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.

This final report of the project “Strengthening Aquatic Animal Health Capacity and Biosecurity in ASEAN” contains two parts: A. Recommended Minimum Operational Requirements for Implementing National Aquatic Animal Health Strategies within ASEAN and B. ASEAN progress in the implementation of National Aquatic Animal Health Strategies. The report provides guidance for countries in ASEAN to implement key elements of national aquatic animal health strategies, and for monitoring progress of national strategy implementation in ASEAN member countries.

This is the report of the project Application of PCR for improved shrimp health management in the Asian region. The training programme included two training workshops that were designed to provide a good understanding of PCR methodology, laboratory practices and trouble shooting in detection of both DNA and RNA viruses. The workshops were followed by by two rounds of an anonymous PCR inter-calibration or ring testing exercise to allow laboratories to gauge their own performance.

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.

This report, the 37th in the series, contains information about the aquatic animal health status of fourteen states in the Asia-Pacific region. The foreword discusses emerging diseases in the region.

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.

In this issue:

18th NACA Governing Council held in Bali, Indonesia. Strengthening aquatic animal health capacity and biosecurity in ASEAN - final workshop. Aquatic animal pathology master class. Vietnamese extension manual on culture-based fisheries. New project: Culture-based fisheries development in Lao PDR. Guidelines on digital publishing: a practical approach for small organizations with limited resources. Workshop on understanding and applying risk analysis in aquaculture. GISFish: Remote sensing and mapping for aquaculture and inland fisheries. Online encyclopeadia to list 1.8 m known species. DELTA 2007. NACA/FAO partnership working to establish guidelines for certification of farmed fish. Asia-Pacific Aquaculture 2007, 5-8 August 2007, Vietnam. Skretting sponsorship & scholarships for the Marine Finfish Aquaculture Network. The eleventh regular session on genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The National Aquaculture Development Authority of Sri Lanka (NAQDA) took several steps to regularise collectors of Penaeus monodon under the restructuring programme of the shrimp aquaculture industry in Sri Lanka. Regularisation of broodstock collectors is very imperative mitigate transmission of white spot disease. NAQDA developed these practices in consultation with the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, shrimp hatchery owners, broodstock suppliers, NARA, Wayamba environmental authority, Sri Lanka aquaculture development alliance and the consortium for shrimp aquaculture development.

A technical mission to Myanmar was undertaken to support development and implementation of national aquatic animal health strategies from 3 - 9 September 2006. The mission was part of the AADCP-RPS project "Strengthening Aquatic Animal Health Capacity and Biosecurity in ASEAN". The mission was coordinated by NACA and worked with stakeholders to develop simple and practical approaches to implement national aquatic animal health strategies in Myanmar.

This is the report of a technical mission to Vietnam from 3 - 9 December 2006, as a part of the project “Strengthening Aquatic Animal Health Capacity and Biosecurity in ASEAN” to assist national authorities in the development and implementation of simple and practical national aquatic animal health management strategies. The objective of the mission was to assist the government to support development of national strategies on aquatic animal health management and develop short and long term plans.