Editorial

Abstract

The Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society (AEHMS) has been organizing activities in both freshwater and marine environments since its establishment. The Asia-Pacific region has received considerable attention from the Society as evidenced by several conferences organized in Malaysia, China, Vietnam and The Philippines. These conferences were followed by the publication of special issues of the journal Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management (AEHM), each focusing on various topics which were presented (AEHMS, 2006a,b, 2009, 2012a,b).The decision to hold the ECOSEAS conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, originated from a meeting of a group of colleagues (F. Md. Yusoff, M. Munawar, G. Nagaraj, and N. A. M. Shazili) who envisaged convening conferences which focused on the ecosystem health of the Asia-Pacific seas, namely the South China Sea and surrounding seas including the Pacific Ocean. The first of this series was nicknamed ECOSEAS 1, held in Malaysia to spark interest in aquatic research in the Asia-Pacific region. We were indeed very pleased that the response of the scientists of the region was overwhelming, as evidenced by the scientific program which consisted of 8 keynote, 55 platform and 9 poster presentations. Altogether 29 papers were submitted to the journal, which were subjected to the standard peer review process. Nine articles have been accepted which are included in this issue. A few more are still undergoing peer review and revision.We hope this publication will enhance our knowledge of the Asia-Pacific aquatic ecosystem in combination with the five special issues the AEHMS has already published. I take this opportunity to thank the committee members given below who actively participated in the publication of this issue.This issue also includes four additional articles on Lake Superior based on papers presented at the “Ecology of Lake Superior” conference held in Duluth, Minnesota, organized by the USEPA and the AEHMS in 2010. These articles are part of a series of manuscripts focusing on the Ecology of Lake Superior published earlier in the journal (AEHMS, 2011). We are pleased that the series on Lake Superior is now complete.M. Munawar, Chief EditorAquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society