Only a few weeks left before World Aquaculture 2021 takes place in Merida, Mexico

The global event of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) in 2022 will be held in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico from May 24 to 25 at the Yucatan International Congress Center (CIC) with the support of the Secretariat of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture of Yucatan (SEPASY). It should be remembered that the initial date of the event was in November 2021 but for reasons of force majeure, the committee decided to reschedule the event for May 2022. However, the name WA2021 was kept.

The World Aquaculture Society is an International Organisation made up of members from more than 100 countries whose purpose is to promote the development and advancement of aquaculture education, science and technology, in addition to collecting and disseminating information on aquaculture throughout the world.

World Aquaculture (WA) is an annual conference globally recognised as the most relevant for the exchange of knowledge, technology, innovation and networking of professionals. During WA2021, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and other international and national organisations will participate, including the National Chamber of the Fishing and Aquaculture Industry (CANAINPESCA) and the Mexican Council for the Promotion of Fishery and Aquaculture Products (COMEPESCA). There will be multiple presentations, workshops, work meetings, a commercial exhibition, an art gallery, technical visits to farms and processing plants in the region, and several events dedicated to the exchange of ideas and experiences among aquaculture professionals from all over the world.

During WA2021, academic and technical sessions will be held on topics such as aquaculture health, nutrition and food, genetics, production systems, innovation and sessions focused on the farming of species such as shrimp, tilapia and marine fish; distributed over three full days in sessions both in the morning and in the afternoon. Each session has expert moderators in each of the topics.

The event will feature an investment forum where agreements are expected to be reached for future aquaculture projects, as well as an opportunity for government entities such as INAPESCA to offer a space for forums open to all attendees on topics such as algae, crustaceans, bivalves and molluscs, and marine fish.

It should be noted that the event will also be the first meeting of the newly formed Mexican Aquaculture Society SOMEXACUA. During it, the WAS-SOMEXACUA awards will be presented for the first time to personalities who have built aquaculture in Mexico over the years.

LA WA2021 will have four plenary conferences with renowned international guests. The plenary entitled 'Are we so open-minded to seaweed aquaculture that our brains are falling out? Seaweed fantasies and facts and how best to accelerate seaweed aquaculture'. It will be led by Barry Antonio Costa-Pierce, who is President/CEO of the Ecological Aquaculture Foundation with offices in the US (Maine, Hawaii) and Portugal (Azores).

The director general of the United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC), Jim Sutter, will present the plenary "Impact of sustainability on responsible Aquaculture, cultivating the land to protect the ocean". On the same day, the Chilean industrial engineer and international consultant in aquaculture and fisheries, Carlos Wurman, will give his presentation entitled, 'Looking ahead: Challenges and Opportunities for a Sustainable Aquaculture'.

The president of the WAS, Dr Antonio Garza de Yta, will close the plenary sessions on Thursday 26 with the conference entitled "The importance of the professional associations for the future of Aquaculture".

There will be a trade fair with a space of more than 80 stands for the display and offer of products and services, in which companies from Latin America, the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia will participate, which expects the visit of more than two thousand participants.

The deadline for abstracts has moved to May 1 so there is still time to submit, and registration with a special discount is available until May 15 so make sure to register early.

For more information and to be part of this event visit the website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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