Biggest aquaculture congress in RP set

The biggest gathering of aquaculture practitioners in the country this year is set to be held in Bacolod City on May 7 to 10.

The First Philippine Aquaculture Congress and Exhibitors (PACE 2003) will be held at the Bacolod Convention Plaza Hotel with the theme "One Sea, One Industry."

Organizer of the four-day congress is the Cruz Aquaculture Corp. in partnership with the University of the Philippines Aquaculture Society (UP-AQUASOC) and the Society of Aquaculture Engineers of the Philippines (SAEP).

Major sponsors are the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BAR), Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (DOST-PCAMRD), and Floatech. Associate sponsors are APAFMI, BFAR-Region 6, DOST-Region 6, and Santeh Feeds Corp.

The congress will also be supported by the Philippine Aquaculture Society Inc. (PAS) and UP Visayas College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.

Cruz Aquaculture Corp. director Philip S. Cruz said PACE 2003 will bring together aquaculture producers and practitioners, scientists from leading research institutions and universities, suppliers of leading aquaculture products, hatchery operators, fish processors, and representatives of key government and non-government organizations in aquaculture. They will discuss technologies and issues that will promote the modernization and sustainable growth of aquaculture in the country.

PACE 2003 aims to improve the productivity and efficiency of fishfarmers, expand aquaculture markets, ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry, and enhance the socioeconomic impact of aquaculture in rural development. — RAF