Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) has signed a Cooperation Agreement with the Universidad Tecnológica Del Mar De Tamaulipas Bicentenario (UTMarT) based at La Pesca, Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas, México.

The UTMarT currently offers Technical, Bachelor and Graduate programs in aquaculture and is building a new centre in Tampico. The target of this agreement is to jointly develop food security and personnel training in the International Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer for Aquaculture (CIITTA), which will be AwF’s first Aquaculture Learning Centre (ALC).

Executive Director, AwF, Roy Palmer, visiting Tampico during his Mexican business trip said, “AwF is very keen to build a strong relationship with UTMarT and be involved in capacity building, engaging in projects and working with students and establishing a firm base within Mexico. There are 130 million people in Mexico, and of those approximately 30-35 million people are considered to be in extreme poverty. We hope to make a difference in assisting with the growth of aquaculture to assist the alleviation of both poverty and hunger and we see this new partnership as a major step in this direction.”

Chancellor of UTMarT, Dr. Guadalupe Acosta Villarreal, said, “This agreement will bring many benefits to the UTMarT and its students in the long term. We anticipate short interchange programs, visiting professors, joint research and projects, participation in international training programs and exchange of experience between different members and specialists of AwF around the world. This agreement fulfills the university’s goals of social awareness and extension which are part of its mission.“

At the special event in Tampico, the State Ministry of Education was represented by Dr. Diódoro Guerra Rodríguez, and special witnesses for the agreements included Juan Báez Rodríguez representing the Farmer Unions of Tamaulipas, the Mayor Elect of Soto La Marina, Tamaulipas municipality where the UTMarT is located and Jorge Velez, De Camaron Tambien. CONAPESCA; representatives of the state ministries of education and health were present as well.

At the end of the event, which was attended by approximately one hundred people, Roy Palmer gave a presentation about the programs managed by AwF to the signees, UTMarT students and media. From the comments made by the audience, the potential of the agreement will be extremely motivating for future development for Mexico, the state, the university and the industry, all of whom highlighted commitment. The group then toured the new site for the CIITTA/AwF ALC.

Roy Palmer, Executive Director, AwF and Dr. Guadalupe Acosta Villarreal, Chancellor of UTMarT with the Cooperation Agreement document