Nutritive value is high in oysters, so that they are said “milk of the sea”. They are the most traditional seafood for the human. These facts led us to assume that they gave birth to thought of aquaculture and thought of marine environmental protection, meaning that they are the extremely important marine creatures. As an international trade object among marine products, oysters are acquiring greater importance. The first International symposium about oysters was held at last in Tokyo on the 13 and 14 th of July, 2005, under the sponsorship of the Foundation of Oyster Research Institute, Sendai, Japan. It is not too much to say that the above symposium held in Tokyo, that is, The 1 st International Oyster Symposium (IOS-1), was indeed a historically memorable event, because the holding of such an international oyster symposium had been a longtime pending problem for persons concerned with world fisheries. This symposium ended successfully, and, in addition, the later reactions from the inside and outside of our country to it are very good. So, I am satisfied with these results as the sponsor very much. The establishment of the World Oyster Society (WOS) was in one of the important matters decided at the General Discussion of IOS-1. WOS takes a role as the host organization for IOS which will be held in future in many parts of the world, meaning that WOS is placed as the upper organization of the local executive committee which will be set up at a holding place for IOS.
The Steering Committee of WOS consists of 12 members including President who are from Canada, France, Australia, China and Japan as of Jan. 1, 2006. I was appointed President. I will make an effort to fix IOS worldwide as President of WOS.
The vision, mission and objectives, annual dues, steering committee and proceedings are as described later. All of the WOS members are freed from annual dues for the purpose of maintaining a secretariat (The Foundation of Oyster Research Institute, Sendai, Japan) and paying for communications by E-mail. I want that anyone who approves of the vision, mission and objectives will apply for a membership. The secretariat established the exclusive homepage of WOS. By using this homepage together with E-mail, I would like to invite a membership.
(February, 2006)