Prof. Alice Joan G. Ferrer, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the University of the Philippines Visayas, was one of the speakers of the First Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Marine Industry Development Forum and China-ASEAN Mariculture Industry Development Forum held at Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China last 5-7 March 2024.
The fora were jointly organized by Sun Yat-Sen University, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), China-ASEAN Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Mariculture Technology, Xiamen University, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute-Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, and Shanghai Ocean University.
The main aim of the fora is to promote exchanges and technological cooperation between China and ASEAN countries to develop the marine aquaculture industry. The six themes were: 1) shrimp aquaculture industry, 2) fish aquaculture industry, 3) algae farming industry, 4) aquaculture facilities and green products, 5) development of marine biopharmaceutical industry in Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macau, and 6) financial empowerment of the marine industry.
VCAA Ferrer discussed the “Two Decades of Mariculture Park in the Philippines: Challenges and Way Forward.”
As a way forward, VCAA Ferrer became a part of the international joint cooperation research project on the current status of higher education of aquaculture in Asia and its integration into aquaculture policies along with other professors and researchers such as Prof. Naijah Musa (Universiti Malaysia Terengganu), Mr. Roy Goh (GST Group), Prof. Liu Liping (Shanghai Ocean University), and Prof. Kay Lwin Tun (University of Yangon).
Prof. Encarnacion Emilia S. Yap (UPV-Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension), Prof. Harold M. Monteclaro (Dean, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences), Dr. Iris Ann G. Borlongan, and Asst. Prof. Jonalyn P. Mateo also participated in the fora and formally signed the collaboration for international cooperation in algae aquaculture.
