News--Welcome to National Chiayi University

　　Held by the Department of Aquatic Biosciences, National Chiayi University, the unveiling ceremony of the Aquaculture Research Center and Intelligent Aquaculture Training Center took place on the Lantan campus on the morning of May 15th. Honored guests invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Jan-Yow Chen, Chief of the Aquaculture Fisheries Division, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan; Chin-I Chang, Director of the Fisheries Research Institute; Lee Chien-lin, Deputy Director of the Agriculture Department, Chiayi County Government; Tz-Cheng Lo, Deputy Director of the Economic Affairs Department, Chiayi City Government; Li Yong-Hong, Executive Supervisor of the Aquaculture Development Association; and Hung Shuo Chen, CEO of the Chiayi County Aquaculture and Fisheries Production Area Development Association.

　　The Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan region is one of the hubs of agriculture and fishery in Taiwan. Located in the heart of the region, NCYU has been actively involved in the development and research of smart technologies in agriculture and fisheries in recent years. The aim is to help solve the aging problem in rural communities by encouraging young people to return to rural areas. With a funding of over NT$7 million from the Aquaculture Fisheries Division, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, the NCYU Department of Aquatic Biosciences has set up the Intelligent Aquaculture Training Center on the Lantan campus. The center features a variety of intelligent aquaculture facilities, including water quality monitoring systems, automatic feeding machines, and intelligent control boxes. In the future, through demonstration modules and wide-ranging aquaculture management training courses, the center will provide aquaculture farmers with a learning and reference platform for utilizing intelligent aquaculture facilities. By cultivating professionals in intelligent aquaculture, they hope to fulfill the social responsibilities as a university.

　　According to NCYU President Han Chien Lin, the Aquaculture Research Center consists of an interdisciplinary team of teachers from the Department of Aquatic Biosciences and Smart Agriculture Command Center System. With their professional expertise and knowledge, they can contribute to the development of the aquaculture industry in the Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan region. This includes promoting and supporting the establishment of traceability systems for the aquatic products, surveying the aquatic products industry, establishing scientific management technologies for clam farming environments, conducting oyster farming and related ecological surveys, etc. He thanked the Aquaculture Fisheries Division for its support and recognition, as it offers NCYU with an opportunity to integrate theory and practice, promote it to the industry, and help farmers improve their aquaculture techniques.

　　Shu-Mei Chen, Chairperson of the Department of Aquatic Biosciences, indicated that the aging of labor force in the aquaculture industry has led to a gap of passing down knowledge and experiences in aquaculture. Young people returning to their hometowns to engage in the aquaculture industry find it difficult to learn from past experiences in a short period of time. The Intelligent Aquaculture Training Center provides aquaculture farmers with an efficient, reliable learning platform. In addition, the establishment of models for collecting data from intelligent aquaculture facilities allows aquaculture farmers to save time and simplify daily management procedures through mobile electronic devices, and manage aquaculture in a digital way.

　　Apart from the intelligent aquaculture system, the Intelligent Aquaculture Center will begin offering a diversity of aquaculture training courses at the end of May. For example: the analysis of intelligent aquaculture data, aquaculture management operations, seed conservation and cultivation of algae commonly used in aquaculture, and the use and preparation of probiotics. The aim is to assist Taiwan’s aquaculture farmers in acquiring new knowledge, and in enhancing technology and quality of aquaculture. All interested are welcome to the website of the NCYU Department of Aquatic Biosciences for more information: https://ncyuweb.ncyu.edu.tw/aquabio/.