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 (see article in previous issue), 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.