Located in the Southern region of Brazil, the city of Florianópolis is the capital of the state of Santa Catarina and is hosting the 17th edition of ICHA. It will be the first time that the event is held in Latin America.

“In 2012, in South Korea, we suggested that Brazil could host the event. The idea was supported by Brazilian and South-American researchers. Rio de Janeiro was also considered, but Florianópolis was chosen for being a pleasant, medium-sized city with good infrastructure and easily accessed by plane,” says the chairman of the event, Luis Proença.

In addition to these advantages, Florianópolis is also the main Brazilian producer of cultured clams, such as oysters, mussels and scallops. It is also the second producer of clams in Latin America. The state of Santa Catarina accounts for more than 90% of the national clam production– in 2013, 19.082 tons were produced. The activity involves about 600 producers organized into 20 city associations, one state association, one state cooperative and two federations distributed in 12 coastal cities.