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News
Sea Machines opens new technology centre in Boston
Antonio Garza de Yta We need to think and dream big
f your humble servant wouldn´t have never dared to dream, probably today I would be working on an obscure pottery plant in Santa Clara, Ecatepec, Mexico. For many, what I have achieved in my life might not be much but being able to wake up every morning and do what I love while trying to transform the life of hundreds of young aquaculturists and aquaculture in Mexico and in the world is a true honor and privilege. I was not born in a noble family, everything I possess I have earned with hard and honest work, and that is something I also want to spread among my colleagues, students and professionals around the world: No matter where you are born or where you come from, with passion and perseverance you can achieve your goals. Today, we are in the middle of a very interesting election inside the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) which has generated a lot of controversy; although none of the candidates have done any statements as of yet regarding why any of us want to head this organisation. Before anything, please let me state that my rival during this election is an outstanding person and professional as well as honest and hardworking; I consider it a privilege to be honored with her friendship. I would never issue a negative comment about her, so I will only limit myself to express the objectives or opportunities for improvement that I consider could apply to our beloved society. First, so it is perfectly clear, on the contrary to what some people have expressed, on my humble opinion WAS is not living a major crisis. As many have expressed before, I am confident that WAS is the best platform for knowledge exchange worldwide; in addition, we have a system of global conferences that practically let us reach the whole global aquaculture community. I don´t want to destroy what has already been built, on the contrary I want to build on top of what extremely committed people from all races, creeds, genders and countries have constructed during the last five decades. Over this foundation my proposals to strengthen the society are: WAS must increase its representativity among the aquaculture sector worldwide. Today we only represent 0.017 percent of the people that are working in aquaculture, so our global membership needs to increase considerably The proportionality in WAS should improve. We cannot consider we are a global society while 50 percent of our members come from one country. While Asia hosts 85 percent of the people involved in the sector, at WAS they only represent 25 percent of the membership. The proportionality must improve among the society as well as in the board of directors WAS needs to take a more active role on the promotion of aquaculture and start collaborating with other organisations on the promotion of the activity and its benefits; including the publication of white papers pro-aquaculture Any member that wants to participate on the board of directors should have the right to be included in the ballot. The pre-selection of candidates by the elections committee needs to be eliminated to avoid favoritism and inbreeding We need to improve the quality of our conferences, as well as the services we provide to our members. Those who have had the opportunity to assist to events of other organisations will agree that the opportunity of improvement is huge and that we need to get ourselves busy as soon as possible so we don´t keep falling behind. To some, the ideas expressed above might represent a dramatic change, for others something that is absolutely necessary; regardless, I will always respect the different perspectives and opinions of the members. I don’t want to play the minority card, I think only small-minded people can think that the value of someone is determined by his creed, race, gender, social status or any other kind of preference; the real value of someone comes from their soul, from their willingness to achieve things. No one can tell anyone else how far they can go because of not meeting the requirements of a club. We fix our own limits, so let’s think big. Always adding and multiplying and never subtracting or dividing we will reach our objectives. I hope I can count on your support. Antonio Garza de Yta, Ph.D in Aquaculture from Auburn University, President of Aquaculture Global Consulting, Director World Aquaculture Society and creator of the Certification for Aquaculture Professional (CAP) Program. He is currently Rector, Universidad Tecnológica del Mar de Tamaulipas Bicentenario. 8 | May 2019 - International Aquafeed
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S-based developer of autonomous vessel control systems announced today that it has opened a new advanced technology centre in Boston, US. The workspace, which is dedicated to accelerating product development and accommodating an expanding team, is located adjacent to the company’s headquarters and vessel testing sites in East Boston’s historic shipyard. The fully renovated space offers a collaborative, open working environment; expansive conference and meeting areas; and is near local restaurants, Logan International Airport and Boston’s public transit system. “The new Sea Machines technology centre is exciting as it enables us to collaborate more effectively and develop autonomous marine technology for commercial and government customers,” said Jim Daly, Chief Operating Officer. “The waterfront location and engaging work environment will be attractive to the region’s top talent and aligns with our core values of having fun while developing innovative new products.” Earlier this year, Sea Machines announced the establishment of a new global dealer programme to support the company’s sales across key commercial marine markets. The fast-growing programme includes many strategic partners who are enabled to sell, install, retrofit and service the company’s line of intelligent command and control systems for workboats. The company is also currently developing advanced perception and navigation assistance technology for a range of vessel types, including container ships. The company is currently testing its perception and situational awareness technology aboard one of AP Moller-Maersk’s new-build ice-class container ships.