Each year the Council elects Fellows whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.” In the award letter, AAAS states that Costa-Pierce is being honored for “distinguished contributions to global aquaculture and its sustainability and for leadership in marine research, education, and outreach as director of two NOAA-Sea Grant college programs.”

“As a scientist, my first concern has always been how science works to directly benefit people, whether advancing commercial aquaculture to be more sustainable, or helping feed the world’s poor. As a Sea Grant director, my focus has been how new Sea Grant partnerships and institutions can make a real change in the state, in demonstrating credible impacts on the livelihoods of coastal peoples, and increasing stewardship of ocean resources for future generations. Election by the Council as an AAAS Fellow is extremely meaningful to me in recognizing these efforts,” Costa-Pierce says. 

Costa-Pierce will be honored at the AAAS Fellows Forum on February 18, 2012, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Election as a Fellow of AAAS is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. Fellows are recognized for meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications.

AAAS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world. Founded in 1848, AAAS serves some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. It publishes the journal Science, which has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world.

The AwF Board of Directors congratulates Dr. Costa-Pierce on this distinguished honor in recognition of his tireless contributions to the advancement of aquaculture and its ability to help improve the lives of disadvantaged people everywhere.

Aquaculture, which involves cultivating fresh water and saltwater populations of fish under controlled conditions as opposed to catching fish in the wild, is the world’s fastest growing source of animal protein, growing by more than 60 per cent between 2000 and 2008, from 32.4 million tons to 52.5 million tons, according to the report.

“With stagnating global capture fishery production and an increasing population, aquaculture is perceived as having the greatest potential to produce more fish in the future to meet the growing demand for safe and quality aquatic food,” said the report, World Aquaculture in 2010.

The report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), states aquaculture has played an important role in reducing poverty in many parts of the world. However, it says it has not grown evenly throughout the planet. 

Eleven out of the 15 leading aquaculture-producing countries are located in the Asia-Pacific region, and in 2008 they accounted for 89.1 per cent of global production. Most remarkably, China alone contributed to 62.3 per cent of production in the region that year.

The report also states that there are marked differences in production levels and types of production. China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India for example, lead production levels of shrimp and prawns, while Norway and Chile produce mostly salmon.

The report warns that governments need to invest in aquaculture so they can continue to enjoy its benefits and address the challenges that are linked to this practice.

“Achieving the global aquaculture sector’s long-term goal of economic, social and environmental sustainability depends primarily on continued commitments by governments to provide and support a good governance framework for the sector,” the report says.

Key concerns regarding aquaculture include quality and safety standards, traceability, certification and eco-labelling. In addition, aquaculture faces major challenges due to climate change and the economic downturn in many countries, which could particularly affect small producers in Asia and Africa, where they make up the backbone of the industry.

The report calls for governments to increase their efforts to assist small-scale producers by organizing them into associations and through the promotion of better management practices to ensure the industry can continue to meet the global demand for fish.

The full report, together with regional reviews presented at Global Aquaculture Conference held in Phuket, Thailand in 2010 can be found by clicking here.

The article highlights how the positive effects of small investments in agricultural development assistance can result in returns for both the donor and developing nation, as demonstrated by the two home countries, Ghana and Brazil, of this year’s world food prize winners.

Please consider making a donation to AwF today to help us help the world’s poorest farmers.

Other links:

• The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
• The World Food Prize

The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2011

This year’s report describes the effects of price volatility on food security and presents policy options to reduce volatility in a cost-effective manner and to manage it when it cannot be avoided. The report focuses also on the dangers and opportunities presented by high food prices. Climate change and an increased frequency of weather shocks, increased linkages between energy and agricultural markets due to growing demand for biofuels, and the increased financialization of food and agricultural commodities all suggest that price volatility is here to stay.

• Read the executive summary
• Download the full publication
• See the press release
• Visit the FAO Hunger Portal

For more information please contact: sofi@fao.org

While it’s a once in a lifetime milestone, it’s also an opportunity for the UN to push for better mechanisms to take care of those most vulnerable. To do that, UNFPA is launching a campaign called “7 Billion Actions”, to meet the demands of a growing population.

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin is the executive director of UNFPA. “The 7 Billion Actions is an effort by UNFPA to reach the 7 billion people in the world asking them what are they going to do to make the world a better place. What action would you take locally to contribute to a better planet and to ensure that we have a more safe world going forward.”

UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon adds that overcoming the challenges of 7 billion people, including being able to feed and shelter those in need, will demand the best in each of us.

For more information log onto 7billionactions.org.

Also read Countdown To 7 Billion: A Tale Of Two Worlds on NPR’s health blog.

Then think of Aquaculture without Frontiers and helping us to help those most in need.

AwF is one of the Organizations Making a Difference on the 7 Billion Actions website; click here.

“This is a most excellent gesture of CP Prima,” commented AwF Chair M.C. Nandeesha.

The entire Board of Directors would like to thank CP Prima and Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons for facilitating this contribution to AwF’s mission.

We present the full paper arising from that Keynote presentation here (with permission of WAS Magazine editor, Dr. Robert Stickney) for all to read, and to consider how they may help us to achieve the vision presented 8 years ago. The Keynote PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking here.

AwF director Dr Kevin Fitzsimmons remarked in a recent email to Michael, ”It was great to reread the paper. Your foresight is a bit amazing almost ten years later.”

Michael’s final words in the keynote after introducing the concept for AwF were a quotation from Oscar Wilde: “Nothing is worth doing except what the world says is impossible”. Obviously, it was and still is possible!

The original paper was published by WAS with the following reference:  New, M.B., 2003. Responsible aquaculture: is this a special challenge for developing countries? World Aquaculture, 34(3):26-30, 60-68, 72.

The MSSRF marked the day by releasing a report on its activities, something it has done for the 21 previous years.

Dignitaries in attendance included the Central Minister and the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), who announced that 30% of the core funding of the organization was to be provided by DST.

In a recent personal message to our Founder & Patron, Michael New, OBE, Professor M.S. Swaminathan, FRS wrote, “It has been an act of vision on your part to have started Aquaculture without Frontiers. We are indebted to you for this important initiative. With warm personal regards”.

Welcome to AwF-Nepal

The AwF-Nepal project was initiated in March 2008 with the partial support of Aquaculture without Frontiers, UK. In the first phase (March 2008 – February 2010), the project was launched in Rainastar Village of Lamjung, which is the lowest part of the district adjacent to Gorkha. During the first phase, 70 women joined in two groups and constructed a pond each to grow fish in addition to traditionally growing vegetables and crops and raising livestock. 

After the successful launch of the project, under the second phase (April 2010 -Present), a scale- up program has been started. The Project Team has completed the feasibility study of sites in the same district as well as in neighbouring districts; namely, Chakratirtha and Bhorletar VDCs of Lamjung, Putlikhet/Gaikhur in Gorkha, a mountainous valley in Nawalparasi. Under this scale-up program, in addition to working with 100 families in groups, it is expected to create awareness in those districts.

This project has been launched by Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand in collaboration with the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS), Rampur, Chitwan. More partners and volunteers are expected to join.

More information about the AwF-Nepal project is posted on our Projects page.

Dave Conley, Executive Director

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Dave Conley as executive director of Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF). Mr. Conley joined the Board as a director in February 2010 and has been very active over the past 17 months volunteering his time to completely redesign the AwF website, reaching out to other NGOs working in aquaculture/agriculture development, and managing our communications program. He has also undertaken to update our volunteer database with the goal of better utilizing this resource to expand the reach and effectiveness of our organization.

“We are extremely pleased with all the work that Dave has done since joining us,” said AwF Founder and Patron, Michael New, OBE. “He has made numerous suggestions to help us become more efficient and has impressed me with his energy and dedication to achieving the mission of AwF.” 

At the same time, the Board of Directors has undertaken to re-organize the structure of the organization. There will now be an Executive Committee composed of the chair, Dr M.C. Nandeesha, chair-elect, Dr Barry Costa-Pierce, executive director, Dave Conley, secretary, John Cooksey, treasurer, Roy Palmer, and executive committee member, David Little. The Board has also been enlarged by 6 new directors: Dr Charles Bai, Pierre Erwes, Dr Jose Manuel Fernandez-Polanco, Kenny McCaffrey, Dr Patricia Moraes-Valenti, and Dr Shakuntala Thilsted. This new structure reflects the desire for greater diversity in expertise and geographic location – 11 countries are now represented on the AwF Board. Michael New has resigned from the Board in order to allow AwF to grow under younger leadership but will continue to provide his input as Founder and Patron.

With the new management team in place, AwF is embarking upon a major fundraising campaign to raise $1 million over the next 18-24 months. “Due to our increased profile over the past 12 months, we are receiving many more project proposals,” said Dr M.C. Nandeesha, AwF chairman. “This is placing a strain on our current financial resources so we are going to reach out to the aquaculture industry, funding agencies, foundations, and individuals to help us meet this challenge.”

“The scope of our work is expanding, as is the geographic range of the projects we are now considering,” said Dr Barry Costa-Pierce, chair-elect. “Project proposals have recently been received from Haiti, Kenya, Zambia, Mexico, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, with more arriving every month. The need for our help is obvious, and we have a lot of work to do.”