The Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health meets annually to discuss regional health issues including emerging disease threats. This report includes a review of regional disease status circa 2007, global and regional disease reporting arrangements, global issues and standards, progress in implementation of the the Regional Technical Guidelines on Health management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals, identification and designation of regional aquatic animal health resources and regional and international cooperation.

IDRC and NACA convened a workshop to identify the main research issues and needs to sustain Asian aquaculture into the first quarter of the 21st century, and also to bring them to the notice of relevant planners, managers and policy makers, and potential donors. The workshop was held in Rayong, Thailand from 4-7 June 2007. This report contains the issues papers drafted in preparation for the meeting and a summary of the discussions.

In this issue:

Developing guidelines for sustainable freshwater aquaculture planning in Vietnam. Aquaculture production, certification and trade for small-scale farmers. Backyard hatcheries for crustaceans in Thailand. Alternative carp species for diversification in India. Genetic and reproduction technologies for aquaculture and fisheries management of Murray cod. Status of sahar domestication in Nepal. Comparative advantage analysis of shrimp production in Asia. Strategies to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor, Vietnam, and more.

In this issue:

Better management practices for catfish aquaculture in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Developing better management practices for marine finfish aquaculture. Workshop on modelling carrying capacity for tropical finfish cage culture: Towards a consensus view. First comprehensive genetic management plan for Asian fish species: Mahseer. NACA and World Fisheries Trust sign agreement on collaboration. Fish Health Master Class. Second Workshop on Application of Molecular Genetic Techniques in Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Management. Two new species of spiny eels described from Myanmar. Importance of species identification in conservation. Koh Yao Noi mangrove replanting in celebration of 80th birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand. Responsible movement of live food finfish within ASEAN: Implementation workshop. Consultation on aquaculture certification guidelines. Strengthening regional mechanisms to maximise benefits to small-holder shrimp farmer groups adopting better management practices.

This document presents current status on genetic diversity of empurau and semah in Sarawak, Malaysia, including taxonomic status and a management guideline based on genetic data. Inadvertent mixing of the two species, especially during breeding, may lead to hybridisation, a threat to the genetic integrity of wild populations. Surveys on current status of genetic variability of empurau and semah are reported herein, and the results from which are used as baseline data for development of a genetic management plan.

In this issue:

Lao culture-based fisheries project gets underway. Expert Workshop on Aquaculture Certification, Brazil. Strategies for Development of Asian Reservoir and Lake Fisheries Management. EUS identified as cause of fish kills in Africa. NACA seeks shrimp farm specialists for assignments in Indonesia. FDA detains five species of farm-raised seafood from China. 7th Symposium on Diseases in Asian Aquaculture. Aquafeed Horizons Asia 2008. Scientists join fight against frog diseases. Artificial propagation of snow trout Schizothorax zarudnyi by Iranian experts. NACA keynotes three international meetings. Culture, capture conflicts project review, Indonesia. Sign up to the coldwater aquaculture Yahoo! Tech Group. Website publishing and administration training, Vietnam. Aquatic Animal diseases Significant to Asia-Pacific: Identification Field Guide.

These standard operating procedures were developed to reduce the risk of spread of trans-boundary disease of aquatic animals through the movement of live food fish. The procedures are a set of documents for health certification and quarantine measures to be used by competent authorities in trade among ASEAN member countries. The procedures recognise the existing variation in capacity between ASEAN members and have been designed so that they can be implemented across varying policy and legal frameworks.

In this issue:

Buffaloes in favour of culture-based fisheries in Sri Lanka. Aquafeeds in Myanmar: A change from farm-made to factory-made feeds. Challenging myths about seed quality and potential benfits to the rural poor. Catfish Clarius batrachus production using low cost hatcheries. Cage fish culture and livelihoods in the mid-hill lakes of Pokhara, Nepal. Marine fish hatchery training. Rabbitfish Siganus guttatus breeding and larval rearing. Vietnamese extension manual on culture-based fisheries.

Mục tiêu của cuốn sách nhằm cung cấp những chỉ dẫn cơ bản của CBF, một hình thức nuôi cá hiệu quả, đang được quan tâm nhiều ở các vùng nông thôn miền núi châu.

In this issue:

Expert Workshop on Guidelines for Aquaculture Certification. Responsible movement of live food finfish within ASEAN: Cebu Workshop finalises the standard operating procedures. Information and capacity requirements for maintaining aquatic animal biosecurity identified. China-ASEAN efforts to minimise risk of spread of aquatic pathogens. National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture inaugurated. NACA Better Management Practices program expands in Indonesia. Manual on Application of Molecular Tools in Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries Management. Research Needs to Sustain Asia-Pacific Aquaculture to 2025 and Beyond. Endemic freshwater finfish of Asia: Distribution and conservation status.

The Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health meets annually to discuss regional health issues including emerging disease threats. This report includes a review of regional disease status circa 2006, global and regional disease reporting arrangements, global issues and standards, progress in implementation of the the Regional Technical Guidelines on Health management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals, identification and designation of regional aquatic animal health resources and regional and international cooperation.

The use of alien species is a proven means to increase production and value from aquatic ecosystems. However, alien species are now recognised as one of the most significant threats to aquatic biodiversity. There are a range of international mechanisms that have been established to assist countries in meeting international obligations and responsibilities. Implementation is often difficult due to lack of awareness and problems with enforcement. Regional coordination of policies is needed for effective national management.

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.

In this issue:

International shrimp farming principles welcomed by countries. Discussions on the establishment of a "Mahseer R&D Centre". Microsatellite DNA markers for mahseer are now available. First study on genetic variation of the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish. IMNV found in Asia-Pacific. Thailand and US to jointly install tsunami wave sensors. Co-management in aquaculture explored at APFIC Forum. Virus may control Australia's feral carp problem. A milestone in India's sustainable shrimp farming efforts. Fish introduction in India: Status, challenges and potentials. 8th Asian Fisheries Forum. STREAM Update. Website management training to support Thai Post-tsunami Rehabilitation website.

In this issue:

Resources and biodiversity of seahorses and their need for conservation in India. Captive breeding of pangasid catfish Pangasius pangasius. Establishment of post-tsunami rehabilitation information units in Thailand. Poor farmers culture tilapia intensively in ponds in Central Luzon, Philippines. Simple herbal treatment for treatment of EUS in snakehead. DNA vaccination in health management. The role of immunostimulants. Red tilapia cage culture in central Thailand. Quality improvement of farmed fish in Iranian markets.

In this issue:

MPEDA-NACA sustainable shrimp village demonstration programme. Inter-calibration of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) PCR laboratories in India. Shrimp health management training. Rotary International/NACA meeting facility up at Koh Yao Noi. Tsunami-affected farmers train in marine cage aquaculture. Marine finfish aquaculture network at the APAN meeting in Singapore. Aquatic animal health policy workshops build consensus in ASEAN nations. Aquaculture Compendium released. Developments in establishing a conservation plan for the Mekong giant catfish. ROUNDTABLE: Exploring south-south cooperation opportunities in sustainable shrimp farming in West Africa, Conakry (Guinea). Technical missions to Cambodia and Lao PDR.

This manual provides guidelines for attaining better practices in culture-based fisheries, an emerging practice in rural areas in the Asian region. It deals with the principles of culture-based fishery practices, primarily based on relatively long-term experiences in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. It deals with the gross factors that are applicable to improving fish yields and therefore revenue; and sustaining culture based fisheries as a development activity in the long-term.

In this issue:

High-health postlarvae a prerequisite for sustainability of the Indian shrimp industry. Broodstock and all-female scampi grow out ponds in south India. Genetically modified fish and potential applications. Rainbow trout farming in hill terraces of Nepal. Sugar industry by-products as plankton boosters and yield enhancers in carp culture. Growth and production of Penaeus monodon in low saline culture systems. Poor households raise prawns for export. Marine fish marketing in Bangladesh.

‘Spawn’ is the name for the young fish about three days old that are available from hatcheries. Sometimes these young fish are also called hatchlings. The spawn of catla, rohu and mrigal is about 6-8 mm long. At this stage, the ‘yolk sac’ is absorbed, the mouth opened and the fins fully developed. Spawn are reared intensively, first to the ‘fry’ size and then to the ‘fingerling’ size. All the three stages are marketed and collectively called ‘seed’.

The “fast fingerling system” can produce advanced fingerlings about two months earlier than they are normally available from fish farms.  The farmer uses just one pond for continuous growing until fingerling size is reached, and fewer fish are stocked. A farmer with a small, seasonal pond can produce fingerlings in one month. These can then be sold for a high price because everyone wants fingerlings as early as possible.