Governance and Policy

The 30th Governing Council was held in Guangzhou, China, 26-27 March. 74 participants attended the Governing Council Meeting representing fifteen member governments, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia attending as an observer. The host Government, China, was elected as Chair of the 30th Governing Council. Hong Kong SAR was elected as Vice Chair. Key outcomes included the election of Dr Huang Jie as the next Director General of NACA, and preparations for the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2020.

In this issue:

Current status of freshwater cage aquaculture in India; Fattening of mud crab Scylla serrata in estuarine region of south-eastern West Bengal; Aquaponics - sustainable farming method in the fight against hunger; aquatic invasive apple snails (Pomacea spp.) in Timore-Leste - current status, spread and management in rice fields; NACA Newsletter.

In this issue:

Joint FAO-NACA workshop reviews aquaculture farming system classification scheme; Join us for the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2020; Expert Consultation on Genetically Responsible Aquaculture; Strengthening governance in aquaculture; Pike perch and in-pond raceways; Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, April-June 2018.

Asia has experienced rapid development of aquaculture in the past four decades. This has improved food security, livelihoods and economic development in many Asian countries. It has also become the main source of fish products in the region. Yet aquaculture as a new industry is poorly regulated in many countries. Its development has come with environmental problems, animal disease and food safety issues. These have resulted from both inadequate laws and poor enforcement.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and NACA will convene the consultation from 26-27 February 2019. The consultation will be hosted by the ICAR National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) in Lucknow, India. The aim of the consultation is to find ways to assure genetic quality in seed production systems. Experts will discuss broodstock management and mechanisms to verify seed origin and quality. The goal is to empower farmers and monitoring agencies with provision of quantifiable standards.

Aquaculture is a fast moving industry. Continous innovation is driving the adoption of new technologies and farming systems. As a result there is a need to update FAO's farming system classification scheme. FAO and member countries use this scheme for the preparation of statistical data. NACA and FAO organised an expert workshop to review the existing classification system. The workshop aim was to bring the system up to date with contemporary practices.

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.

An Expert Consultation on Invasive Alien Fish Species: Need for a Risk Benefit Assessment and Management Framework for Healthy Freshwater Systems will be organised on 19 December 2018 in New Delhi, India. The consultation will flag the need for an equilibrium between access to non-native germplasm and the minimisation of risk to ecosystems and native fish diversity from such introductions. As a major outcome, an objective tool is expected to be developed, which can be used to evaluate prospective introductions and support decision making.

The ASEAN Regional Consultation on Aquatic Emergency Preparedness and Response Systems for Effective Management of Transboundary Disease Outbreaks in Southeast Asia was held in Bangkok, 20-22 August. The objective of the consultation was to bring together ASEAN member states and technical experts to discuss the current status of emergency animal disease preparedness and response systems, and to identify gaps and opportunities for regional cooperation in management of transboundary disease.

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing issue with significant implications for both human and animal health. However, data on pathogen resistance in aquaculture and other livestock industries has not been routinely or systematically collected. The purpose of these regional consultations, held in Bangkok, was to initiate action on this issue, identifying interventions to assess antimicrobial usage in Asian aquaculture, monitor antimicrobial resistance and develop guidelines and a strategy to minimise the long term risks. 

NACA’s 29th Governing Council Meeting was held in the Maldives capital, Malé, from 26-27 June, with attendance by fifteen member governments. This was the first official NACA meeting in the Maldives, since it became a member in 2014, and also the first time that most of the delegates had visited the country, affording participants a fascinating glimpse of a very different lifestyle in the archipelago, and a very different development context.

This collection contains video recordings of the lectures from the Regional Training Course on Culture-based Fisheries in Inland Waters, held at Nha Trang University, Vietnam. The objective of the course was to provide participants with the skills to assist local communities to plan and manage culture-based fisheries; a relatively simple and low cost technology that can deliver nutritional and economic benefits to rural communities with few livelihood options. The course was sponsored by the United Nations University Fisheries Training Programme.

A discussion of the governance issues relevant to culture-based fisheries at local community, provincial and national levels.

The first ever Regional Training Course on Culture-based Fisheries in Inland Waters was held at Nha Trang University from 30 October to 8 November. The objective of the course was to provide participants with the skills to assist local communities to plan and manage culture-based fisheries. These practices are an example of a relatively simple and low cost technology that can deliver nutritional and economic benefits to rural communities, which often have few livelihood options.

In this issue:

28th NACA Governing Council, Dhaka, Bangladesh; register for the First Regional Training Course on Culture-based Fisheries; 11th Indian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum, Kochi, 21-24 November; audio recordings for regional feed consultation now available; tilapia lake virus; Proceedings of the International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health and Epidemiology for Sustainable Asian Aquaculture; ICAR-CIBA launch "Vanami Shrimpapp", a mobile app on Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) farming; Pakistan officials train on aquaculture certification.

This position provides the opportunity for an exceptional candidate to pursue research on governing for food security, equity and resilience in Pacific small-scale fisheries. The appointee will work alongside a WorldFish team working with regional authorities and national governments. The joint appointment will provide the opportunity to collaborate with leading social scientists in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies program on policy, institutions and governance.

Aquaculture Asia Magazine is an autonomous publication that gives farmers and scientists in developing countries a voice. Stories concern the small-scale aquaculture prevalent in the region and the circumstances of farmers trying to make ends meet in an increasingly globalised world. We accept articles on any aspect of aquaculture and the related processing, marketing, economic, environmental and social issues. An RSS feed is available if you wish to stay informed of new issues.

NACA publishes audio and video recordings of presentations from technical workshops and conferences. You may listen or view the presentations via the player within the website, or download them for later use. Our audio files are in mp3 format, while video files are in mp4.

The Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific is an intergovernmental organisation that promotes rural development through sustainable aquaculture and aquatic resources management. NACA seeks to improve the livelihoods of rural people, reduce poverty and increase food security. The ultimate beneficiaries of NACA are farmers and rural communities. NACA implements development assistance projects in partnership with research centres, governments, development agencies, farmer associations and other organisations.

The Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific is an intergovernmental organisation that promotes rural development through sustainable aquaculture and aquatic resources management. NACA seeks to improve the livelihoods of rural people, reduce poverty and increase food security. The ultimate beneficiaries of NACA are farmers and rural communities. NACA implements development assistance projects in partnership with research centres, governments, development agencies, farmer associations and other organisations.