AQD holds six international training courses

AQD has scheduled practically all of its international training courses in the second quarter of the year, incidentally coinciding with the onset of the breeding season of most tropical species. Six courses have been organized and completed.

The first one was titled "Grouper hatchery training course for the Philippines." Held 7 to 25 April at AQD's main station and in a private grouper hatchery in Iloilo, the course was a collaboration among NACA, ACIAR and AQD. Fifteen Filipinos attended, coming from the Panay provinces, Palawan, Zamboanga, and Tawi-tawi.

The second one was a "Training course on mangrove ecology, taxonomy and community structure" that run from 30 April to 4 May. It was conducted by AQD in collaboration with RESCOPAR, a mainly Wageningen University-funded program (The Netherlands). Twenty-five attended, with trainees coming from Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The third course was on "Seaweeds (Kappaphycus) farming" which was conducted 5-9 May with six attending, from the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines.

The fourth was the international training course on "Abalone hatchery and grow-out" held 7-27 May. The nine participants came from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, and the Philippines.

The fifth course was on "Marine fish hatchery" organized from 20 May to 25 June with nine in attendance. The trainees came from France, Myanmar, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Philippines.

The sixth training course was on "Crab seed production" that opened on 10 June (until 1 July). Four attended, from Myanmar, the USA and Philippines.