AQD and GOJ-TF convene two international events

SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (AQD) and the Government of Japan Trust Fund (GOJ-TF) hosted back-to-back international events on 1 December 2011, namely, the International seminar on environment-friendly aquaculture & stock enhancement in Southeast Asia and the closing ceremonies for the International training course on community-based freshwater aquaculture for remote rural areas of Southeast Asia.

Attended by the AQD community, the international seminar was a culminating activity of the Japan society for the promotion of science’s Asia-Africa science platform (JSPS-AASP) program on the environment-friendly aquaculture & stock enhancement which featured six presentations. Dr. Katsutoshi Arai of Hokkaido University, Faculty of Fisheries Sciences (HUFFS) in Japan gave an overview of JSPS-AASP’s international exchange programs and extended the invitation to AQD for collaborative research work. He also presented a Mini-review on abalone genetics with special reference to hybridization, triploidization, and genetic mapping. Dr. Yasuaki Takagi, also from HUFFS, discussed the Wise use of fisheries wastes for development of environment-friendly aquaculture. AQD associate scientists Dr. Frolan Aya & Dr. Ma. Michelle Peñaranda and AQD technical assistant Ms. Ellen Grace Tisuela reported their academic experiences through the program’s study grants. AQD Deputy Chief and Co-manager of GOJ-TF projects, Dr. Teruo Azuma, chaired the seminar.

Meanwhile, AQD congratulated the graduates of the international training course graduated. Ten trainees from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Spain, Thailand, and the Philippines learned freshwater aquaculture technologies and practices which they can transfer to rural communities for livelihood promotion and poverty alleviation. Eight of the ten trainees were supported by GOJ-TF.

The back-to-back international events exhibit AQD’s efforts to strengthen R&D and technology transfer capacities of researchers and extensionists through international exchanges and training programs in aquaculture.