The concept of “empowerment” was introduced at the International Women’s conference in 1985 at Nairobi, which defined empowerment as a “redistribution of social power and control of resources in favour of women”. In recent years the development of women has emphasised providing equal opportunities to women by removing gender bias, empowering, and creating self-reliance among them. Empowerment of women and gender equality is recognised globally as a key element to achieve progress in all areas. Globally, the role of women and the need to consider gender issues in aquaculture development was first recognised by the FAO-NORAD sponsored workshop on “Women in Aquaculture” in 1987.

Today, tribal people comprise 8.6 percent of the Indian population and are one of the most disadvantaged sections of society. Many tribal groups in different parts of the country depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, to which their access has been progressively eroded. With financial support from ICAR-CIFT the College of Fisheries, Gumla, undertook seven training programmes for tribal women from economically marginalised tribal communities in the preparation and marketing of value-added fisheries products. The training encouraged women to develop small businesses building on their micro-entrepreneurship.

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.

GAF-8, the 8th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries – will be held from 21-23 November, 2022, hosted by the Society of Fisheries Technologists (India) (SOFTI), Kochi and the ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi. GAF-8 is a stand-alone event, that will be packed with a variety of different activities and sessions covering all aspects. The GAF8 session and event themes, call for abstracts and other information will be available shortly. Please see the GAF website for registration and other details.

In this issue:

Dynamics of small-scale aquaculture development in India: A review; Green water technology as an essential support to larval rearing of hilsa shad; Collection of freshwater molluscs and sale of meat by women in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India; A success story of ornamental fish farming as a tool for alternative livelihood of tribal women in Keonjhar District, Odisha, India; Recent trends in seed production of stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis, in India; NACA Newsletter.

In Odisha, India, ornamental fish farming, culture and seed production are being utilised by self help groups to provide livelihoods for poor people in rural communities. The objective of self help groups is to sustainably increase the income of poor families to bring them above the poverty line. This is being achieved through a process of social mobilisation, training and capacity building, and provision of some necessary facilities. This article documents the evolution of ornamental fish farming by the Pragati Self Help Group in Bhatunia Village.

The common freshwater snail Bellamya bengalensis, golden apple snail Pila globosa and freshwater pearl mussel Lamellidens marginalis are naturally found in West Bengal. These molluscs are also an important source of protein for poor rural communities, and are also gaining popularity in middle and high income suburban areas for their nutritional and traditional medicinal values. They also represent a significant source of employment and income generation for women from Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. This article documents the collection, preparation, trade and use of freshwater molluscs in Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur districts of West Bengal.

In this issue:

Opinion: Benefits of animal welfare in Indian aquaculture; Imparting skill on formulated fish feed preparation to women’s self-help groups in villages – an experience; Farming of the anadromous shad, Tenualosa ilisha: Signs of taking off in India; Some facts on cannibalism in Wallago attu and its management during captive seed production; NACA Newsletter.

Preparation of locally made floating pelleted fish feed can be a profitable and sustainable income generating entrepreneurial activity for women's self-help groups in rural areas. Using such feed can also help small-scale marginal fish farmers to improve production and reduce their operating costs. This article describes initiatives to train women's self-help groups in formulated feed production in West Bengal, India.

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”.