Undersecretary of Fisheries inaugurated International Seminar: “Management of Fisheries and Aquaculture with an Ecosystemic Approach in Times of Climate Change: Advances, Challenges and Actions”
November 22nd, 2024
On November 12, in the Hall of Honor of the Central House of the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV), located at Av. Brasil 2950, Valparaíso, the II International Seminar: “Management of Fisheries and Aquaculture with an Ecosystemic Approach in Times of Climate Change: Advances, Challenges and Actions”, SIMPAEE2, was inaugurated. The event was attended by local and national authorities and prominent personalities from the fishing and aquaculture sector, and took place over three days in both in-person and virtual modalities.
The meeting, organized by the Chilean Society of Marine Sciences (SCHCM) and the Institute for Fisheries Development (IFOP), was sponsored by the PUCV, the National Fisheries Society (SONAPESCA), the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), the Fisheries Research Institute (INPESCA), Oceana Chile, and the Salmon Technology Institute (INTESAL). It was also sponsored by the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy (SHOA), the COPAS Coastal Center, the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), the University of Magallanes (UMAG), The Nature Conservancy Chile (TNC) and the Patagonian Ecosystem Research Center (CIEP).
Throughout the seminar, attendees had the opportunity to participate in 8 specialized modules that addressed different aspects of fishing and aquaculture in the context of climate change. These modules included: institutional perspectives on ecosystem-based management, user commitments to implement this approach in Chile, considerations on climate change adaptation in ecosystem-based management, aquaculture management under this approach, resource sustainability and the challenges of ecosystem-based fisheries management, international experiences, and a general discussion session focused on public policy proposals.
In addition, this event featured the participation of prominent international speakers, who shared their knowledge and experiences regarding the advances, challenges, and actions related to ecosystem-based management of fisheries and aquaculture. Among the international experts who participated were: Dr. Gabriella Bianchi (Institute of Marine Research, Norway), Dr. Barry Costa-Pierce (Nord University, Norway), and Dr. Josè Aguilar Manjarrez (FAO).
The seminar was attended by more than 1,000 people in total, of which more than 100 were in-person attendees at the PUCV Headquarters, while the vast majority followed the event virtually. This hybrid format allowed for high participation, with registrations of participants from different countries, highlighting the presence of academics, professionals, students and representatives of government institutions.
At the opening, the Undersecretary of Fisheries, Julio Salas, presented the paper “Institutional perspectives on management with an ecosystem approach: The vision of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries”, in which he highlighted the importance of science and in this case of the studies carried out by IFOP, to ensure the sustainable and sustainable use of our fishery and aquaculture resources.
For his part, Gonzalo Pereira, Executive Director of IFOP, stressed the importance of seminars such as this one, which allow us to evaluate the progress of the Institute and visualize future possibilities. “This event coincides with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the creation of IFOP and we are very pleased with the turnout it has had, both in person and online,” she said.
Pilar Muñoz, President of SCHCM, highlighted the urgency of studying the ecosystem approach in the context of climate change and how her institution has been since its origins a space for meeting and collaboration between different professionals and society in general. “Our mission is to promote the study, protection and sustainable management of marine systems, understanding that Chile is fundamentally an oceanic country. This seminar is a reflection of our commitment; we are here to reaffirm the importance of building knowledge and networks, in order to understand the use and care of our resources,” she said.
Finally, Carlos Montenegro, Head of the Fisheries Research Division of IFOP and member of the SIMPAEE2 Organizing Committee, explained that this event allowed us to learn about the experiences of different regions of Chile and other places in the world, in addition to acquiring a broader vision of the actions and lessons learned in practical ecosystem-based management. “The experiences shared at this seminar will help us to face the major challenges of the fisheries and aquaculture sector,” Montenegro concluded.
More details about this meeting can be found on the website (https://www.ifop.cl/simpaee2/) and on the YouTube channel of the PUCV School of Marine Sciences (Ciencias del Mar PUCV – YouTube), where recordings of the entire event can be found.
Photo galery
Day 1
Day 2
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