Table of materials and presentations

Some 520 participants out of 900+ registrants attended the session on Innovative biosecurity approaches for a healthier aquaculture industry, one of six virtual dialogues on the road to the 34th Committee on Fisheries held last Wednesday 15 July 2020, 16:00-17:30

Ms Marcela Villareal, Director of FAO's Partnership Division, opened the sessions with a warm welcome to member states, guest speakers and participants and introduced the keynote speakers and expert panellists. She highlighted the strong partnership with the Mississippi State University which started in 2010.

The first Keynote on Antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture: a One Health global management issue was delivered by Prof. Mark Lawrence (Director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab on Fish, at Mississippi State University). Dr Matthias Halwart (Head of the Aquaculture Branch in FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Division) presented the second Keynote on Aquatic biosecurity: a pillar of sustainable aquaculture development. Six expert panel presentations followed: (1) Dr Victoria Alday (Director, Biosecurity and Breeding Programmes from Saudi Arabia's National Aqua Group) spoke on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's experience of specific pathogen free stocks for shrimp aquaculture; (2) Dr Patrick Sorgeloos (Professor, Department of Animal Production, Ghent University - in collaboration with Peter De Schryver of INVE Aquaculture) discussed microbial management protocols to reduce antimicrobial resistance and as part of Good Aquaculture Practices; (3) Dr Brett Mackinnon (Aquaculture Biosecurity Specialist - in collaboration with Drs M Reantaso and B Hao, all of FAO) introduced the Progressive Management Pathway for Improving Aquaculture Biosecurity; (4) Dr Qing Li (Professor and Division Director, Aquatic Diseases Prevention and Control, National Fisheries Technology Extension Center, Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs) shared the disease management and control in Chinese aquaculture; (5) Dr Nelly Isyagi (Independent Consultant)  provided her perspectives on Aquatic Animal Health Management in Africa; and (6) Dr Edgar Brun (Director for Aquatic Animal Health, Norwegian Veterinary Institute) discussed the use of vaccines as prevention strategy and alternative to antimicrobials.

Dr Manuel Barange, FAO's Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division, gave the key messages from each of the presentations and closed the session with a big thank you and appreciation to everyone involved in the production (behind-the-scene team including interpreters), the expert panelists for the excellent technical presentations and participants from all parts of the globe in different time zones  for staying until the end of the session.

Further information can be obtained by writing: Melba.Reantaso@fao.org; Bin.Hao@fao.org