World Aquaculture Magazine - September 2021

WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEP TEMBER 2021 11 smoothly; the Program Committee for being flexible with abstract deadlines as there is much uncertainly stemming from the pandemic and still pulling off so many excellent sessions; and for all of you that made the trip to San Antonio in August. Thank you! I also wanted to take a minute and give a shout- out to the student activities coordinators, Adam Daw and Laura King, and the companies that sponsored the various student activities. Together they delivered a slate of excellent opportunities for our student members, including a behind the scenes tour of the San Antonio Zoo on Wednesday sponsored by Aquatic Equipment and Design, a mentor/mentee breakfast on Thursday morning that was sponsored by Longhorn Organics, and a student reception on Friday evening that included a very competitive quiz-bowl game that tested the students’ aquaculture knowledge and served as a catalyst to meet some new people. Prizes for the quiz-bowl winners were provide by Aquatic Equipment and Design, Harrington, Zeigler and Tyson. Another exciting aspect of the Student Reception is announcing the student award winners. Congratulations again, to this year’s winners! It is refreshing to meet students and hear about their research and career aspirations. So please, I encourage everyone to make some time in San Diego at Aquaculture 2022 to get to know our students. And students, don’t be timid about it, introduce yourself to the researchers who you’ve always wanted to meet! As we look ahead to Aquaculture 2022, remember that we are currently accepting nominations for the USAS professional awards, including the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award, the Douglas Drennan II Industry Leadership Award, the Distinguished Early Career Award, and the Distinguished Service Award. Nominations are due to WilliamWalton, USAS President-Elect by 1 December 2021. Complete details of each award, and the respective nomination requirements are available on the USAS website. The last thing I wanted to mention is a potential new initiative that the current USAS Board of Directors is looking into. You may recall that in my last column I asked for input on how to improve what USAS does for our student members. One suggestion was the creation of an internship program. During our Board Meeting we discussed this possibility and there was uniform excitement about getting this started. Admittedly, we are just beginning to explore what a USAS Internship programmight look like and what obstacles we may have to overcome along the way. As a result, we are far from having a program in place, but I hope that you will share our enthusiasm about this opportunity. Please feel free to reach out with comments and/or suggestions (dmcintosh@desu.edu) . Looking forward to seeing you at Aquaculture 2022 in San Diego. —Dennis McIntosh, President U.S. Aquaculture Society G reetings! If you were able to participate in Aquaculture America 2021 (AA 2021) in San Antonio last month you understand my enthusiasm now that I am back in the office and have had some time to reflect. I’ve alluded before to how much I appreciate this annual opportunity to catch up with colleagues, hear about the latest scientific breakthroughs, and browse the trade show for upgraded equipment and meet new suppliers I can tap for upcoming projects. As if this were not enough, I find that hallway conversations that happen while darting between sessions, and chats over lunch or an evening drink to be some of the most important time spent at AA 2021. And let me tell you, this year did not disappoint! There may have been fewer faces at AA 2021 than in years past, and a slightly shorter program, but there was plenty to satisfy, starting with the plenary session. The podium was shared this year between the Peterson Farm Brothers (sponsored in part by the Soy Aquaculture Alliance) who are a group of three Kansas brothers who’ve taken the internet by storm with their hilarious and educational music video parodies about farming, and Dr. Carole Engle from Engle-Stone Aquatic$ LLC. Using their own unique style, The Peterson Farm Brothers’ message was one of using the positive power of social media to tell your own story — and really, who better than you to tell ‘your’ story. If you were unable to attend AA 2021 and see them in person or, if you just want another laugh, I encourage you to check out some of their work on the internet — you will not be disappointed. While the Peterson Farm Brothers was a hard act to follow, Dr. Engle rose to the challenge, issuing a challenge of her own to the researchers and extension professionals in the audience, admonishing us to find ways to continue to support the industry. As usual, the plenary session kicks off the meeting and sets the tone for the rest of the meeting, so right away I knew the trip to Texas was going to be worth it. The report from the Home Office is that we had over 1,000 registered participants, with 134 booths in the trade show, and 433 submitted abstracts distributed over 38 sessions, including 42 posters. Considering AA 2021 had to be postponed from February to August, and that many companies and federal agencies are still not allowing their people to travel due to lingering COVID-19 concerns, I would say the meeting was a definite success. As the current President of USAS, participation in AA 2021 felt a bit different to me than meetings in prior years. Honestly, I suspect that this is mostly me being more attuned to what is really involved in organizing and pulling off a meeting of this quality and scope. Thanks really need to be given to John Cooksey and his team for contending with the logistics to make this meeting go so C H A P T E R R E P O R T S In my last column I asked for input on how to improve what USAS does for our student members. One suggestion was the creation of an internship program. Admittedly, we are just beginning to explore what a USAS Internship program might look like and what obstacles we may have to overcome along the way. As a result, we are far from having a program in place, but I hope that you will share our enthusiasm about this opportunity.