This presentation provides an introduction and overview to the project "Knowledge brokering for nature-based solutions in aquaculture transformation in Asia-Pacific: Support to the Aquaculture Innovation and Investment Hub". The project contributes to NACA and FAO's work on aquaculture transformation, which aims to create more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems through innovation, investment, and partnerships.

NACA is developing an Aquaculture Innovation and Investment Hub (AIIH) to help realise this vision in the region, providing a facility that will bring together innovators, startups, and investors to accelerate transformation. The presentation was given at the project inception workshop on 4 June 2024 in Bangkok. The project is funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre.

This project contributes to NACA's recent work with the FAO on aquaculture transformation. The aim is to create more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems through innovation, investment, and partnerships. NACA is developing an Aquaculture Innovation and Investment Hub (AIIH) to help realise this vision in the region, providing a facility that will bring together innovators, startups, and investors to accelerate transformation. The project will contribute to developing National Innovation and Investment Plans for Thailand, The Philippines, and Fiji, which will address issues including climate change, disease prevention and management, environmental sustainability, gender equality and social inclusion, and resource utilisation and management. The project is part of a wider AQUADAPT initiative, a four-year partnership running from 2023-2027, funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre.

In this issue:

• Progressive women carp farmers of Haldia, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India.
• Captive breeding of Ompok bimaculatus (pabda): An indigenous catfish of North East India.
• Reaching out to the unreached through diversified aquaculture in Nagaland.
• Fish cooperatives: Development and performance through sustainable development goals for food and feed ecosystems.
• NACA Newsletter.

In this issue:

• How welfare assessments of farmed white leg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) can benefit the whole industry
• Thai Fish Project: A path towards a sustainable aquaculture
• Nationally-recognised ornamental fish breeder Kripan Sarkar - a man to remember
• Tilapia parvovirus disease: An emerging threat for the tilapia aquaculture industry
• Naihati fish seed market as state-of-the-art for sustainable support services to fish growers, buyers and traders
• NACA Newsletter

The Thai Fish Project began in 2019, and involves around 200 research members and multiple institutions in Thailand and Japan. The project aims to promote domestication and wise use of two Thai native aquatic species, namely the Asian sea bass Lates calcarifer and banana shrimp Penaeus merguiensis through increasing productivity, reducing the impact of infectious diseases, and preserving genetic resources. The project also encompasses several specific research topics to ensure that it comprehensively addresses the concerns on safeguarding the food security and enhancing the environmental sustainability as much as possible. This article describes the main research activities, outputs and future expectations of the Thai Fish Project.

Eight thematic reviews prepared as preparation for the Global Conference on Aquaculture Millennium +20 (GCA +20) have been published in a Special Issue of the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society "Aquaculture for Food and Sustainable Development". A group of experts prepared advanced working drafts of each thematic review and the key findings from each theme were presented and discussed by expert panels during the GCA +20. Participants were then invited to provide their feedback and perspectives on the reviews and their key messages for consideration in finalisation of the papers. The reviews are available for free download.

The document provides an overall vision and framework intended to accelerate aquaculture transformation in Asia and the Pacific region through innovations and investment, and to provide guidance to partners from the public, private and development communities to actively engage with the region in transforming aquaculture to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable food systems. The document served as background information for discussion in the High-Level Meeting on Aquaculture Transformation in Asia and the Pacific Region, 22–23 November 2022, organised by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific. The document is broadly aligned with FAO’s Blue Transformation Roadmap, paying specific attention to the context and needs of aquaculture within Asia and the Pacific region. The Paper translates the Roadmap into a vision and priority actions for aquaculture transformation in the region by 2030.

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.

The University of Stirling has been awarded funds by the British Council to provide funding for four Early Academic Fellowships for Women in STEM. These fellowships will be 6-12 months in duration. The scholarships are available to women who are passport holders and permanent residents of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. For further information please visit the University of Stirling website. The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2022.

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.

A free training course on mariculture technologies will be offered online via Zoom from 18 October to 5 November, by the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute (YSFRI), People’s Republic of China. The course will cover genetics and breeding of mariculture species; large-scale propagation; disease control and prevention; nutrition research and feed development; technology for different farming models; equipment research, engineering and construction of farming facilities; quality and safety inspection technology for aquatic products. Space is limited, applications close 11 October.

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”.

In 2015, a bacterium called Streptococcus agalactiae, also referred to as Group B Streptococcus (GBS), caused a foodborne disease outbreak involving at least 146 people in Singapore, associated with the consumption of raw freshwater fish. The specific strain responsible for the outbreak was later identified as sequence type 283 (ST283). Invasive GBS ST283 disease is also found in other countries in and around Southeast Asia. FAO has published a fact sheet and a risk profile for GBS ST283, which are available for free download. These documents provide guidance on risk reduction, and practical recommendations for food safety competent authorities.

The Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences and NACA are organising a free online training course on mariculture technologies, to be held from 21-25 September 2020. The programme will cover breeding, disease control and prevention, nutrition and feed research, breeding model construction, farm technology development, engineering, quality, safety and inspection technology for aquatic products. The course is open to government officials, researchers, enterprise managers and technicians from developing countries. The deadline for applications is 19 September 2020.

This report summarises the proceedings of the 17th meeting of the Advisory Group, held 13-14 November 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand. The group's role includes reviewing disease trends and emerging threats in the region, identifying developments in global aquatic disease issues and standards, evaluating the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Reporting Programme and providing guidance on regional strategies to improve aquatic animal health management.

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.

Video presentation on the rationale for increased fish production and consumption.

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.