It is an honor to be asked to address a distinguished crowd such as this on a subject that I have bonded with since its birth through its maturity. Back in 1995, in Manila, I painted a preview of the Thai tuna industry in the year 2000 through a series of predictions. As I went through these predictions again and brought them up to date, I was impressed by how well the Thai tuna world has turned out. I was tempted to apply a glamorous Hollywood-style name, such as "Comeback Kid", to this presentation but such a name will not do justice to the industry's character. Moreover, the production and sales of Thai tuna do not depend on endorsements by stars or headline-grabbing eccentricity. Therefore, I settled for a more appropriately conservative title with a bit of ethnic flavor. "Surviving the Baht", or more specifically, keeping afloat after the the currency float, is precisely what preoccupied the Thai tuna industry during these past three years. It has been difficult for everyone, to say the least. However, armed with sound business basics, steeled by sheer determination and fuelled by steady practical efforts, the Thai tuna industry maintained its position as the world's top producer of canned tuna and the country's leading exporter of processed food.