On June 28, NACA's newly appointed Director General, Dr. Eduardo Leano, along with staff, paid a courtesy call to Mr. Bancha Sukkaew, the Director General of the Department of Fisheries (DOF), Thailand, and directors of DOF's divisions.

Dr. Leano expressed his gratitude for Thailand's ongoing support to the organization. For more than 30 years, Thailand has hosted the NACA Secretariat and provided both office facilities and administrative staff.

Mr. Sukkaew congratulated Dr. Leano on his new role as NACA Director General. Discussions centered on ongoing projects between NACA and DOF and explored opportunities for collaboration both in Thailand and the wider region.

Mr. Sukkaew emphasized the need to improve food security in the Asia-Pacific region and the importance of cooperation in information sharing and R&D to enhance productivity and reduce costs. He noted that feed costs, which can represent over 70% of total production costs, are a particular concern. Additionally, he highlighted the need to address climate change issues and promote gender equality in the aquaculture industry.

Dr. Leano thanked Mr. Sukkaew for his cooperation and looked forward to further strengthening NACA's partnership with Thailand. He welcomed Thailand's participation in the current project on knowledge brokering for nature-based solutions in aquaculture transformation in Asia-Pacific. The Thai team was working to identify and document innovations and nature-based solutions in the aquaculture industry as a contribution to a Aquaculture Innovation and Investment Hub, presently in development.