The Biannual Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics & Trade (IIFET), hosted this year in Seattle, took place 16-20 July (IIFET 2018). The conference focused on fisheries and aquaculture economics and seafood trade.

AquaFish Innovation Lab served as a Silver Sponsor for IIFET 2018, and has provided support to IIFET more broadly since 2000. AquaFish Innovation Lab support for IIFET conferences and associated awards ultimately increased interest in advancing economic science to address aquaculture challenges.

At IIFET 2018, AquaFish Innovation Lab awarded two prizes for best student papers on the economics of aquaculture in developing countries, which enabled conference attendance for the award winners. The prize winners were Lawrence Olusola Oparinde of Nigeria and Moses Wambua of Kenya.

Lawrence’s studies are taking place at the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, and his winning paper was titled “Impact of Credit Constraints on Aquaculture Production and Risk Exposure in Ondo State, Nigeria: Endogenous Switching Regression Model Approach.” His research found that credit constraints have a significant impact on fish production and should be considered by policy makers hoping to solve the supply-demand gap.

Moses is studying at Pukyong National University in Korea and his winning paper was titled, “A Cost Benefit Analysis of the Fish Farming Enterprise Productivity Program in Kenya.” His research found that using agricultural land for aquaculture can generate greater benefits for the landowner and broader community than traditional use. The Fish Farming Productivity Program, however, is highly sensitive to market fluctuations for aquaculture inputs and fish value.

AquaFish Innovation Lab has been proud to contribute to IIFET for over a decade and to support promising up and coming students in the field of fisheries economics and trade.