According to the public relations office of Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute (IFSRI), Dr. Homayoun Hoseinzadeh Sahafi, Deputy Director for Extension and Transfer of Scientific Findings of the Institute, attending and presenting the report of lead centers related to aquaculture of coldwater fish and sturgeon in the 31st meeting of the of the Governing Council of the NACA (The Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific), stated: “According to the approvals of this organization in 2006, it is approved for the Coldwater Fish Research Center (Mazandaran) and the International Sturgeon Research Institute (Gilan) as leading centers in specialized fields to be responsible for guidance and intellectual conduction for the development of aquaculture of the aquatic species in Iran and other member countries (at the request of NACA).
He added: "Currently, the members of NACA are Australia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Iran, China, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Maldives, Hong Kong, India, Nepal, Korea and representatives of NACA regional centers in member countries and some regional and international institutions and organizations active in the field of aquaculture.
It is worth mentioning that the Islamic Republic of Iran became a member of this organization in 1993 as a guest and as an official member since 2004. NACA is the leader of all specialized aquaculture organizations in the world and can play an effective role in the development of aquaculture for member countries, including Iran. The presence of qualified experts in Asia can be the most important asset for the development and increase of aquaculture production among member countries.
At this meeting, after the presentation of the progress report by the Secretary General of NACA (Dr. Huang), the representatives of the member countries presented the needs and cooperation with this organization, and then the reports of the leading centers affiliated to this organization were presented. It should be noted that currently out of a total of 19 member countries, the People's Republic of China, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Philippines and Thailand have lead centers that can be considered a good capacity for our country in international cooperation. This meeting was held on 29 and 30 November 2021, and was attended by Dr. Mahmoud Bahmani, Head of Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute, and Dr. Fariborz Ehteshami, Director of International Relations office of IFSRI.