Translated to English by WHSRN Executive Office
Last April, the Latin American and Caribbean 2023 Aquaculture (LACQUA 2023) Event was held in Panama City, Panama. In this annual event of the Latin American chapter of the Word Aquaculture Society, knowledge, technology and innovation were shared among professionals in the field of aquaculture. The main theme of this conference was sustainability of aquaculture. The event included a commercial exhibition with exhibitors from all over the world showing the latest equipment, technology, supplies, and services of all kinds for aquaculture companies and producers.
Shorebirds had their space within the commercial exhibition, where Salvadora Morales and Juanita Fonseca, Shrimp and Shorebird Conservation Specialists from the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) Executive Office, shared with visitors the importance of shrimp aquaculture for shorebirds.
For three days, more than 300 people including biologists, aquaculturists, production engineers, and people interested in and related to aquaculture visited the “Shrimp Aquaculture and Shorebirds” booth, where videos and photos of the work in Mexico and Central America were shown. Visitors to the stand were curious and interested in learning about shorebirds and how they use these production systems. Visitors frequently commented that they did not know that shorebirds do not eat shrimp.
This event was the perfect space to connect with the aquaculture industry and highlight the importance of integrating these production systems into shorebird conservation. In this video, we show some of what we experienced during these days of learning and shared experiences with the aquaculture sector.
Cover Photo: Juanita Fonseca and Salvadora Morales with visitors to the Shrimp and Shorebird Conservation booth. Photo Courtesy of Juanita Fonseca.
