WESTERN SOCIETY OF MALACOLOGISTS ATTENDS XI MEETING OF ASOCIACIÓN NACIONAL DE MALACOLOGÍA Y CONQUILIOLOGÍA (SMMAC) IN VILLAHERMOSA, TABASCO, MÉXICO

First Vice-President (WSM), Esteban F. Félix Pico, was invited by the President of the SMMAC, Dr. Luis José Rangel Ruiz, to present a Keynote Address and Workshop at the XI Reunión de la Asociación Nacional de Malacología y Conquiliología (24 - 28 August 2009) in Villahermosa, Tabasco, México. The conference was entitled "Malacofauna Asociada a los Manglares" (“The Malacofauna of Mangrove Habitats”), and the workshop was entitled “Biotecnología para Cultivo de Bivalvos” (“Biotechnology of Bivalve Cultivation”). Others special invitees were Dr. Roberto Cipriani (from Venezuela) teaching “Curso Introducción a la Morfometría Geométrica de Moluscos” (“Introduction to the Geometric Morphology of Molluscs”) and “Técnicas para la Redacción de Artículos Científicos” (“Techniques for Scientific Publication”), and MC. Andrés Góngora Gómez (from Sinaloa) teaching “Curso Teórico de Ostricultura: Principios Básicos” (“The Theories of Oyster Cultivation: Basic Principles”). Both also presented magistral conferences.

The meeting involved over 65 participants from 4 countries and at least 12 States of México. It offered a valuable platform for discussions and knowledge exchange between professors, investigators and students from various institutions and organizations. We had representatives from 11 official institutions, with a huge range of ages, experience, background and professional expertise. The hosts of this meeting were the Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Sociedad Mexicana de Malacología A.C. (SMMAC) and the Comisión Nacional para la Biodiversidad (CONABIO), with additional support from the Secretaría de Turismo del Estado de Tabasco. The event had one day of 3 pre-conference workshops, 3 days of conferences, and a one day field trip to view the fauna and flora of local rivers, ranchlands and jungles, and the Mayan archeological ruins of La Palenque. The meeting program included 54 oral conferences and 14 posters, with exhibits of 3 mollusc collections. The sessions were in biology, biodiversity, taxonomy, ecology, archaeology, culture, fisheries – just about any field of activity that can be linked to molluscs. At the end, during the general business meeting, the members of the SMMAC voted to hold their 12^th meeting in La Paz, during June 2011 (with Esteban F. Felix Pico as President) jointly with the 44^th meeting of the WSM. It was also proposed to hold the 2013 meeting at UNAM in México City with Dra. Edna Naranjo as President.

Many of us had travelled considerable distances and made major sacrifices to join and participate in the program, with more enthusiasm than economic support, which was scarce because of the global crisis. After the meeting, members of the WSM had a nice trip throughout Tabasco, yes, Hans and Rosa.

Finally, I acknowledge and thank Dr. Luis Rangel (President), from the Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, and his team of professors, students and administrators who made this an enjoyable and productive meeting.

Esteban Fernando Felix Pico

Please see: http://www.dacbiol.ujat.mx/eventos/2009/malacologia/index.html for further information and announcements of this meeting.