Symposium: BIOLOGY AND CULTURE OF SILVERSIDES (PEJERREYES)

GUSTAVO M. SOMOZA; ALFREDO CASTRO-VÁZQUEZ

Biocell

Biocell

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2006 vol. 30 p. 67 - 67

0326-3142

During two hot days on December 2004, around 120 scientists and technicians from 9 countries gathered in Chascomús, a small city located 120 km south of Buenos Aires in Argentina. The original idea of this meeting was to present studies on the biology and culture of the pejerrey Odontesthes bonariensis (Atherinopsidae). However, due to the interest from people of Latin American countries other than Argentina, the Symposium encompassed studies on other atherinopsid species as well. The papers that follow were presented at this Symposium and then reviewed by external referees.The genus Odontesthes (pejerrey) groups a number of marine, brackish and freshwater species with high economic, social and sportive importance. However, although significant advances have been published on its ecology,biology, population biology, etc, its culture has not been well developed in Argentina. Due to this interest, the Ministry of Agricultural Affairs of Buenos Aires Province organized in 1998 the first meeting devoted to pejerreyat the IIB-INTECH in Chascomús. This meeting was the fundamental importance for gathering scientists, technicians and local farmers interested in the biology and culture of this species.This idea was then taken up by a group of scientists from IIB-INTECH who organized this Symposium six years later.The meeting was supported by the National Research Council of Argentina (CONICET), the National Agencyof Science of Technology (ANPCyT) and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and could be possible because of the enthusiastic effort of Dr. Leandro Miranda, Dr. Darío Collauti, Dr. Claudio Baigún and Lic. Gustavo Berasain (Ministry of Agricultural Affairs). Is also important to mention the help of the IIB-INTECH authorities, Dr. Alberto Carlos Frasch and Manuel Marina without whom the symposium could not have been possible.In addition, we would like to thank the following people for contributing their time and effort: Amalia María Miquelarena (ILPLA-CONICET), Víctor Cussac (Universidad del Comahue), Jorge Calvo (CADIC-CONICET), Enrique Rodríguez (Universidad de Buenos Aires), Miguel Pascual (CENPATCONICET), Rolando Quirós (Universidad de Buenos Aires), Guillermo Ortí (University of Nebraska, USA),Pablo Vigliano (Universidad del Comahue), Denise Viziano (Universidad de la República, Uruguay), Elizabeth Urbinati (UNESP, Brasil), Konrad Dabrowski (Ohio State University, USA), Hugo López (Universidad Nacional de La Plata), Alberto Espinach Ros (INIDEP) and Carlos Libertun (IBYME-CONICET).We are looking forward to the next symposium, hoping that it will show substantial advances in the culture of atherinopsid species.