chile news

After years of developing research on specialty seafood (specifically, the Chilean Abalone known as Los Locos), marine conservation, and sustainable fishing management, Universidad Catolíca Professor Juan Carlos Castilla has been awarded the National Award in Applied Science.

Castilla received his doctorate in science from the University of Wales, and has published over 150 research papers in numerous academic journals, including the Information Science Institute. He has also provided a strong voice in creating important marine management reserves.

Castilla has spent 27 years working in Las Cruces of the Valparaiso region - one of four protected marine reserves. His research has been vital to the development of the Fisheries Act, legislation designed to sustainably manage ocean fish resources.

Despite involvement in the Fisheries Act, Castilla says he would like to see more of his work end up in the hands of those who create laws and public policy. "There's very high quality scientific information available, and the idea is that the state should recognize this and calls upon neutral expert groups in these topics, absorb their knowledge and convert it into important elements of public policy," he said.

He also mentioned the importance of improving scientific flow of knowledge to school children in Chile, in order to push farther ahead into the future.