This report summaries the proceedings of the 21st meeting of the Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health, held 17-18 November 2022. The role of the group is to review trends in disease and emerging threats in the region, identify developments in global disease issues and standards, to evaluate the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Reporting Program and to provide guidance on regional strategies to improve aquatic animal health management.

The 2023 Shrimp Summit will convene the global seafood value chain to address the critical challlenges of Asia’s shrimp-farming sector, from stagnant production to growers’ livelihoods, with a cross-topic focus on sustainability and climate change. The Summit is presented by The Center for Responsible Seafood (TCRS) and co-hosted by the Global Seafood Alliance. The format of the 2023 Shrimp Summit will allow the industry to develop a common understanding of issues, address key challenges through discussion and work toward consensus and actionable solutions. This in-person and virtual event will feature discussions, relevant content and informative webinars before, during and after the event in the TCRS Online Community. Access to the online community is included with event registration.

In June, China will open its doors to the world through the Global Seafood Fair. With over 50,000 visitors and a strong buyer presence, the fair is an excellent opportunity for businesses to showcase their products. The event will feature over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 10,000 products for buyers to choose from. Attendees can also participate in several industry-focused events, including the Global Shrimp Industry Development Summit Forum, the Overseas Seafood Products Digital Trade Forum, the Tilapia Industry Chain Summit, and the China Aquatic Prepared Dishes Development Summit.

In this issue:

Webinar on fish welfare: What we need to know? Artemia side event at the FAO Sub-Committee on Aquaculture; Handbook for Artemia pond culture in Bangladesh; NACA YouTube channel: @aquacultureasia; Reported aquatic animal diseases in the Asia-Pacific region during the third quarter of 2022; 13th Asia-Pacific Marine Biotechnology Conference, 2-6 October 2023, Australia; Global Seafood Trade Fair, 28-30 June, Guangzhou, China.

Update: The forum will now be held on 13 December and and updated conference agenda is available below. Please register your attendance using the form linked below. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants before the meeting, thank you.

A free online forum will be organised by the Agriculture Trade Promotion Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, and Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, and NACA. The forum aims to strengthen international exchange and cooperation in aquatic trade, promote high-quality development of fisheries, disseminate advanced concepts, technologies, and models of aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region and Silk Road countries, and promote the health and sustainable development of global fisheries. Participation is free but registration is required.

On 28-29 November FAO and NACA collaborated on a virtual workshop to develop a regional strategy for aquatic organism health, using a progressive management pathway for improving aquaculture biosecurity. The workshop was held under the auspices of the project “Responsible use of fisheries and aquaculture resources for sustainable development component 3: Biosecurity and health management”. The workshop involved 31 experts from 16 countries, including national focal points, FAO and NACA. The objectives of the workshop were to: Present and analyse country responses to a self-assessment survey on biosecurity and health management capacity and performance; to provide guuidance to country participants on conducting a SWOT analysis; and to prepare a detailed plan for Phase II of the initiative.

As a follow on from the September FAO/NACA workshop on aquaculture transformation, FAO and NACA convened a high-level meeting to discuss the issue and the outcome of the previous consultation with policy makers. The meeting was held virtually from 22-23 November and was attended by 79 senior officials from 25 countries and international organisations, with observers from industry and international NGOs. Specific objectives of the high-level meeting were to: Engage senior policy makers and business leaders in the process of defining regional targets, action areas and initiatives for aquaculture transformation in the region by 2030, identify strategies and mechanisms to stimulate innovation and investment, and to recommend follow up actions and commitments.

In this issue:

Training Course on Mariculture Technologies in Asia-Pacific; FAO/NACA Virtual Workshop on Aquaculture Transformation in Asia and the Pacific Region; Belt & Road Forum for International Freshwater Fishery Industry Innovation; 8th Global Conference on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries, 21-23 November; Reported Aquatic Animal Diseases in the Asia-Pacific Region during the First Quarter of 2022; International Training Course on Biology and Pathology of the Penaeid Shrimp 2022; Angkasa Putra inaugurated as first President of the South-East Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Student Association; Artemia webinars: Video recordings of technical presentations available.

We are pleased to announce that the FAO Reviews of Aquaculture have been published online at the FAO website, including the six Regional Reviews and a Global Synthesis, which were developed and published in conjunction with the Global Conference on Aquaculture Millennium +20 (GCA+20). The publications are linked below. Video presentations of the reviews, including expert panel discussions and question and answer sessions, are also available from the GCA+20 website.

The 2021 Global Forum on Sustainable Fisheries Development, Fisheries Trade Development Summit and the 4th International Forum on Aquaculture for Silk Road Countries will be held on 27 October during the 25th China International Fisheries Expo. The programme will include lectures on fisheries trade, aquaculture genetics, sustainable shrimp farming systems, response to the COVID pandemic and Atlantic salmon farming, among others. Participation in the event is free, but registration is required.

The GCA +20 was successfully held as a hybrid event from 22-25 September, with physical participation at the venue in Shanghai, China, and international participation via video conference. A total of 1,728 people participated in the event, of which 500 were physically present in Shanghai. A key output from the GCA +20, the Shanghai Declaration is a call to action that highlights the principles and strategic pathways to maximise the contribution of sustainable aquaculture in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, with a special focus on “Leaving no one behind”.

Chinese Customs detected nucleic acid positives of COVID-19 on packaging containing frozen white leg shrimp produced in Ecuador on 3 July. Experts believe that the positive results do not represent infectious virus. However, in order to protect the health of consumers, the General Administration of Customs decided to suspend the registration of the relevant enterprises, suspend the import and export of the products of the relevant enterprises, and take measures such as the return of goods and destruction of goods temporarily detained.

In this issue:

Potential new species in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Sabaki tilapia (Oreochromis spilurus); Role of fish & fisheries in national nutrition of Pakistan; Success story of first fish farmer in India to be awarded ‘Padma Shri’; Insights into the fishing gear and ichthyofauna of major lentic water bodies of Kashmir Valley; NACA Newsletter.

The fisheries sector of Pakistan comprises over 290,000 square kilometres of marine waters and 8.6 million hectares of inland water resources including the world’s largest irrigation system and favourable climatic conditions for aquaculture development. Despite these promising circumstances Pakistan stands thirty-third in world fisheries production. This article considers the true fish production potential of Pakistan and makes a comparison with other regional countries that produce more despite having less water resources, e.g. Bangladesh. Considering the ground reality and gaps in fisheries statistics collection, assessment and reporting, the possibility that fish production and consumption are under reported is explored.

Shrimp 2019 was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 12-14 November at the JW Marriot Hotel, jointly organised by INFOFISH, the Thai Department of Fisheries, NACA and the Thai Shrimp Association. The conference provided a forum for publicising shrimp farming technology, production standards, harvesting, and processing products, as well as related trade and investment. Over 200 participants attended from all regions of the world. The theme of the conference was “Modelling for Sustainability”.

Live mud crab has a high export value and good overseas demand. Over the past fifteen years exports from India have increased, with the introduction of crab fattening practices. Wild-caught seed are held in pens constructed of bamboo screens for several weeks and fed to increase their body weight and hence value. Fattened crabs are onsold to traders exporters, who may air lift them to Singapore and other regional markets for the live restaurant trade.

FAO and NACA have signed an agreement to convene a global conference on aquaculture in 2020. This will be the fourth conference in a series that began at the dawn of the industry in Kyoto, 1976. Aquaculture 2020 will be held late in the year in China. Arrangements, programme and partner details will be announced via the NACA website in due course.

A discussion of harvesting and marketing strategies to improve economic returns in culture-based fisheries.

IDRC and the National University of Singapore (NUS) are offering fellowships for Southeast Asian entrepreneurs, leaders in business, government, and civil society who want to better understand Southeast Asian value chains. The four-day program from 19-22 March 2018 will give participants a useful toolkit of ideas to take full advantage of a connected ASEAN Economic Community. Women leaders and participants from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam are especially encouraged to apply.

In this issue:

Inspiring story of aquaculture in Sikkim - a journey from conservation to farming; farming of scampi and tiger shrimp together - a case study from West Bengal; Labeo pangusia - a candidate for diversification of hill aquaculture; sustainability of an integrated livestock-fish-crop farming system as a small scale enterprise; sustainable coastal aquaculture in India; potential scope and prospects of domestic fish market in Chhattisgarh.