The establishment of the Aquaculture Department (AQD) of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) was based on the proposal submitted by the Philippine Government for the implementation of an aquaculture project in the Philippines. The proposal was approved by the SEAFDEC Council of Directors during its fourth meeting held in Manila, 18-22 January 1971. The initial implementation of the aquaculture project was entrusted to the Mindanao State University (MSU) following a conference on 5 September 1972 among officials of the Philippine Government, headed by Arturo Tanco, Jr.of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and officials of the Government of Japan led by Ambassador Toshio Urabe. The MSU Board of Regents adopted the development of AQD as a special project and allocated initial funding for its implementation.