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The Symposium/ Overview

The Fish Health Section (FHS) of the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS) proudly announces the “Seventh Symposium on Diseases in Asian Aquaculture (DAA VII)” with the theme “Communication, Co-operation and Co-ordination: key issues in aquatic animal health management” to be held on 22-26 June 2008 in Taipei, Taiwan. The 8th Triennial General Meeting (TGM-8) of the FHS will also be held in conjunction with DAA VII.

DAA VII participants will also be offered a wide choice of technical and cultural tours. The Fish Health Section (FHS) of the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS), was founded in May 1989, and it is tasked with publishing both academic and technical information on aquatic animal health as well as promoting the development and use of standardized, internationally accepted techniques for the detection and diagnosis of diseases of aquatic animals of regional importance. The FHS also holds a triennial “Symposium on Diseases in Asian Aquaculture” (DAA) where members and aquatic animal health professionals meet to discuss broad issues and specific topics related to aquatic animal health.

There have been six previous Symposia, the first one in Bali, Indonesia, 1990; second in Phuket, Thailand, 1993; third in Bangkok, Thailand, 1996; fourth in Cebu, Philippines, 1999; fifth in Gold Coast, Australia, 2002; and the sixth in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2005. Each of these Symposia brought together more than 200 aquatic animal health scientists, students, government researchers and industry personnel from some 30 countries to discuss disease related problems affecting aquaculture production and to find solutions for them. Please visit the FHS website at http://www.fhs-afs.org/ for more detailed information.

The Seventh Symposium – DAA VII – is expected to attract many participants from all around the world to discuss their work and develop strategies for improving aquatic animal health in Asia. DAA VII will be held in Taiwan, where the island’s friendly people, pleasant sub-tropical climate, convenient transportation, modern environment, and excellent conference facilities will all help to make the conference a wonderful and fruitful experience for all participants.

Theme of the Symposium

The Fish Health Section (FHS) of the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS) proudly announces the “Seventh Symposium on Diseases in Asian Aquaculture (DAA VII)” with the theme “Communication, Co-operation and Co-ordination: core issues in aquatic animal health management”. In a series of scientific sessions across four days, internationally recognized keynote speakers will examine the current trends in the study of aquatic disease.

Over the past three decades, aquaculture products have become the fastest growing food source all over the world. As the aquaculture industry has expanded, intensified and diversified, numerous aquatic animal diseases have emerged and become widespread as a result of global trade and modern transportation systems. The impact of these trans-boundary aquatic diseases on the industry and on society in general, will need to be mitigated by improving current levels of health management, bio-security, risk assessment, and epidemiology. Consequently, in addition to investigating the causative pathogens themselves, another critical task in the field of aquatic animal health is to effectively integrate and apply these diverse aquaculture-related resources.

In the spirit of our theme of Communication, Co-operation and Co-ordination, this conference aims to provide a platform for international biologists, pathologists, fisheries scientists, veterinarians, breeders and policy makers to interact and exchange the latest ideas and techniques in the business of aquaculture, especially with respect to Asia. DAA VII will also include special sessions that focus on how breeders and biologists are contributing concepts and tools to our understanding of the molecular basis of aquatic disease, and on how management policies affect the aquaculture industry.

In addition, there will be sessions that focus on how the rapid developments in the fields of genomics and bioinformatics are changing our interpretation of aquatic diseases. These sessions will provide a better appreciation of pathogenomics and its impact on the aquatic organisms, and will cover both the fundamental and practical aspects of this multidisciplinary subject area.