Advisory Panels

The AquaFish Innovation Lab has brought together highly creative and knowledgeable people to provide technical and external advice on aquaculture and fisheries technologies and research.

External Program Advisory Council (EPAC)

The EPAC is a policy-setting programmatic advisory panel composed of specialists who are external to the program. Panel members are drawn from the international aquatic resources community and comprise a comprehensive group that covers all aspects of AquaFish Innovation Lab research, including socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological factors. 

Current EPAC panel members:

  • Nancy Gitonga – Africa
  • Liping Liu - Asia

Development Themes Advisory Panels (DTAP)

There are four DTAPs, each one aligned with one of the four AquaFish Innovation Lab global themes. Internal to the program, DTAP coordinators provide technical advice on emerging issues and identify gaps in the portfolio from a thematic perspective. Lead coordinators assist the Management Team in integrating cross-cutting needs identified by USAID, and offer additional emphases on conserving biodiversity, preventing further degradation of aquatic ecosystem health, reducing poverty among small-scale famers and fishers, maintaining and restoring capture fisheries productivity, improving soil and water quality, and using biotechnology approaches cautiously.

Current DTAP Themes and Lead Coordinators:

  • DTAP A: Improved Human Health and Nutrition, Food Quality, and Food Safety – Kwamena Quagrainie (Purdue University)
  • DTAP B: Income Generation for Small-Scale Fish Farmers and Fishers – Joe Molnar (Auburn University)
  • DTAP C: Environmental Management for Sustainable Aquatic Resources Use – Jim Diana (University of Michigan)
  • DTAP D: Enhanced Trade Opportunities for Global Fishery Markets – Robert Pomeroy (University of Connecticut - Avery Point)

Regional Centers of Excellence (RCE)

The RCEs coordinate activities within the continental regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) by providing technical advice on emerging issues and identifying gaps in the portfolio from a regional perspective. Two centers have been formed in each region to coordinate activities within their specified area.

Current RCEs and Lead Coordinators:

  • Africa:
    • Charles Ngugi, University of Eldoret (Kenya)
    • Steve Amisah, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (Ghana)
  • Asia:
    • Yuan Derun, Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific (Thailand)
  • Latin America & the Caribbean:
    • Wilfrido Contreras-Sánchez, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco (Mexico)
    • Maria Célia Portella, Sao Paulo State University (Brazil)