first elected permanent board. I had the pleasure to meet with my fellow board members (who came from all corners of Africa) face to face for the first time as well as the Chapter formation Steering Committee - a dedicated team based in South Africa that was instrumental in laying the foundation for Chapter formation. It was also a special moment to personally recognize and thank representatives from the South African government, University of Stellenbosch, Africa Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) for all efforts and support during the Chapter formation phase. Although this board meeting appeared to be a first learning experience to most board members present, we managed to deliberate on the Chapter’s Strategic Plan in line with its objectives. The meeting gave board members direction and invigorated them to hit the ground running and make necessary decisions to sustain the Chapter. I’m indebted toWAS Executive Director John Cooksey and Dr. Kevan Main (WAS AC Ad hoc Chairperson), who took time from their very busy schedules to grace the meeting and provide advisory support. I am now in the process of finalizing the establishment of the necessary working committees that will address Chapter’s business activities during the year, in line with Chapter bylaws and the Strategic Plan, thus implementing Board recommendations. I will be announcing the names of Committee members soon. Thanks to the advisory team for assisting me in getting this done. My column in the next issue of World Aquaculture will focus more on some of the activities happening in the African region, spearheaded by our Board members, committees and the African Chapter membership at large. Now that our structures are in place, it is time to cement our position as a professional society that meaningfully contributes to sustainable aquaculture development in Africa. Most importantly, let’s keep in mind that, about one year from now, the inaugural annual international conference and exposition (Aquaculture Africa 2020 or AFRAQ2020) has been fully confirmed in Alexandria, Egypt. Dates are now fixed for 28 November to 1 December 2020. The venue will be the famous African Chapter ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 1 3 ) I t is my pleasure to update you on our activities during the past fewmonths of the year. WAS-APC has been busy partnering and collaborating in several conferences during past months. We provided keynote speakers to the International Conference on Aquaculture Indonesia (ICAI 2019), held from 2-5 October 2019 in Bali, Indonesia. We proudly partnered with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the Shanghai Ocean University in staging the Giant Prawn 2019 Conference in Shanghai, China from 15-18 November 2019. Giant Prawn 2019 focused on global farming and conservation of freshwater prawns Macrobrachium spp. WAS-APC also joined and exhibited at the INFOFISHWorld Shrimp Conference and Exposition, held from 12-14 November 2019 in Bangkok. The AquaSG’ 19 Conference was held in Singapore from 2-4 October 2019. This fourth event of the series brought together many industry players and academics to discuss the current issues and present innovative applications in aquaculture. AquaSG’19 included a 3-day program of presentations, panel discussions, and exhibitions on the current issues of Seafood Safety and Security. WAS-APC partnered in this interesting event. Agriculture technology is set to play a key role in the future of farming. The AgraTech sector at AgraME will bring together the latest innovations in agriculture and precision farming to increase production and address food security. AgraTech offers exhibitors an engaged, targeted audience looking to improve farm process with the latest technological advancements across Animal Farming and Health, Aquaculture and Crop Farming. As a long-established Agricultural event, AgraME’s reputation allows exhibitors to generate quality leads from the Middle East, Africa and the Indian sub-continent. WAS-APC is partnering with AgraME 2020, which will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emirates, from 3-5 March 2020, in conducting a special one-day session on aquaculture Middle East. WAS-APC is working closely with our parent society in organizing the World Aquaculture 2020 conference, which will be held in Singapore from 8-12 June 2020 at the Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre. The main local institutional support is provided by the Singapore Food Agency, Singapore TourismBoard and three academic institutions in Singapore. The theme of WA2020 is “Next Generation Aquaculture – Innovation and SustainabilityWill Feed the World”. Dr Matthias Halwart, Head of the Aquaculture Branch of the FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, will deliver the Keynote Asian Pacific Chapter ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 1 3 )