The World Oyster Society (WOS) was formally established at the General Discussion of the 1st International Oyster Symposium (IOS1) held in Tokyo that was organized by the Foundation of Oyster Research Institute, Japan (ORI).
Dr. Katsuyoshi Mori (President and Board Chairman of ORI) was appointed as the first President of the WOS. The 12 researchers including speakers of IOS1 were selected as the initial Members of the Steering Committee.
August,2005
This vision, the mission and the objectives of WOS were drafted by Dr. René E. Lavoie ( Scientist Emeritus, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada), one of the Members of the Steering Committee.
February, 2006
The WOS launched its website and at the same time, we began to recruit members from all over the world.
November, 2007
The 2nd International Oyster Symposium (IOS2) was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, under the theme of “Sustainability of Oyster Culture and Human Health”, which was organized jointly by Zhejian University, China.
November, 2009
The 3rd International Oyster Symposium (IOS3) was held in Taipei, Taiwan, under the theme of “Recent Advances, Potentials, Challenges and Problems in Oyster Industry”, which was organized jointly by Fisheries Research Institute Council of Agriculture, National Taiwan Ocean University and Food & Fertilizer Technology Center for the Asian and Pacific Region.
September, 2011
The 4th International Oyster Symposium (IOS4) was held in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, under the theme of “Embracing the Future through Innovation”, which was organized jointly by Oysters Tasmania and NSW Industry and Investment, Australia.
The IOS4 was run in conjunction with shellfish futures 2011, the annual Tasmanian oyster industry conference.
January,2013
Dr. Katsuyoshi Mori, the WOS President, expressed his own view to all the members of the Steering Committee in December, 2012. After careful consideration, the introduction of 5 chapters and the Chapter Directors were formally approved.
December, 2013
The 5th International Oyster Symposium (IOS5) was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, under the theme of “Positioning for Profit”.
This symposium was organized jointly with Asian Pacific Aquaculture 2013 (APA13) run by the Asian Pacific Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society (APC-WAS).
October, 2015
The 6th International Oyster Symposium (IOS6) was held in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, under the theme of “Let the sea live. Let us live with the sea”.
The IOS6 offered a new type of symposium at which conventional activities were fused with culture and entertainment.
September, 2017
The 7th International Oyster Symposium (IOS7) was held in Bangor University, Wales, UK, under the theme of “Sustainable expansion of global oyster production”. Dr. Keisuke Takahashi,the WOS Steering Committee member was approved as the vice-president of the WOS.
November, 2019
The 8th International Oyster Symposium (IOS8) was held in Qingdao and Rushan, Shandong Province, China, jointly with the Ocean University of China., under the theme of “Sustainable development of oyster production on a global scale”.
April, 2020
Secretariat moved from the Oyster Research Institute, Japan to the Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Japan.
July, 2022
Dr. Aswani K. Volety, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, United States took office as President of the World Oyster Society on July 1, 2022.
Dr. Katsuyoshi Mori, Founder and the first President stays on as Honorary President after stepping aside from the President’s role.