Three SEAFDEC Training Department (SEAFDEC/TD) staff namely, Dr. Koki Abe, the senior expert, Ms. Saruttaya Jaroonpongsawat, and Mr. Santiphong Putsa, a fishing gear technologist participated in the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science (JSFS) Spring Meeting 2024 from 27 to 30 March 2024 at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT), Tokyo, Japan. At this conference, Dr. Abe presented “SEAFDEC における音響調査能力向上の取り組み” (Efforts to Improve Acoustic Survey Capabilities at SEAFDEC) in the Japanese session. The context involved with the activities of SEAFDEC on Quantitative Echosounder (EK80) including the technical issues found during the survey on M.V. SEAFDEC 2 mission. For the international session under the subject of “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Fisheries Sciences”, Ms. Saruttaya presented the SEAFDEC activity related to the hydroacoustic survey under the title “SEAFDEC activities on usage and development of hydroacoustic research implementation in Southeast Asian waters”, associated with SDG no. 14 “Life below water”. The ability and experience of SEAFDEC in hydroacoustic surveys using EK80 were exchanged in the forum.
On this occasion, SEAFDEC’s staff gained an opportunity to visit the Fisheries Engineering Division of Fisheries Technology Institute at Kamisu Field Station on 26 March 2024 where installed the large acoustic experiment tank for supporting hydroacoustic research. The visit provided an experience to encounter high technology instruments, laboratories, and facilities for hydroacoustic research that contributed to understanding and further SEAFDEC works related to these fields.