6 JUNE 2019 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG The KOSFAS 2019 Spring Annual Conference The 2019 Spring Annual Conference of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (KOSFAS) was held under the theme of “Future fisheries with advanced science and fishing ground” at Chonnam National University in Yeosu City on May 9-10. Prof. Kyounghoon Lee (Chonnam National University) moderated the opening ceremony and Prof. Chae-Woo Ma (Soonchunhyang University; President, KOSFAS) welcomed participants. There were two welcome speeches by Prof. Sang Kyoo Park (Vice President of Chonnam National University) and Mr. Jae-young Ko (Vice-Mayor on behalf of Mr. Kwon O-bong, Mayor of Yeosu City). The plenary lecture on Fisheries Innovation Policy 2030 was introduced by Mr. Yong-Suk Choi (Director, Fishery Resources Policy Bureau, Fisheries Policy Office, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries). Three keynote speeches on the introduction of future projects and training centers followed: 1) Fisheries Expert Training Center - Future Fisheries Food Research Center, presented by Prof. Taek-Jeong Nam, Pukyong National University, 2) Vocational Training Center - Smart Fish Culture Research Center by Prof. Tae-Ho Kim, Smart Fish Culture Research Center, Chonnam National University, and 3) Vision for Fisheries Expert Training Center - ICT-based Fisheries Resource Management Research Center by Prof. Ho Young Suh, Fisheries Resources Management Research Center, Chonnam National University. Two special symposia were held on seafood safety management and the fish processing industry. About 250 participants, including delegates from Japan, Russia and Sri Lanka representing industry, academia, research institutes and government sectors attended. A total of 18 invited lectures, 35 oral talks and 157 posters were presented. International Seaweed Symposium 2019 The 23rd International Seaweed Symposium (ISS 2019) was held April 28 – May 3 at the International Convention Center in Jeju with the theme “Seaweeds: From Tradition to Innovation.” The topics of plenary talks and mini-symposia included taxonomy and biodiversity, climate change and marine ecology, genomics, seaweed aquaculture and industrial applications of seaweed. There were 796 participants from 41 countries. The scientific program consisted of 349 oral and 259 poster presentations. In addition to academic achievement of the symposium, the local organizing committee was proud to provide memorable moments to participants such as a seaweed farming tour of Wando, mid-symposium tours of Jeju’s unique nature and local Haenyo’s Gelidium harvesting and students night bar hopping. The next symposium will be held in Tasmania in 2022. First Sustainable Seafood Forum The First Sustainable Seafood Forum, co-hosted by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Ocean Outcomes and the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) was held on April 22 at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center in Seoul. About 60 participants from government agencies, industry, academia and NGOs attended. The MSC representative in Korea, Mr. Jong-seok Seo, opened the event by saying, “We hope this forum will help understanding of sustainable fishery needs and encouraging consumer-led sustainable aquaculture activities.” The forum was held to discuss the desirable institutionalization and to raise awareness of activities of the Sustainable Seafood Campaign to solve the problem of fisheries resource depletion due to illegal fishing and overfishing. Experts from North America and Europe were invited to share the efforts and experiences of sustainable aquatic products movement and to discuss the present status and development direction of the sustainable seafood products plan in Korea. The followings topics were presented: 1) Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (Mr. Dick Jones, CEO of Ocean Outcomes), 2) Seafood Legacy in Japan (Mr. Wakao Hanaoka, Representative of Seafood Legacy), 3) Efforts of fishermen and NGOs for sustainable aquatic products in Japan (Mr. Seiji Murakami, Vice President, Seafood Legacy), (4) Suggestion of policy for sustainable aquaculture industry (Mr. Chang-mo Ma, Chief, Aquaculture Fisheries Village Research Team, KMI), 5) Sustainable fisheries and aquatic products (Mr. Jong-seok Seo, Representative, MSC Korea), 6) ASC certification process and prospects of abalone cultivation farm (Mr. Kyung Won Kim, Director, Chungsan Marine Environment Research Institute), 7) Fishermen’s efforts to produce sustainable seaweed (Mr. Min Soo Kim, Director, Gijang Mulsan Co., Ltd.), 8) Tongyeong Oyster Fishery Improvement Project (Ms. Ji-hyun Park, Korea Program Director, Ocean Outcomes) and 9) Domestic mackerel fisheries MSC certification (Mr. Chang Eun Han, Large-scale purse seine fisheries Co-Op). In addition, the MSC set up a booth to introduce MSC programs, global trends on sustainable fisheries and marine products, exhibiting ecolabeled products from domestic and international MSC. New Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Mr. Seong-Hyeok Moon, the new Minister of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), took office in March. At the inauguration ceremony, Minister Moon called for reconstruction of the maritime industry, fisheries innovation and marine safety. Minister Moon encouraged the industry to grow and develop into a future-oriented industry. To that end, he emphasized that smart farm clusters should be spread all over the country and new growth momentum should be created in fisheries production, processing and distribution based on our strong IT technology. He added that, like Norway, the fisheries industry should strive to become the main industry of Korea and create jobs. Aquaculture Production Trends in 2018 According to the National Statistical Office’s 2018 Fishery Production Trends Survey, production volume decreased by 2.8 Korean Chapter CHAPTER REPORTS Ik Kyo Chung Jin-Hyung Yoo
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