WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEPTEMBER 2014 5 CHAPTER REPORTS Last year, farmed shrimp production in Asia and around the world suffered significantly from EMS. This year, supplies during the second quarter of 2014 still remained low due to continued EMS, white feces and white spot syndrome virus during June and July. However, demand from global markets is not growing much, making farmers less enthusiastic about stocking ponds. In Thailand, this year’s farmed shrimp production may increase to 400,000 t, considerably more than the earlier forecast of 300,000 t. Despite these predictions, harvests during the first half of 2014 have been only been about 100,000 t. Ex-farm prices during June to July seem to be increasing but farmers continue facing EMS. Moreover, early heavy rains in some areas resulted in delayed pond stocking, a shortage of PLs and slow shrimp growth. Given these factors, the next peak production in Thailand may start in September. The weakening of shrimp prices in the USA is surely a negative development for shrimp farmers in Thailand as well as elsewhere in Asia. In the region, India and Indonesia are the most successful among other countries with the best production and largest culture area. I am planning to organize a few workshops and seminars related to EMS and farm management in some locations. Farm management and good practices are very important to improve shrimp production in EMS-affected countries. These workshops and seminars would mostly be in Indonesia, India, Thailand and Vietnam. We are working on getting our chapter website set up and we are evaluating several website update proposals and working with the WAS Home office to make this a reality. We are looking for expressions of interest to host the new Home Office for the APC and are also looking for a full-time Executive Officer for the chapter. We want to fill this position with the right candidate. Also we are working on the election for several APC Board positions, including Presidentelect and one new Director. The preparation for 2015 Korea and 2016 Indonesia meetings are now underway. WA2015 (which is also the Korean and APC Chapter annual meeting event) in Jeju, Korea, is just around the corner, relatively speaking, and people should start planning travel and hotel arrangements now. I hope we will have very good show, with a lot of participants. APA2016 will be in Surabaya, Indonesia in May 2016; one of the organizers, Dr. Endhay, is now on the APC Board. — Farshad Shishehchian, President Time has flown by very fast this year. It seems like only yesterday when we were celebrating our first LACQUA event in Colombia and now LACQUA 14 in Guadalajara, Mexico is right around the corner! The Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society (LACC-WAS) has been very active in the past few months and has put together, in coordination with our partners at Panorama Acuícola, an incredible roster of keynote speakers and presenters that will surely set a new standard for aquaculture conferences in the region. Remember, you can submit an abstract for poster or oral presentations in Spanish, Portuguese or English. The three languages will be considered official for this historical event. About this last topic, many people have contacted me about why abstracts will be accepted in Spanish or Portuguese. It has been said on repeated occasions that English is the scientific language and that it should be the only language accepted as official for WAS events. However, the answer is the same that we have been giving since we started working together. In our region, which is Latin America and the Caribbean, producers do not speak English. We cannot keep visualizing LACC-WAS as an isolated academic-only organization; this will lead to extinction. To be successful in the years to come, LACC-WAS must have a different approach. We need to be the catalyst that brings together academia, government and producers. It is my vision and that of the current board that the only way we will be able to build a strong aquaculture sector is by having representatives of these three groups working together and cooperating with each other. We are the ones that need to set the example and we will because that approach is the only way to succeed. One of the sessions that will be outstanding during LACQUA 14 is on marine aquaculture, in which our friends Dan Benetti, Michael Schwarz and Don Kent will share their latest work with some of the most visionary private investors and culturists of marine finfish in cages in the world. I am sure Lorenzo Juarez, PresidentElect and Session Chair, will have his hands full coordinating one of the hottest topics in the food production sector in the world. I can see many people coming just to attend this extraordinary session. So, do not forget to make your reservations in advance because, although Guadalajara is a big city with excellent infrastructure, from 4-7 November it will be the world capital of aquaculture. I will see you in the beautiful eastern pearl of Mexico and, as a recommendation, plan to stay a couple of extra days to visit the tequila factories, the beauty of Guadalajara City, Puerto Vallarta or any of the Mexican beaches or archeological sites that will warmly welcome you. Until then. — Antonio Garza de Yta, President Latin American and Caribbean Chapter Asian Pacific Chapter
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