Prof. Alice Joan G. Ferrer, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), was the keynote plenary speaker at the 7th International Symposium on Cage Aquaculture in Asia (CAA 7) held at Hainan, China from 29 November – 2 December 2023 and also plenary speaker at the 55th Federation of Institutions for Marine and Freshwater Sciences (55th FIMFS) Annual Convention at Bongao, Tawi-Tawi from 6-8 December 2023.
In CAA 7, Prof. Ferrer’s presentation was titled “Regulatory Impact Assessment Towards Promotion of Cage Culture: the Case of the Philippines.” Together with Prof. Ferrer as keynote plenary speakers were Mai Kangsen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Ocean University of China; Gui Jianfang Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dong Shuanglin, Professor, Ocean University of China; and Bard Skjelstad, CEO, Aqualoop Norway.
CAA 7, with the theme “Sustainable Development of Cage Aquaculture in Asia,” covered a broad range of topics for a comprehensive perspective of the aquaculture industry, including Production Systems, Breeding and Seed Production, Nutrition and Feed, Carbon Sink and Fouling Organisms, Health and Environment Management, Economics, Gender, Livelihood, and Policies.
CAA 7 was organized by the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS), Hainan University (HNU), Shanghai Ocean University (SHOU), China-ASEAN Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Mariculture Technology, and the Center for Ecological Aquaculture (CEA).
The other speakers of the symposium came from various universities, government and private organizations, aquaculture centres, and research institutes around the world such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hainan Province, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Hainan University, ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (India), Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute of Cambodia, Jinan University, Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific, Ocean University of China, Shanghai Ocean University, South China Agricultural University, United Nations Development Programme, Vietnam Agriculture and Forestry University, and Zhejiang University.
Prof. Ferrer is also the Immediate Past President of AFS. Prof. Wilfredo Campos, from UPV CAS Division of Biological Sciences and the current AFS Vice-President, was also present in CAA7 as one of the session chairs and judges during the Selection of Outstanding Young Scholar's Reports. More information about CAA7 is also available on this link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wv0r7v-Yn3aHeOblUBfdaw
Meanwhile, the 55th FIMFS Annual Convention with the theme “Synergies for Blue Economy: Research, Innovation, and Sustainability in Aquatic System” was hosted by Mindanao State University-Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography (MSU-TCTO). FIMFS, founded in 1968, is a collaborative network consisting of 37 esteemed higher education institutions in the Philippines dedicated to advancing the fields of marine and freshwater sciences.
Topics on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, Blue Economy and Sustainable Development, and Climate Change and Adaptation, among others, were tackled during the convention. Prof. Ferrer's plenary talk was on “Securing the Rights of Small-Scale Fishers and Their Communities in the Context of Fisheries Management Areas in the Philippines.” The plenary speakers of the convention were from the different government agencies, non-government organizations, and state universities around the country such as the Department of Agriculture-National Fisheries Research and Development Institute’s (DA-NFRDI), OCEANA Philippines, University of the Philippines Diliman, and University of the Philippines Visayas.
Prof. Ferrer is also the Executive Director of the National Consortium for the Small-Scale Fisheries Research and Development, aka Too-Big-To-Ignore (TBTI) Philippines, a research network and knowledge mobilization partnership established in 2022 that focuses on addressing issues and concerns affecting the viability and sustainability of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in the country. TBTI Philippines is based at the University of the Philippines Visayas, the founding organization, and currently has 39 members-organizations, which are state colleges and universities.
MSU-TCTO is one of the member-SUCs of TBTI Philippines.
