Ranking officials of international donor agencies and institutions supporting and working on aquaculture and related fields in Asia and the Pacific began their three-day meeting in the country yesterday, confident that these areas can be fully harnessed to help boost food security in the region. "Aquaculture is the wave of the future," asserted former Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Q. Montemayor as he set the tone of the top level "Regional Consultation on the Role of Aquaculture and Living Aquatic Resources: Priorities for Support and Networking". In a speech read for him by the government-hosted Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC AQD) chief Dr. Rolando R. Platon, Montemayor stressed: "With our fast dwindling marine resources, aquaculture is now our last resort and hope for increasing our fish production and helping it catch up with our growing population and food demand".

Fernandez, R. A. (2002, December 1). Aquaculture: The wave of the future. The Philippine Star, p. B-5.