In Nepal, low quality and seasonal access to fish seed is an important restriction on the development of the aquaculture sector. Commercialisation of fish farming cannot progress rapidly in the absence of critical inputs and a regular supply of quality fish seed is an integral requirement for the transition of fish farming from a subsistence activity to a commercial enterprise. Participatory market chain approaches are a key tool for the social and economic improvement of farmers and market participants.

This publication is the major output of a regional programme jointly implemented by FAO and NACA in 2015 to document and disseminate successful practices that contribute to the sustainable intensification of aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region. Twelve practices are described that contribute to at least one of the following: Improved production and resource use efficiency (land, water, feed, energy); improved environmental benefits; strengthened economic viability and farmers' resilience; and improved social acceptance and equity.

In this issue:

Aquaculture feed supply chain attracting scrutiny. Pond beauty contest, Ram Kumar and social development. Culture modes of giant freshwater prawn in Yangtze River Delta for early harvest. Fish marketing in Kashmir, India - a case study of Srinagar. Community-based integrated fish-duck farming: A boon for rural development in agro-climatic conditions of Assam, India. Gastropod and bivalve fishery of Kakinada Bay, Andhra Pradesh, India: Management and conservation issues.

In this issue:

Register for the 11th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum and GAF6. 6th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries. Global Conference on Climate Change Adaptation for Fisheries and Aquaculture. A Review of women's access to fish in small-scale fisheries. Aquaculture operations in floating HDPE cages: a field handbook. Aquaculture seed and feed production and management in Bangladesh: Status, issues and constraints.

In this issue:

12th Technical Advisory Committee held in Cha-am, Thailand. Audio recordings: WAS special session on regional cooperation for improved biosecurity. AFSPAN Final Technical Report now available! Pillay Aquaculture Foundation Awards for Scientists in Least Developed Countries. Gender seminar conducted and ASEAN Gender Network launched. A two-tube, nested PCR detection method for AHPND bacteria. 9th Regional Grouper Hatchery Production Training Course. Developing an environmental monitoring system to strengthen fisheries and aquaculture in the Lower Mekong Basin. Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on the Status of Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The twelfth meeting of NACA’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was held in the coastal town of Cha-am, Thailand from 9-12 March. The TAC meets every two years to review NACA’s rolling work programme and propose amendments to realign it with the current needs of member governments and to account for new and emerging issues. In proposing changes, the TAC prioritises issues of common concern to member governments where there are prospects for regional collaboration.

The Gender and Aquaculture Seminar: Equity and Regional Empowerment in the Aquaculture Value Chain, a culminating activity for the NACA/USAID/MARKET Project’s Thematic Studies of Gender in Aquaculture, was held from 24 to 25 February 2015 in Bangkok. The project conducted research on womens’ roles and influence on selected aquaculture value chains in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. The goal of the research was to raise awareness and increase recognition of gender roles.

The USAID Maximizing Agricultural Revenue through Knowledge, Enterprise Development, and Trade (MARKET) Project and NACA are hosting a Gender and Aquaculture Seminar: Equity and Regional Empowerment in the Aquaculture Value Chain on February 24-25 in Bangkok, Thailand. The USAID MARKET Project and NACA have undertaken a year-long research project on women’s roles and influence on selected aquaculture value chains in four countries in Southeast Asia.

Further training provided to aquaculturists in Fiji. Spatial planning for sustainable coastal shrimp production. Availability of grouper (Serranidae) fingerlings and seed in the coral reef of Son Tra Peninsula, central Viet Nam. Small-scale carp seed production through portable FRP hatchery at Khanguri, Odisha. Regional consultation on culture-based fisheries developments in Asia. Gender Assessment Synthesis Workshop. Broodstock management in aquaculture. Urgent appeal to control spread of the shrimp microsporidian parasite Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP).

In this issue:

Regional consultation on culture-based fisheries developments in Asia. Gender Assessment Synthesis Workshop. NACA participation in the 5th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries, Lucknow, India. Broodstock Management in Aquaculture: Long term effort required for regional capacity building. Urgent appeal to control spread of the shrimp microsporidian parasite Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP).

The Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific team participated actively during the 5th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries held during 12-15 November 2014, in Lucknow, India. This event was held simultaneously with the 10th Indian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum and the International Workshop on Aquatic Animal Disease Surveillance The major supporters were NORAD for GAF5 organisation, and USAID for the MARKET Special Workshop and MARKET Gender Project.

The NACA/USAID MARKET Gender Project organised a Gender Assessment Synthesis Workshop in Bangkok, Thailand from 29 September to 1 October 2014, which was attended by the MARKET gender project teams from Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. The objectives of the Synthesis Workshop were to assess the status of work on the in-country gender assessment reports and the case studies, including make a start on writing of case studies.

In this issue:

Workshop on mainstreaming gender in NACA. Fish Farmer Field School: Towards healthier milkfish / shrimp polyculture and fish farmer empowerment in South Sulawesi. A success story of Maa Tarini Self Help Group Ornamental Fish Unity, India. Use of lactic acid bacteria in fish farming. AFSPAN field surveys underway. Anti-viral treatment for healthier black tiger prawns. Jungle perch on the comeback trail. Nursery management of grouper manual. Hatchery management of tiger group manual.

In this issue:

Call for applications (2nd round): FK Norway South-South Aquaculture Professional Exchange Programme. AFSPAN field surveys underway! 4th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries. An anti-viral treatment for healthier black tiger prawns. Jungle perch on the comeback trail. Nursery management of grouper: A best-practice manual (Indonesian translation). Hatchery management of tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus): A best-practice manual (Indonesian translation). Priority adaptations to climate change for Pacific fisheries and aquaculture: Reducing risks and capitalising on opportunities. Improving biosecurity through prudent and responsible use of veterinary medicines in aquatic food production.

In this issue:

Aquaculture in Hubei Province, central China. Ornamental fish farming - a successful cottage industry in rural and urban India. Measuring empowerment of women through self-help groups in aquaculture. Pigeon pea Cajanus cajan cultivation over fish pond dykes - an economically viable farming approach. Culture of freshwater climbing perch Anabas testudineus. Augmentation of fish production from a small reservoir of Vidarbha: A success story. Emergency consultation on early mortality syndrome of shrimp.

The Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010 reviewed the present status and trends in aquaculture development, addressed emerging issues relevant to aquaculture development, assessed opportunities and challenges for future aquaculture development and built consensus on advancing aquaculture as a global, sustainable and competitive food production sector. This volume provides information on how aquaculture could be mobilized to alleviate global poverty and improve food and nutrition security in the coming decades.

In this issue:

Shrimp farming in Andhra Pradesh, India. Small indigenous freshwater fish species in village community ponds to ensure nutritional security of rural poor. Postlarvae culture and technical status of whiteleg shrimp Penaeus vannamei hatcheries, Vietnam. Jatropha meal as a promising plant protein source for aquaculture feeds. Use of soybean meal in cobia diets. Capture based aquaculture of spiny lobster Panulirus polyphagus in open sea cages. Institutional linkage helping rural women gain employment.

In this issue:

Putting Gender on the Programme of NACA. Proceedings of the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010 available for download. Peter Edwards to mentor the new Sustainable Farming Systems Programme. International Fisheries Symposium, 6-8 December, Can Tho, Vietnam. Broodstock management training course launched by NACA and UNU-FTP.

How do we ensure that the benefits from aquaculture growth are pro-poor and gender equitable? In science, some gender-disaggregated statistics are collected by the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators programme. Akin to farming and fishing, aquaculture is usually assumed to be largely the domain of men. Minimal progress has been made in addressing gender issues in aquaculture, even though some researchers, activists and development agencies are recognising and raising the profile of the issues.

The Phuket Consensus is a declaration on aquaculture development endorsed by participants of the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010, held in Phuket, Thailand, 22-25 September. The consensus builds on the Bangkok Declaration, which was formulated at the International Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium, held in Bangkok, 20-25 February 2000. The consensus and declaration provide strategic guidance on sustainable development of aquaculture considering social, environmental, technical and economic issues.