The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) jointly hosted a special session on Better Management Practices (BMPs) at the 3rd INDAQUA 2007, 11-13 January 2007, Chennai, India. The presentations made in the session include i) International principles for responsible shrimp farming; ii) MPEDA-NACA Village demonstration programme, India; Aquaculture rehabilitation and implementation of BMPs in tsunami affected Aceh, Indonesia; and Markets, certification and traceability and small-scale farmers.

In this issue:

Cage aquaculture of tilapia in Lake Taal, Philippines. Development and adoption of BMPs by farmer groups. Lotus - an aquatic plant of versatile qualities. Integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems in Bangladesh: Potential for sustainable livelihoods and nutrititional security of the rural poor. Spreadsheet model of the market chain for the live reef food fish trade. Regional Grouper Hatchery Production Training Course. Replacing marine fish oil in aquafeeds with tropical palm oil products. NACA Newsletter.

This report is the outcome of a study conducted by NACA to assess the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and of the introduction of US anti-dumping duties on the shrimp farming sectors of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, with special focus on the effect that these unusual events had on shrimp prices and stakeholders' livelihoods. The assessment was conducted by collecting data from a wide range of stakeholders involved with shrimp farming.

In this issue:

Peter Edwards writes on rural aquaculture: Recent developments in Chinese inland aquaculture. Reducing feed costs in aquaculture: Is the use of mixed feeding schedules the answer for semi-intensive practices? Seed production technology of ornamental gouramis Colisa fasciata and C. lalia under captive conditions. Marine finfish market information and aquaculture development trends in selected locations in Indonesia and Malaysia. Market analysis of the live reef food fish trade.

This paper provides an overview of seafood consumption production in southeast Asia circa 2006. It forecasts a need for aquaculture to expand area under culture and intensity; highlights the potential for fishmeal to constrain growth, and identifies a trend towards cultivation of high-value species. Sources for the review included a regional synthesis of aquaculture developed for a regional workshop in 2005, a review of marine finfish hatchery development and a regional survey of cage fish culture.