The Asian Fisheries Forum
The Society holds a triennial forum among Asian countries to promote scientific interaction amongst members and the community. By bringing together aquaculture and fisheries scientists and stakeholders from the region the forum provide a venue to discuss regional priorities, common problems and research findings.
Each forum updates the members of recent trends and ongoing research results in the region. It provides a unique opportunity to learn and evaluate research and also provides the much-needed scientific advice to policymakers, managers and planners.
Young researchers are encouraged to take an active part and interact with the large number of fisheries scientists in attendance. Towards this aim, the Society helps young scientists to secure travel support to attend the forum and can provide assistance through its Kanazawa Research Fund.
The published proceedings of each forum represent a state-of-the-art reference for fisheries and aquaculture research in Asia and are invaluable references for all fisheries scientists, industry and policy makers.
The 1st Asian Fisheries Forum (1AFF) was held in May 1986 at the Philippine International Convention Centre (PICC) in Manila, Philippines with 408 participants from 27 countries and a total of 230 papers presented. The Forum focused on the theme "Traditional practices and new frontiers in Asian fisheries". The Forum was attended by 408 scientists from 27 countries.
The 2AFF, held in April 1989 in Tokyo, Japan, brought together 431 participants from 27 countries.
The 3AFF, held at Singapore's World Trade Center in October 1992, attracted 684 participants from 53 countries. It featured a series of special symposia and Fish Asia'92, a major trade exhibit of fishery and aquaculture technology.
The 4AFF was held in October 16-20 1995 in Beijing, China with over 600 delegates from 52 countries and territories participated.
The 5AFF was held on November 11-14 1998 in Chiang Mai, Thailand where the Society gathered once more, over 700 workers in fisheries all over the world, bringing forth ideas and experiences on how best to address issues on fisheries and food security beyond the year 2000.
The 6AFF was held on 25-30 November 2001 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan with over 550 participants from 33 countries.
The 7AFF, held in Penang, Malaysia from the 30 November - 4 December 2004 was the most successful Forum to date with more than 800 participants from 41 countries. The theme of the Forum focused on New Dimensions and Challenges in Asian Fisheries in the 21st century.
The 8AFF was held in Kochi, India between the 20- 23 November 2007. The Forum theme was 'Fisheries and Aquaculture: Strategic Outlook for Asia'. The Forum was the largest fisheries gathering in Asia, and received an overwhelming response. More than 1000 scientists from 33 countries participating in the deliberations and a total of 895 abstracts from 33 countries were accepted for presentation. Special symposia were held on gender and fisheries and the current status of shrimp farming in Asia plus a special session on fish health.
To acknowledge the increasing role that aquaculture is playing in Asian fisheries, the forum's name was changed to Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (AFAF) during the 8th Council term and endorsed by the AFS General Assembly in 2007.
The 9AFAF was held in the SHOU new campus and will host two major symposia - the 4th International Symposium on Stock Enhancement and Sea Ranching (4th ISSESR) and the 9th International Symposium on Tilapia Aquaculture (9th ISTA). ). Other major meetings held in conjunction with the 9AFAF are the 3rd Special global symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF3), a special session on "Strengthening European-Asian Partnership" and the FAO funded session on "Aquatic Genetic Resources for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture".
The 10AFAF will be held in Yeosu City, South Korea in 2013.