By Dr. Kevin Erickson, MASNA President

On behalf of the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America (MASNA), this year’s MACNA planning committee, and our many sponsors and supporters, welcome to MACNA 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Reunited after two years of virtual programs, MACNA 2022 Gathering and Growing will bring our community back together for an in-person MACNA. As has come to be expected, MACNA enables our community to gather the greatest educators, businesses, leaders, cultivators, and pioneers to continue to share their advancements and educate one another.

As you will hear from our Keynote speaker, Dr. Judy St. Leger, growing our industry in a sustainable manner has never been more important. As Judy states in her keynote summary “It’s time to go from ‘we can do it’ to ‘we are doing it’.” You, our MACNA attendees, the passionate ones with a tank in the smallest of corners, are the entrepreneurs, thought-leaders, and boundary pushers, that will advance the future of marine ornamental aquaculture. We know how to do it, so now is the time to move forward and grow. Encourage your local club members to grow and share frags. Support each other in growing live feeds and assist them when they struggle.

Look to our 2020, 2021, and 2022 MASNA Aquarist of the Year award recipients for inspiration. Each have been recognized for their amazing advances in growing our industry in the sustainable manner.

Our 2020 Aquarist of the Year, Tal Sweet, was recognized for his years promoting marine ornamental aquaculture and fostering diversity and inclusion within the aquarium community.

Our 2021 Aquarist of the Year, Kathy Leahy, was recognized for her friendship, her mentoring, the sharing of her knowledge, and for inspiring countless marine aquarists in the art of breeding marine fish.

And most recently, our 2022 Aquarist of the Year, Alyssa Gabriel, for her development of a sustainable model to mass produce aquacultured Syngnathids for the US domestic market.

Additionally, our MASNA Award Recipients from 2020, 2021, and 2022 laid the groundwork in our industry to allow us to stand and grow on their shoulders.

Alf Jacob Nilsen was recognized in 2020 for his foundational role in developing, documenting, and communicating processes and advancements in the marine aquarium industry. In his own words: “My involvement and work with the marine aquarium (coral reef aquarium) is a part of my interest for biology. My first visit to a coral reef came in 1980 and was a huge motivation for future work both with coral reef biology in general as well as with techniques and biology of the coral reef aquarium.”

In 2021, we honored Svein A. Fosså for his foundational publications, his lifelong involvementpromoting the marine aquarium hobby, and his tireless scientific and logical defense of the aquarium hobby and trade on the global stage through his work with Ornamental Fish International and CITES. Together with Alf Jacob Nilsen (2020 MASNA Award Recipient), Svein has published the epic book series titled The Coral Reef Aquarium (in English, Swedish, and German).

In 2022, we continue to recognize those who help us grow by recognizing Michael Paletta who over the past 40 years has written more than 350 articles for magazines and has published two books, The New Marine Aquarium and Ultimate Marine Aquariums. He has enjoyed giving over 300 presentations at marine aquarium societies, national conferences, and Zoom calls across the world,  whilst appearing on radio shows and American Reef (YouTube) videos.

As you gather and grow at MACNA 2022, take a moment to reflect about how you have grown during your journey as an aquarium hobbyist or professional. How have you helped others grow by gathering together and teaching a new skill or technique to others? How can you continue to grow in a sustainable way in the future and encourage others to do so? I encourage you all to share these moments and realizations with the MACNA community, whether through the MACNA 2022 app, through social media with the hashtag #MACNA2022, privately through email, through our post-MACNA survey, or with us in-person.

On a personal note, I would like to thank the MACNA community for their support over the past 3 years. Your attendance to our online programs and to the Aquatic Expo in April 2022 allowed us to make it to MACNA 2022. After 12 years total with MASNA, of which the past 7.5 years was as President, this will be my last term as President. I call upon our attendees to give back to our community and volunteer with MASNA. Without our board and volunteers none of this would be possible. If you are interested, please contact BOD@MASNA.org.

Thank you for gathering and growing with me over the years. Once again, welcome to MACNA 2022, and I hope you all have an excellent time!