In recent years, the idea of sustainable use of the environment and resources has drawn more and more attention. According to <The state of world fisheries and aquaculture-towards blue transformation> (published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2022), the global aquaculture production has reached 122.6 million tons in 2020, of which animal products accounted for 87.5 million tons (~ 264.8 billion US dollars in value) and algae products accounted for 35.1 million tons (~16.5 billion USD in value). Compared with 156.3 billion USD in 2015, the total market value of products has increased by about 1.7 times to 281.3 billion USD. The global need for aquatic animals in aquaculture accounted for about 49.2% of the total market.

To grow our competence in international collaborations and expand our participation in the global community, National Chiayi University continues to promote international industry-academia communication and collaboration, and as a result, revitalizes our teaching and research. Holding international conferences provides the opportunities to share resources, talents, and markets among different countries, expand the scale of research work, and allow to use global resources more effectively.

The United States is an essential member of the United Nations. Since the United Nations announced the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, relevant agencies and government departments in the US have focused on promoting sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, and its products; and promoting related scientific research, policy, and management. In addition to the efforts within the US, the US has made extensive contributions to global aquatic products and its related industries, ranging from technology, feed, and equipment to investment.

Japan is rich in natural resources, including copious aquatic products, such as sea urchins, black tuna, abalone, mackerel, etc. The long coastline is rich in marine resources, which makes Japan the most important aquatic product producer in the world. In addition, the Japanese Archipelago locates in the Pacific Ocean in eastern Asia, narrow from east to west but across a wide range from north to south, covering subarctic and subtropical zones. Its climate is very suitable for fishery development allowing the country's aquaculture-related industries to reach a considerable scale.

Nevertheless, in recent years, the development of the aquaculture industry in various countries has encountered bottlenecks: the inability to bring in innovative technologies, the problem of epidemic diseases, and the lack of human resources and the concept of sustainable management on effective reuse of resources and R&D with environment-friendly approaches. International conferences and transnational communication and collaboration on technologies will provide opportunities to advance the development of aquaculture technology in the world, promote the participation of Taiwanese talents in the global community and strengthen the friendship between Taiwan and other countries. The College of Life Sciences, National Chiayi University has cultivated international cooperative relationships for years and has achieved fruitfully in education and R&D. To further our achievement, we plan to hold the “International Conference on Advanced Technologies in Aquaculture and Value-adding Applications” and invite researchers from the United States and Japan to participate. With Taiwan's advantages and influence in the fields of aquaculture technology, this conference will promote innovations and breakthroughs, and at the same time, cultivate outstanding teaching and research talents with an international perspective.

近年來環境與資源永續利用的觀念越來越受到重視，根據聯合國糧食及農業組織 (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO) 2022年出版的 “The state of world fisheries and aquaculture - towards blue transformation”中指出：在2020年全球水產養殖產量達122.6百萬噸，其中動物佔87.5百萬噸，產值約2648億美金，藻類部分佔35.1百萬噸，產值約165億，與2015年全球養殖水產品的市場總值1,563億美元相比，成長約1.7倍，擴大至2,813億美元。全球對水產養殖中水生動物需求的市場約佔了約49.2%。

國立嘉義大學為與世界接軌，持續推動國際產學合作，除增加國際合作的量能外，更為教學研究注入新的活力。因此，藉由國際研討會的舉辦可與不同國家共享資源、人才與市場，擴大研究規模，讓資源更有效利用。

美國爲聯合國主要會員，自2015年聯合國宣布永續發展目標(Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs)後，相關機構及政府部門皆以推動永續漁業及水產養殖及產品為重點，推動相關科學研究，政策及管理。除了在境內推動永續水產，在全球水產及相關產業，從科技、飼料、儀器設備到投資，皆做出重要的貢獻。

日本境內天然資源豐富，盛產水產品，亦擁有海膽、黑鮪魚、鮑魚、鰆魚等天然水產養殖資源，海岸線相當長，海洋資源豐富，因此是全球最重要水產品生產地。此外，日本列島地處亞洲東部太平洋中，東西狹長，跨越亞寒帶和亞熱帶，氣候非常適合漁業發展，迄今水產養殖產業相關產業已具有相當規模。

然而，近年世界各國水產養殖產業發展也遇到一些瓶頸，例如人力資源的不足、無法導入創新技術、疫病問題以及欠缺環境友善及資源有效再利用與研發之永續經營的概念，此時國際會議的舉辦及跨國的技術交流與合作，都有機會提升世界的水產養殖技術發展，並促進臺灣人才的移動，以提升國際關係。本校生命科學院長年耕耘國際合作關係，無論教育或是科學與技術研發均已有豐碩成果，因此本院計畫舉辦水產智慧養殖及加值應用國際研討會，邀請美國及日本相關研究學者一同參加，並以臺灣相關水產養殖科技領域的優勢及影響力，促進創新突破並同時培育具有國際視野之優秀教學與研究人才，此為本計畫之緣起。

National Chiayi University is one of the universities that have successfully led higher education in Taiwan into internationalization. We have been communicating and working with top universities around the world, actively participating in international affairs, expanding the recruitment of international students, and cultivating outstanding international talents. "Internationalization" is an essential educational policy of the school. Under the leadership of the school's President, Professor Han-Chien Lin, we have established partnerships with many universities in various countries and invited international scholars to visit Taiwan.

Due to the global warming effect and the depletion of natural resources, the United Nations has announced the SDGs. Consequently, the production methods favoring clean energy have become the main promoting focus in various countries. The application of smart technologies in the management of aquaculture and related processing industries can effectively improve the efficiency of production and manufacturing models, corresponding to the goals of green energy or carbon reduction. Furthermore, problems such as depletion of marine resources and environmental pollution have caused domestic fishermen to increase their stocking density to obtain the maximum output per unit of water volume and time. Various factors are involved in maintaining of stable/healthy aquaculture environment, and improper management can easily lead to increased risks in the breeding process and outbreaks of diseases. In the process of aquaculture, in addition to the need for feeding and the survival of stocking organisms, changes in the physical environment (including light, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.) affect changes in the overall environment in the aquaculture pond. Smart technologies in aquaculture help monitor parameters involved in feeding and environment control more accurately and can make adjustments accordingly in a timely manner. Topics on environment protection and aquatic product safety have gradually gained public interest, and the aquaculture industry will face more severe scrutiny in the future. Therefore, smart aquaculture should be the shared goal between industry and academia for the future; and the best way to enhance the competitiveness of the industry.

The purposes of this conference are:

1. To facilitate the establishment of interdisciplinary and transnational research and discussion platforms;

2. To establish the academic status of our school in smart aquaculture and value-adding applications;

3. To encourage teachers from National Chiayi University and scholars from other institutes to work together on research projects and publishing papers;

4. To facilitate the formation of a communication platform among National Chiayi University, domestic and foreign industry, government, and other academic institutes on smart aquaculture and value-adding applications.

國立嘉義大學與全球各地頂尖學校交流合作，積極參與國際事務，擴大招收國際學生，培育專業傑出的國際化人才，優異的產學成果深獲國際肯定，多次接待海外重要貴賓蒞校參訪，成功為臺灣高等教育國際化領航。「國際化」為本校重要教育方針，在本校林翰謙校長的帶領下，與多國締結姊妹校、邀請國際學者來臺演講。

近年來由於全球溫室效應及全球自然資源的枯竭，聯合國宣布永續發展目標。因此使用乾淨能源的生產生方式為各國重點推動項目。利用智能管理於水產養殖及相關加工產業可有效的提升生產及製成模式的效率，因應綠色能源或減碳的目的。因海洋資源枯竭及環境污染等問題，國內養殖漁民為求單位水體及時間內產出最大產量，經常以高密度養殖方式放養與經營。由於引起養殖環境變化的因素相當多元，若在養殖過程中管理不當，容易導致養殖過程風險增加、疫病爆發等問題。水產養殖過程中，除了達到餵食及生存需求外，物理環境的變動也牽動著養殖池內整體環境的改變，這些外界環境的變化包含光照、水溫、酸鹼值、溶氧等。而智能養殖則可以較精準的監控餵食及環境等參數並適時調整。國內逐漸重視環境保護及水產品安全議題，未來水產養殖產業將面臨更嚴峻之檢驗，因此水產智慧養殖應是未來產學共同目標，也是提升產業競爭力的不二法則。

因此本研討會目標為:

1. 促成跨領域及跨國研究研討平台。

2. 樹立我校在水產智慧養殖及加值應用的學術地位。

3. 鼓勵嘉義大學教授與與會學者共同規畫研究議題與發表論文。

4. 促成嘉義大學與國內外產官學單位在水產智慧養殖及加值應用議題之交流平台。