In this issue:

Webinar on fish welfare: What we need to know? Artemia side event at the FAO Sub-Committee on Aquaculture; Handbook for Artemia pond culture in Bangladesh; NACA YouTube channel: @aquacultureasia; Reported aquatic animal diseases in the Asia-Pacific region during the third quarter of 2022; 13th Asia-Pacific Marine Biotechnology Conference, 2-6 October 2023, Australia; Global Seafood Trade Fair, 28-30 June, Guangzhou, China.

In this issue:

Augmenting entrepreneurial attitude among tribal women of Jharkhand through a skill development programme in fish value added products; Culture of hilsa, Tenualosa ilisha in freshwater ponds: Progress and prospects in farming practice; Present status of medium-saline ‘bheri’ fishery and integrated mangrove aquaculture in West Bengal, India: A short study, Part I; Information for farmers on yellow tail catfish, Pangasius pangasius, for easier captive production; Captive breeding and larval rearing of Cirrhinus reba, a small indigenous fish of aquaculture importance; NACA Newsletter.

Cirrhinus reba or ‘reba carp’ is a commercially important indigenous minor carp species distributed over south Asia. It is highly popular among consumers and fetches a better price than the major carps.  An herbivorous species, C. reba can easily digest plant protein sources. It has been identified as a priority species for aquaculture diversification in India and has great scope for incorporation in carp culture and polyculture systems.

The yellow tail catfish Pangasius pangasius is found throughout the rivers of the Indian subcontinent. A large, omnivorous, and highly fecund species, it is suitable for aquaculture. Initial work on captive breeding of yellow tail catfish was carried out by scientists from the ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture in the early 1990's. This article provides updated information on captive reproduction, larval rearing and nusery techniques for this species, which will be of use for farmers and entrepreneurs interested in producing it.

FAI and NACA will convene a webinar on fish welfare issues on 8 March from 9:30-11:30 am Bangkok time (GMT+7). The webinar will address the relationship between welfare, health, quality and profit in aquaculture production. The programme will feature talks on:

• Animal welfare applied to aquaculture.
• Preliminary tilapia welfare assessment results in Thailand.
• A practical framework for assessments on aquaculture productions.
• Communicating welfare to the aquaculture industry.

Participation is free but registration is required, please download the attached flyer for details.

Since the late 1960s, brackishwater rural aquaculture in West Bengal grew and improved at a fast rate, from an extensive method of farming to a modified-extensive method. The indigenous bheri fishery is a well-known extensive aquaculture system throughout all coastal states of India. Bheri fishery isn’t a capital-intensive practice. This article describes farming practices in bheri systems in West Bengal, India, including their integration with mangrove aquaculture. A second part of this article will be published in the next issue.

Hilsa are a highly favoured food fish on the Indian subcontinent, but wild populations have been declining very fast due to over exploitation and disturbance of their riverine spawning grounds. Hilsa have a complex life cycle, migrating from the sea to riverine environments to spawn and are very sensitive to handling, which has complicated efforts to breed them in captivity. The ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture has initiated a programme to domesticate hilsa to reduce dependence on wild catch. This article documents the first successful approaches to rear larvae through to table sized fish and to develop mature hilsa broodstock in a farm environment.

With the implementation of the new aquatic animal disease reporting in the Asia Pacific region from January 2021, and in lieu of the published QAAD Reports (last issue published was 4th quarter of 2020), NACA is publishing reported aquatic animal diseases submitted by countries in the Asia-Pacific region.  This report covers the third quarter of 2022 and the original and updated reports can be accessed at the QAAD page. 

Update: The forum will now be held on 13 December and and updated conference agenda is available below. Please register your attendance using the form linked below. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants before the meeting, thank you.

A free online forum will be organised by the Agriculture Trade Promotion Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, and Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, and NACA. The forum aims to strengthen international exchange and cooperation in aquatic trade, promote high-quality development of fisheries, disseminate advanced concepts, technologies, and models of aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region and Silk Road countries, and promote the health and sustainable development of global fisheries. Participation is free but registration is required.

On 28-29 November FAO and NACA collaborated on a virtual workshop to develop a regional strategy for aquatic organism health, using a progressive management pathway for improving aquaculture biosecurity. The workshop was held under the auspices of the project “Responsible use of fisheries and aquaculture resources for sustainable development component 3: Biosecurity and health management”. The workshop involved 31 experts from 16 countries, including national focal points, FAO and NACA. The objectives of the workshop were to: Present and analyse country responses to a self-assessment survey on biosecurity and health management capacity and performance; to provide guuidance to country participants on conducting a SWOT analysis; and to prepare a detailed plan for Phase II of the initiative.