IFS 2026 Key Thematic Areas
Fisheries Resource, Biodiversity, and Ecosystems Health (FISHECO)
- Stock assessment and population dynamics
- Biodiversity and aquatic ecology
- Inland, coastal and marine fisheries
- Habitat mapping and ecosystem indicators
- Endemic, invasive, and threatened species
- Ecosystem-based fisheries management
Aquaculture Innovation and Technology (AQUATECH)
- Hatchery and seed production
- Nutrition, feeds, and alternative ingredients
- Genetics and selective breeding
- Recirculating systems and smart aquaculture
- Disease prevention and biosecurity
- Seaweed and algal culture and biology
Fisheries Post-Harvest and Technology (FISHPOST)
- Post-harvest handling and quality management
- Innovations and value-addition in fishery products
- Food safety and risk management
- Packaging and smart technologies
- Market, trade, and value chain development
- Climate-resilient post-harvest systems
- Circular economy approaches in fisheries post-harvest systems
Fisheries Governance and Policy (FISHGOV)
- Transboundary fisheries management
- IUU fishing and compliance systems
- Fisheries law and governance
- Fisheries economics
- Co-management and institutional innovations
Fisheries Resilience (FISHRES)
- Climate change impacts and risk reduction
- Extreme events and adaptive systems
- Food Security, nutrition and food systems
- Social Equity, small-scale fisheries, community empowerment
- Nature-based solutions
- Gender and youth in fisheries
- Indigenous and local knowledge systems
Emerging Methods, Data Science, and Digital Transformation (EMERGE)
- eDNA and molecular tools
- GIS, remote sensing, and habitat modeling
- AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics
- Big data for fisheries governance
- IoT sensors and smart farms
- Decision-support systems
Special Sessions
Our partners and collaborators will be organizing special sessions that will surely capture your interests. Stay tuned!
Meet our Speakers
IFS 2026 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
HON. FRANCISCO P. TIU LAUREL, JR.
Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Philippines
Hon. Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. is the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines, a position he assumed on November 3, 2023. Before entering public service, he built a career spanning more than three decades in business, with extensive experience in fisheries, food processing, cold storage, marine services, real estate, and energy.
He previously held leadership positions in various fisheries and industry organizations, including the World Tuna Purse Seine Organization. His experience has given him a strong background in fisheries and the broader food production industry. As Secretary of Agriculture, he leads efforts to modernize Philippine agriculture and fisheries, strengthen food security, and improve the livelihoods of farmers and fisherfolk.
IFS 2026 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
PATRICK SORGELOOS
Emeritus Professor
Ghent University, Belgium
Patrick Sorgeloos has a PhD in marine biology and set up the Artemia Reference Center at Ghent University in Belgium in 1978. He has been involved in brine shrimp Artemia projects and fish/shellfish hatchery developments in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia. Until his retirement as emeritus professor in 2013 over 350 Master from more than 50 countries and 70 PhD alumni from more than 20 countries graduated at Ghent University in the field of aquaculture. As Past-President of the World Aquaculture Society, and co-founder and board member of the European Aquaculture Technology & Innovation Platform, Patrick is a strong promoter of international networking in aquaculture and is still involved with many international aquaculture organizations. He was co-founder of the Ghent University spin-off company Artemia Systems that is now operating under the name of INVE Aquaculture. He received honorary awards in Belgium, China, Egypt, Greece, India, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand, USA, and Vietnam.
IFS 2026 PLENARY SPEAKER
LAURA T. DAVID
UP Marine Science Institute
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Dr. Laura T. David is a Professor and former Director of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI), specializing in physical oceanography, coastal ecosystems, and marine remote sensing. She holds a Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from the University of South Carolina, USA. A pioneer in ocean remote sensing in the Philippines, her research focuses on the application of remote sensing and numerical modeling to understand ocean processes, coastal environments, and the effects of climate change. She has contributed to research on coastal vulnerability, climate change adaptation, and marine resource management. She has also served as Chair of the Commission on Higher Education’s Technical Committee on Marine Science and as a member of the National Panel of Technical Experts of the Climate Change Commission. Through her research, teaching, and science communication, she contributes to advancing marine science and promoting science-based approaches to coastal management.
IFS 2026 PLENARY SPEAKER
ROSALIE ARCALA HALL
Professor, University of the Philippines Visayas
Executive Director of the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS)
Dr. Rosalie Arcala Hall is Professor of Political Science and Scientist III at the University of the Philippines Visayas. She is the Executive Director of the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS). She earned her Masters and PhD from Northeastern University. As Executive Director of the UP CIDS, she oversees sixteen (16) policy research programs with 30 projects carried out by faculty members and REPS in seven (7) UP constituent universities, and manages external partnership activities, including those with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS)-Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs-Foreign Service Institute and Armed Forces of the Philippines. She was Project Manager and Principal Investigator on Deep Blue Politics: Maritime Security and the Blue Economy in the West Philippine Sea (KAS Philippines, 2023) and Project Implementor of the GEDSI situation analysis of IUU Fishing in the Philippines (The Asia Foundation-Waypoints Project, 2024). Dr. Hall currently leads the following projects: Department of Economic Planning and Development (DepDev) Region VI on Sustainable Development Goals Region 6 Catch-Up Plan (March-December 2026); and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Regulatory Impact Assessment Research and Consultancy Project (July 2026 to June 2027).
IFS 2026 PLENARY SPEAKER
HAN-CHING WANG
Professor, National Cheng Kung University
Director of the International Center for the Scientific Development of Shrimp Aquaculture (ICSDSA), Taiwan
Dr. Han-Ching Wang is a Distinguished Professor at National Cheng Kung University and Director of the International Center for the Scientific Development of Shrimp Aquaculture (ICSDSA), Taiwan. She serves as a WOAH Reference Laboratory Expert for White Spot Disease (WSD) and Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND) and has been invited to serve on WOAH ad hoc groups on crustacean diseases. Her research focuses on host–pathogen interactions, disease prevention, SPF Penaeus monodon breeding, and climate resilience. She has authored or co-authored approximately 110 SCI-indexed publications and leads international collaborations bridging fundamental research, technological innovation, and industry applications.
IFS 2026 PLENARY SPEAKER
YEONG YIK SUNG
Director of the Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Prof. Dr. Yeong Yik Sung is the Director of the Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), a Higher Institutional Center of Excellence (HICoE) at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. His research focuses on aquaculture biotechnology, shrimp immunology, live food production, and heat shock protein (HSP) expression and protection in aquatic organisms. He has published nearly 200 high-impact peer-reviewed papers, supervised 30 postgraduate students, and secured major national and international grants. He also serves as Chair of the International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium (IAAC), Secretary of ASEAN-FEN, Board Director of the World Aquaculture Society–Asia-Pacific Chapter, and an Editorial Board member for OLAR and Frontiers. He has held visiting professorships at Ocean University of China, Tianjin Agriculture University, and Universitas Airlangga, and was awarded the Royal Decoration of Officer in the Order of the Crown by the King of Belgium in 2024.
IFS 2026 PLENARY SPEAKER
LEILA BASTI
President-Elect, World Aquaculture Society – Asian Pacific Chapter
Dr. Leila Basti is a Laureate Engineer in Agronomy, specializing in Marine Environment and Aquatic Resources, from the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT). She earned her Master’s and Doctorate in Marine Science from the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT), Japan, as a Japanese Government MEXT Scholar. From 2015 to 2020, she served as an Assistant Professor in Ocean Science at TUMSAT, becoming the first Arab and African woman to hold such an academic position in Japan. Her research focuses on aquaculture, fisheries, and marine environmental interactions, particularly in relation to human activities and climate change. She has led international projects on sustainable aquatic food production across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, published numerous peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, and presented at over 60 international events. She also serves as an expert and scientific adviser to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UNESCO and has contributed to reviewing publications of the IPCC and IPBES. Dr. Basti has held leadership roles in the World Aquaculture Society – Asian Pacific Chapter (WAS-APC), including International Program Chair for World Aquaculture Singapore 2022 and Director from 2024 to 2026. She currently serves as President-Elect of WAS-APC.
Our SDG Anchors
International Fisheries Symposium 2026
IFS 2026 is made possible through partnerships with the following sponsors:
