Innovation: The great engine of aquaculture

by Antonio Garza da Yta

Our mind processes information based on the experiences we have lived, the data we have absorbed, the references we know. The less we are exposed to stress and radical changes, and the more we find ourselves within our comfort zone, the less will we be able to imagine a world different from the one we live in and innovate. If we don't study, if we don't travel, if we don't absorb new knowledge, we will always try to maintain the status quo and then our minds will stagnate.

I was recently asked why aquaculture is no longer growing at the same rate as before, and in reality, it is because in large part we have been relatively successful and have slowed down in innovating.
 

We can see this in some universities, some of great popularity, where the parents of modern aquaculture, who moved by passion, who travelled all over the world inventing ways to grow new species, have retired and have been replaced by people who see aquaculture as a job, and who dedicate themselves to it without actually having been exposed to the world where it develops.

Many scientists who "devote" themselves to aquaculture, or at least they consider it that way, have never lived a full crop cycle, have not struggled with a pond that runs out of oxygen, with a sudden illness, with an electrical failure, with the irresponsibility of an employee, or with the fall in market prices. They have not worked closely with producers to feel their needs and make them their own, they do not feel the passion and commitment that inspired their predecessors.

Another comment that emerges recently is that we have a large number of events that are could also bring more innovations and crucial discussions to the industry. In this I do not agree, on the one hand, it is true that in most cases the participants to events do not acquire much knowledge outside of what they already share with their environment, but on the other hand the congresses, workshops, seminars and meetings are the better way to exchange experiences with our peers, to establish alliances, to expose our minds to new horizons.

The Aquaculturists

---