Meeting in Wuxi to shape future of Asia-Pacific aquaculture

The 34th Governing Council Meeting of the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific (NACA) took place from July 3 to 5 at the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center of Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS) in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province.

Founded in 1991, NACA is an intergovernmental organization with 20 member countries and regions — including China, Australia, Bangladesh and Cambodia — dedicated to promoting rural development through sustainable aquaculture and aquatic resource management.

The meeting brought together over 60 representatives from member countries and regions and international institutions, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center and the Pacific Community.

Liu Jiang, director of Asia-Africa Affairs Division of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, gave a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.

She highlighted the fact that the Asia-Pacific region accounted for nearly 90 percent of global aquaculture production. She further emphasized NACA's pivotal role in promoting green, low-carbon development, policy coordination and technological innovation to address climate change and resource challenges.

Chen Jinfa, the vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, underscored the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center's role as a NACA Regional Lead Center in training, technology dissemination and South-South cooperation.

The meeting saw China and Saudi Arabia elected as chair and vice-chair, respectively, for the 35th NACA Governing Council. Eduardo Leano, director general of the NACA, presented the organization's 2024 annual report, while its Regional Lead Centers in China, India, the Philippines and Thailand shared updates on their work.

The conference also included discussions on the report of the 3rd High-level Meeting on Aquaculture Transformation, held on July 1 in Shanghai and the FAO Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture.

A draft framework of the Initiative on Advancing Aquaculture Transformation in the Asia-Pacific Region was proposed. It advocated enhanced regional standardization, shared transformation outcomes and collaboration in talent training to drive regional industrial growth and green transformation.

Following the meeting, several delegates embarked on field visits to aquaculture industrial parks in Wuxi's Xishan district — gaining insights into China's advanced models and technological applications in standardized aquaculture, ecological management and industrial integration.