Policy and Planning for Chapter Management
The North and South American Chapter will support the vision, mission and objectives of the World Oyster Society. Given the geographic expanse of this chapter, it is critical for this chapter to get a sense of members’ priorities, interests and aspirations, and cater programming accordingly. The priority for the North and South American Chapter over the next two years is to poll its membership and set priorities and programmatic goals for the next five years.
Several species of oysters are cultured in North and South American countries, with Crassostrea virginica and C. gigas being the dominant species. However, other species (e.g. Ostrea lurida , C. sikamea , O. chilensis , Saccostrea glomerata ) are also cultivated in smaller numbers. There is potential for lessons learned in selective breeding, optimization of growth parameters, disease resistance and the application of these concepts to other oyster species to support economic and ecological needs.
The North and South American Chapter will explore ways to increase its membership, including partnering with the National Shellfisheries Association in North America to develop targeted workshops and conferences to address specific regional needs, especially those of the aquaculture industry. We hope to accomplish this by bringing together scientists, aquaculture industry experts, government agencies and resource managers to find practical solutions. The chapter will also explore the need for regional heads for better representation of regional needs.
The North and South American Chapter hopes to host either the IOS 9 th or IOS 10 th conference. The chapter will also explore ways to manage the chapter’s website to include information about other workshops and job postings, and to house various technical reports and other helpful information.
Director
Prof. Aswani K. VOLETY
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Biology,
Elon University, N.C., USA
Contact
Email: avolety@elon.edu
Ph: (336) 278-6647
