The 32nd Governing Council Meeting of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from 7 to 9 August. Appointed by the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Liu Shasha, Bureau of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and Zhu Jian, Chief of the Division of Research of the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, attended the governing council meeting as Chinese representatives.
At the meeting, NACA Director General Huang Qi made a report on the annual work of NACA in terms of main activities, management and personnel work, the completion of tasks in 2021-2022 and the work plan for 2023, the participation of Member States in NACA activities and related meetings, documents and publications, and financial matters. Representatives of the four regional guidance centres in China, India, the Philippines and Thailand made reports on their work.
On behalf of the Asia-Pacific Regional Guidance Center, Researcher Zhu Jian introduced the achievements of China’s green fishery development, rural revitalization and high-quality fishery development strategy, and reported in detail the important progress made by FFRC as the Regional Guidance Center of NACA in scientific research, condition construction, technical dissemination, technical extension, talent training, technical training, technical assistance and international cooperation in 2021-2022 and the work plan for 2023.
The participants exchanged views on the establishment of professional regional guidance centers, the convening of high-level meetings on aquaculture transformation, and the formulation of regional strategies for aquatic biological health. The Management Committee also held meetings dedicated to the management and finance of the Council. The Governing Council Meeting elected the Chairman and Vice-chairman of the Governing Council and added Saudi Arabia as a member of NACA. According to the meeting, the 33rd Governing Council Meeting of the NACA will be held in India in 2024.
NACA is an important and specialized intergovernmental organization in Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asia Region that aims to promote rural economies through the development of sustainable aquaculture. FFRC is one of NACA’s five regional guidance centers and serves as the primary technical resource for providing experts, consultants and technical guidance. The Governing Council is composed of senior officials from NACA Member States, organizes regular annual meeting to discuss and formulate NACA’s work and development plans.
It is reported that more than 50 participants attended the meeting, including representatives of 15 NACA member countries, representatives of 4 regional guidance centers, representatives of collaborating international organizations and funding agencies, and representatives of the host country of this annual meeting.
