The Latin American and Caribbean Aquaculture 2018 (LACQUA18) event will be held together with the VIII Colombian Aquaculture Congress (VIII CCA) at the Ágora Convention Center, Bogotá, from October 23 to 26, 2018. These events are being co-organized by the National University of Colombia, the Colombian Federation of Aquaculture Producers (FEDEACUA) and the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society (LACC/WAS).

This year is auspicious for aquaculture in a new Colombia, which faces challenges related to the recent peace agreement. Aquaculture is one of the activities that is providing opportunities to weave peace networks and to improve the quality of life and resilience of its population. Thus, “Aquaculture for Peace” will be the central theme, where communities and entities committed to aquaculture and peace will give testimony of reconciliation and progress in our region and in the world.

Bogotá, proud host of these events, is the largest city in the country. It is located in the South American Andes at an altitude that is 2600 m closer to the stars!!! The capital of Colombia is recognized as a strategic place on the continent, with one of the most important airports in the region, standing out as an international center of business and studies, and a starting point to reach the main aquaculture freshwater and marine production sites.

According to the Greater Bogotá Convention Bureau, Bogotá was admitted to the Best Cities Global Alliance network, which admits only high-level global destinations with the capacity to Bogotá and the Ágora International Convention Center host congresses and conventions; thus, the Colombian capital has joined Berlin, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Edinburgh, Houston, Melbourne, Vancouver and Tokyo and becomes the only representative of Latin America in this group. The New York Times highlighted Bogotá as the second-best tourist destination in the world to visit.

The Ágora International Convention Center is the most modern such facility in the country and one of the largest in the region. In Ágora there will be rooms for presentation of research results (oral and poster), sessions for producers, mini-courses and a trade show, which will consist of an exhibition area of 72 stands for national and international providers that will present the latest advances in equipment, supplies and services. There will also be the opportunity to participate in technical visits to nationally recognized aquaculture companies. After the success of previous LACQUA conferences held in Brazil, Peru and Mexico, LACQUA18 in Bogotá will surely attract the attention of the commercial sector and the international scientific community. The conference program will balance global and regional perspectives, with a technical and scientific program and diverse parallel sessions catering to a broad range of scientific, technical, business and policy interests in aquaculture.

More information and online registration can be found on the WAS website (www.was.org). See the web for more information about tourism in Bogotá (bogotaturismo.gov.co), the Ágora International Convention Center (agora-bogota.com) and El Dorado International Airport (eldorado.aero).