The Twenty-Ninth Joint Meeting of the UJNR Aquaculture Panel Meeting was held on November 7-15, 2000 in Ise and Ishigaki in Japan. The business meeting and symposium were held on November 7-8, in Ise. The theme of the symposium was Pathogenic organisms and disease prevention.
Dr. Yasuaki Nakamura, Chair of the Japanese delegation, National Research Institute of Aquaculture (NRIA), opened the joint meeting by welcoming Dr. James P. McVey, Chair, and the entire U.S. delegation. He introduced the members of Japanese delegation: Dr. Nagahisa Uki, Vice Chair, Japan Fisheries Agency, Dr. Atsushi Furukawa, Adviser, Dr. Masanobu Mastuoka, National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Dr. Motohiko Sano, Ishigaki Tropical Station, Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, Dr. Yoichi Kogure, Japan Sea National Fisheries Research Institute, Dr. Hisami Kuwabara, National Research Institute of Fisheries Engineering, Dr. Masahiko Kobayashi, Fisheries Agency, Dr. Shigehiko Urawa, National Salmon Resource Center, Dr. Tetsuo Seki, Vice Secretary General, NRIA, Dr. Takehito Fujii, Associate Secretary General, NRIA, Dr. Toru Suzuki, Secretary for Scientific Exchange, NRIA, Dr. Tomoyoshi Yoshinaga, Secretary for Publications, NRIA, Dr. Kazumasa Ikuta, Secretary for Publications, NRIA, Dr. Toshihiko Matsuzato, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, and Ms. Mihoko Matsumiya, Interpreter.
Dr. Nakamura then addressed the delegations with the following remarks:
------
This Aquaculture Panel is one of the most active panels in numerous UJNR activities.
This has been made by the efforts dedicated by both American and Japanese Scientists.
Those who have assembled here today will continuously play an important role
for challenges to solve various problems of the world, such as energy and food
shortage due to rapid and persistent population growth in the 21st century.
Thus, high priority is being placed on drastic improvement in availability of
fishery stock as an important source of protein, and it is expected that aquaculture
will be a key contribution to global food production in the 21st century.
The next year marks the final year to fulfill joint meeting's strategy defined in the Fifth Five-Year Plan. At the same time, Japan's administrative system will be drastically reformed to improve its efficiency, which includes the separation of planning and operating functions. As operating bodies, most of the research institutes will face radical management reorganization and budgetary review.
In the present business meeting, the Sixth Five-Year Plan will be discussed. Stable food production, environmental conservation and sustainable use of resources are considered as significant challenges toward the 21st century. Thorough consideration and discussion in drafting the new Five-Year Plan should be requested, for development of aquaculture will surely help to tackle these challenges in the coming century. In addition, "Pathogenic organisms and disease prevention" will be discussed in this Symposium. Nowadays diseases are not only obstacles to sound aquaculture production, but are also emerging as part of a global problem related to resources and environment. Thus, it is our urgent task to establish technologies for disease prevention and treatment as well as epidemic prevention.
In the present joint meeting, furthermore, a satellite symposium will take
place in Ishigaki-city, Okinawa, on the less studied area of "Present status
and prospects of environmentally friendly aquaculture and resource enhancement
in tropical regions." This symposium is a part of the commemorative events to
celebrate the completion of Ishigaki subtropical station, Seikai National Fisheries
Research Institute. Also, site visits will include an inspection of seed production
and aquacultural production technology in application in Mie and Okinawa.
---------
Dr. James P. McVey, Chair of the U.S. delegation, NOAA, thanked Dr. Nakamura and the Japanese delegation for their extensive efforts in organizing the meeting. He introduced the members of the U.S. delegation: Dr. Conrad Mahnken, Vice Chair, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Dr. William Heard, Secretary General, National Marine Fisheries Service, Mr. Dominic Preiswerk, Deputy Secretary General, NOAA, Dr. Jim Sullivan, Secretary for Scientific Exchange, Ms. Janice Beattie, NOAA Library, Dr. Cheng Sheng Lee, Secretary for Five-Year Plan, Oceanic Institute, Dr. Charles Helsley, former Director of the Hawaii Sea Grant College Program, Ms. Jane Keller, Secretary for Publications, NOAA Oxford Laboratory, Dr. Earl J. Lewis, NOAA Oxford Laboratory, Dr. Reginald B. Blaylock, University of Southern Mississippi, and Dr. Paul Kilho Park, NOAA.
Dr. Uki thanked the U.S. delegation for their assistance and participation in the Work Shop of Bio-Cosmos Project held in Sendai in 1998 as a joint conference with UJNR. He handed over proceedings of the workshop to the U.S. side. Dr. Tetsuo Seki and Dr. McVey introduced the rapporteur, Dr. Ikuta of the Japan side and Mr. Preiswerk of the U.S. side.
An itinerary of the joint meeting, an agenda of the business meeting, a literature exchange list, a list of scientist exchange activities, an application for cooperative project of flounder aquaculture, a draft of the sixth five-year plan, a symposium program, and a list of participants are attached.
Literature Exchange Program
Dr. Suzuki reported that 180 reprints published since September, '99 through September, '00 were collected from 11 research institutes and one university. He handed over the list to Ms. Janice Beattie. The list can be seen also in the home page of National Research Institute of Aquaculture. Reprints will be sent to the NOAA library by mail.
Ms. Beattie reported that 37 reprints concerning mariculture were collected, and they were handed over to the Japanese delegation. She stated that NOAA library has made efforts to collect publications and information on aquaculture in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a data-base which can be quickly accessed by internet. As we have also established the UJNR home page in cooperation with the Japan side, the web site will be utilized by a greater number of people.
Scientist Exchange Program
Dr. Fujii handed over a list of the 33 Japanese scientists who visited the U.S. since September, '99 through August, '00 to carry out work under the UJNR Aquaculture Panel. The 33 scientists were composed of one for long-term stay, 21 for scientific conferences and symposiums, and 11 for the 28th UJNR Joint Meeting.
Dr. Sullivan reported that 6 American scientists visited Japan to cooperate in activities pertinent to the UJNR, except for visiting conferences. He stated that real collaboration has been carried out between Japan and the U.S. The close scientific cooperation between both countries is helping to promote science and technology. Dr. Sullivan stated that the goals of each scientific institution should be included in the planning of future collaborations.
Cooperative Studies Program
Dr. Seki reported that the UJNR cooperative research project on flounder aquaculture had been conducted in Kyoto University and Fukui Prefectural University with three scientists from the U.S. With regard to this research project, he mentioned that the Japanese Panel had applied for a grant-in-aid from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, but it was unfortunately rejected this year. He stated, however, the Japanese Panel would like to further improve the plan to fit urgent political demands and they will apply again for a budget for the UJNR.
Dr. McVey stated that Ms. Beattie, Director of the NOAA Central Library, is establishing the UJNR home page on the web site in cooperation with Ms. Ikuko Nagai, NRIA library (Hachinohe Branch, Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute at present). He requested further assistance from the Japan side to finish the final accomplishment, and it was acknowledged.
Dr. McVey also thanked Dr. Seki for his cooperation and coordination for the visit of U.S. scientists and students to Japan for flounder enhancement research. He thanked the Japanese delegation for receiving the group of mollusk scientists who visited Japan from the U.S. for a field trip to see oyster aquaculture. He also appreciated the efforts of the Japanese side for applying for budget of the UJNR cooperative study. He stated that the cooperative study should be undertaken in harmony with topics of the five-year plan.
Publications
Dr. Ikuta stated that the 29th Proceedings will be published as a Supplement of the Bulletin of National Research Institute of Aquaculture of which expense would be supported by Fisheries Agency, and this volume will be the last one as the Bulletin of NRIA, because the journal will be discontinued in association with the reorganization of Fisheries Research Institute in the following April. He thanked Dr. Uki for his special attention on this financial support. He suggested that Dec. 31, 2000 will be the deadline for the manuscripts, and it was acknowledged. For the 29th Proceedings, Dr. Tomoyoshi Yoshinaga, NRIA, and Ms. Jane Keller, NOAA, will collect the manuscripts at the Japan side and the U.S. side, respectively.
Dr. Helsley, former Director of the Hawaii Sea Grant College Program, reported that the 28th Proceedings is at the publisher and will be sent to each participant by November. He handed over one sample copy of the Proceeding to the Japanese delegation.
Five-Year Plan
Concerning the draft of the sixth five-year plan offered from the U.S. Panel, Dr. Seki suggested that the Japan side would like to continue discussion of the five-year plan as the reorganization of the Japan UJNR panel will not be clear until April 1, 2001. Dr. Nakamura concurred with this.
Dr. Lee explained conception of the draft of the sixth five-year plan that he completed from the original draft made by Dr. McVey and Dr. Park. For the food shortage projected in the future, magnification of fisheries and aquaculture production is required. Therefore cooperation between fisheries and aquaculture, harmonized with aquatic environment, will be much more important. In the case of the U.S., coastal fisheries and aquaculture are still quite separated unlike Japan. It is time to enhance cooperative studies and exchange scientific information on cage aquaculture, offshore aquaculture and preservation of aquatic bio-diversity in the Pacific area for Japan and the U.S. Since it could be as long as 7 years until the next five-year plan is completed, some modification may be acceptable along the way.
Dr. Park thanked Dr. Uki for his effort to draft the first five-year plan. He stated that it is a good time to improve the sixth five-year plan, because Japan Fisheries Agency will be reformed and the U.S. governmental system will be also changed. In order to undertake efficiently the improvement of the plan, it is necessary to develop a certain system for both sides to discuss the five-year plan and also finalize a time schedule for the completion of the plan. He asked the Japanese delegation to have further discussions on these points during this UJNR Meeting.
Dr. McVey suggested that Dr. Conrad Mahnken will join the discussion on behalf of himself because he will not go to Ishigaki., and it was acknowledged.
Dr. Sullivan supported Dr. Park's suggestion that both sides should continue the planning phases of the five year plan because the new Japanese system for management of UJNR is still not clear.
Dr. Nakamura replied that the suggestions from the U.S. side indicated that (1) a new system for UJNR to manage the sixth five-year plan will be shown to the U.S Panel after the new organization is completed in the following April, (2) the five-year plan is not decided at present, and improvement of the plan will be continued, and (3) the process of acquiring the plan should be successively announced to the U.S. side, and the final plan will be shown at the 30th UJNR Meeting.
Dr. McVey acknowledged the suggestion from the Japanese side. He mentioned his aspiration to have a more dynamic five-year agenda.
Field Trip
Dr. Seki explained the schedule of the field trip in Mie to visit a flounder aquaculture facility and Owase Sea Farming and Aquaculture Center of Mie Prefecture on November 9.
Dr. Sano, Ishigaki Tropical Station, Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, explained the schedule of satellite symposium and field trip in Ishigaki, Okinawa, to visit Yaeyama Station of Japan Sea Farming Association, Fisheries Station of Okinawa Prefecture, Ishigaki Tropical Station, and Mangrove Area and Wildcat Preservation Center in Iriomote Island from November 13 to 15.
Plans for Next Joint Meeting
Dr. Park stated that the 30th UJNR Aquaculture Panel Joint Meeting will be held in Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida with the theme of Ecology of Aquaculture Species and Enhancement of Stocks. Dr. Ken Leber is coordinating the meeting and field trip.
Dr. McVey thanked the Japanese delegation for hosting the 29th UJNR Meeting,
and particularly for active discussion about the sixth five-year plan. He stated
in his closing address:
----------
In the Unite States, the contribution of aquaculture to food supply, enhancement
of employment and general economy is seriously examined. The U.S. Department
of Commerce (DOC) and NOAA have increased support for the expansion of the aquaculture
industry and scientific effort in aquaculture. All of the U.S. Federal Agencies,
i.e. USDA, EPA, are also working to make a new national aquaculture plan under
the Joint Sub-committee on Aquaculture which is a consultative body of the White
House. DOC is developing legislation to facilitate the conduct of aquaculture
in the U.S. EEZ. The National Marine Fisheries Service has sponsored five workshops
to develop a code of conduct for aquaculture in the EEZ. The Sea Grant Program
also has conducted several workshops to bring resources of the DOC National
Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program to the help
of industry providing research budgets for advanced technologies, i.e. offshore
aquaculture, marine recirculation systems, and marine fish enhancement, which
will upgrade the aquaculture industries in the future.
Over the last two years, the Build Sustainable Fisheries Team of NOAA has developed
a vision on three major areas, such as management of capture fisheries, aquaculture,
and coastal human fisheries communities, that must be integrated into a balanced
approach to future food supply. As mentioned by Dr. Nakamura, Japan is moving
in the same direction. Environmental implications of aquaculture should be strongly
emphasized. How to balance aquaculture development with other uses of the coastal
zone is very important. The concept of a balanced ecosystem approach which takes
into consideration the roles of the different biotic communities, including
the human role, is the key to sustainable production of the coastal resources
in the future. This approach was furthered because of our cooperation through
UJNR. If we take advantage of the foundations we have laid through UJNR collaboration,
and we take into consideration the changes Japan is undergoing and we keep the
planning process dynamic, UJNR can help to lead both our nations in the aquaculture
area for how we manage the coastal resources in the future.
----------
Dr. Nakamura and Dr. McVey announced that all business had been concluded. The 29th joint meeting of the UJNR aquaculture Panel Meeting was then adjourned.
November 7, 2000
Back to UJNR Aquaculture Panel "Meeting Summaries Page"
NOAA Central Library is pleased to host and maintain the UJNR home page.