RP hosts int’l symposium on tilapia

A grand international exposition is being readied by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in preparation for the 6th International Symposium on Tilapia in Aquaculture to be held Sept. 12-16 at the Philippine International Convention Center.

Dubbed ISTA 6, the event is sponsored by the US-based American Tilapia Association and the DA-BFAR and co-sponsored by the Schering-Plough Aquaculture and FYD International in collaboration with the Central Luzon State University, the Philippine Council for Aquatic Marine Research and Development, Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program, Philippine Tilapia Inc., and Philippine Fisheries Association.

The symposium will be the sixth in a highly successful series of symposia that has brought together tilapia biologists and technologists to review the latest discoveries in tilapia, improvements in production systems and other fields related to tilapias and their use in aquaculture.

This will be the first time the symposium will be held in the country after earlier meetings in Israel, Thailand, Cote D’ Ivoire, USA and Brazil.

BFAR Director Malcolm I. Sarmiento, Jr. said some 800 participants are expected to attend the symposium, 200 of them coming from different countries based on the attendance in earlier symposia.

The Philippine symposium will have special emphasis on the rapid advances in genetic development of improved tilapia breeds, development of international markets and opening new markets for Philippine-produced tilapia products, Sarmiento said.

ISTA 6 will highlight three events — the symposium proper, the international trade show and special events to include technical tours and tilapia gastronomic circuit.

To date, a total of 53 technical papers had been received from various countries for the symposium. The theme of this year’s symposium is "New Dimensions in Tilapia Farming."

The trade show being organized will be participated in by international and local tilapia industry suppliers, seafood marketers and the media to meet directly with researchers and producers.

Foreign and local participants may participate in a post-conference technical tour of the country’s world-class tilapia germplasm bank of BFAR-National Freshwater Fisheries Technology Center in the Science City of Muñoz. Also included in the itinerary are the different tilapia facilities at the GIFT Foundation International Inc., the Freshwater Aquaculture Center of CLSU and the Philippine Rice Research Center (PhilRice).

Registration fee for foreign delegates is $400 and P3,000 for local participants to cover conference kit and admission to all sessions and the trade show.

The World Aquaculture Society, the World Fish Center, Asian Institute of Technology, Tilapia International Foundation, CIRAD and Global Aquaculture Alliance, also supports the international convention.

For further information, call Dr. Melchor M. Tayamen, tel. (044) 456-0241/(044) 456-0670 or at [email protected] or Ms. Melannie R. Guerra (02) 372 -6714 or at [email protected].