The andadromous shad Tenualosa ilisha (also known as hilsa) is an economically important food fish in south and southeast Asia. Populations of the species are declining globally, largely due to overexploitation and habitat modification. Its fishery has drastically declined in the Bay of Bengal bordering India. Considering the excessive demand and very high market price there have been efforts for domestication and farming of the species in India. Early efforts were not measurably successful. However, momentum on developing captive breeding and farming technologies for this species has been re-invigorated with research funding from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

Parasites and disease are amongst the greatest issues affecting Indian aquculture, incurring substantial economic losses every year. Due to disease risk, some farmers may use antibiotics as a prophylactic measure, with consequent risk of increasing anti-microbial resistance. Organic aquaculture has the potential to allow reduced chemical inputs, but must be coupled with other paradigms to alleviate disease issues. The Fish Welfare Initiative believes that measures to improve animal welfare, in particular water quality and stocking density, can contribute to improved animal health outcomes.

In this issue:

Integrated taxonomy, conservation and sustainable development: Multiple facets of biodiversity; A note on 100th birth anniversary of the late Dr Hiralal Chaudhuri; Aquaculture field schools supporting mangroves for climate change adaptation of Indonesian milkfish-shrimp farmers; An insight to red tilapia breeding and culture: A farmer advisory; Aquaculture for livelihoods and food security in North-western India; NACA Newsletter.

In the north-western states of India there is great scope for aquaculture to generate employment opportunities, improve the socio-economic status of farming communities, furnish additional food and nutritional security and boost the national economy. This article describes the present state of Indian aquaculture and prospects for increasing production through diversification, use of village/community ponds and inland saline aquaculture of shrimp and other species, along with major concerns and action plans.

The aquaculture of red tilapia is proving to be highly successful due to its attractive colour, faster growth rate and good market demand. Expansion of the industry will depend on adequate supply of quality seed. This article describes the status of red tilapia aquaculture and good practices in broodstock management and nursery rearing using hapa systems and all-male seed production techniques, including hapa installation, breeding, egg collection and related issues.

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 88th edition of the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report contains information from thirteen governments. The foreword provides an announcement on the new format for the Aquatic Animal Disease Report from January 2021 onwards.

Join us on 31 May for a free webinar on Culture-based fisheries for rural development, with leading experts from the Asian region. Culture-based fisheries (CBF) are practices to enhance fish stocks in waters that don't have enough natural recruitment to sustain a fishery. CBF practices are usually applied in small water bodies such as village dams and irrigation reservoirs. Fish growth is driven by the natural productivity of the waters, foraging on natural food supplies. The simplicity and low capital requirements of CBF make it easy for farming communities to learn and adopt.

The year 2021 is the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the ‘Father of Induced Fish Breeding in India’, the late Dr Hiralal Chaudhuri, DSc, former Senior Fishery Scientist at the ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, India and Ex-Chief Technical Advisor in Aquaculture, FAO/UNDP at Lao PDR. In his honour, National Fish Farmers’ Day is celebrated annually on 10 July, to acknowledge the contribution made by professional fish farmers and breeders to India’s economy, food supply and production of table-sized major carps and other important inland food fishes.

Focussed explorations from the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), an organisation mandated for cataloguing of genetic resources of India include surveys of various ecosystems ranging from fauna of deep sea to the high-altitude regions of the Himalaya, falling under diverse biogeographic zones and unexplored regions of the country, including North-eastern India, Western Ghats, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This article describes the results of these efforts, which include discovery of 14 new fish species and six new distribution records between 2015 to 2020.