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AquaFish Innovation Lab partners of current and past projects joined over 2,500 aquaculture professionals in San Antonio, Texas, in February for the World Aquaculture Society’s Aquaculture America Conference. AquaFish Innovation Lab partners presented in seven sessions on a variety of topics including women in aquaculture, fish feeds, and water quality.

AquaFish Innovation Lab student, Shamim Naigaga from Auburn University, compared several water quality test kits to laboratory test results and determined that test kits can serve as useful tools for farmers when making pond management decisions. More information on her methods and results can be found in her recent publication in the Journal of World Aquaculture.

Regina Edziyie, AquaFish Innovation Lab researcher at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology in Ghana, presented on locally sourced protein-alternatives for use in fish feeds. This research, which aimed to decrease costs and increase profits, identified several oilseeds grown in Ghana that show promise for use in feeds.

Kwamena Quagrainie, AquaFish Innovation Lab researcher at Purdue University, presented on work in Ghana that is developing a cell phone-based system to provide fish farmers a direct link to market information. The system provides information via text and voice, making it accessible for illiterate users.

Kat Goetting, AquaFish Innovation Lab Assistant Director of Outreach, presented on AquaFish Innovation Lab gender work during the Women in Aquaculture Session. Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) Director Roy Palmer also presented in the session. Check out AwF's blog post about his presentation.

In addition to oral presentations, the AquaFish Innovation Lab Management Team presented five posters on the AquaFish Innovation Lab research portfolio. Bill Manci with Fisheries Technology Associates Inc. tweeted about our women and youth in aquaculture poster, “Inclusion and gender parity in aquaculture is a must. Great poster!”.

The Conference provided a great opportunity to share research results, learn from others, and expand the AquaFish Innovation Lab network. Hearing about innovative ideas and promising lines of research left attendees inspired, energized, and further committed to addressing global aquaculture challenges.