A free training course on mariculture technologies will be offered online via Zoom from 18 October to 5 November, by the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute (YSFRI), People’s Republic of China. The course will cover genetics and breeding of mariculture species; large-scale propagation; disease control and prevention; nutrition research and feed development; technology for different farming models; equipment research, engineering and construction of farming facilities; quality and safety inspection technology for aquatic products. Space is limited, applications close 11 October.

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”.

The new OIE World Animal Health Information System (OIE-WAHIS) was initially launched in 2020, with an aim to develop a modern and dynamic platform to ease the burden on Members to collect and report information on  global animal health, as well as to make the information more accessible to the public. In this regard, OIE and NACA also planned the establishment of a Regional Core online reporting system for non-OIE listed aquatic animal diseases of regional importance in Asia and the Pacific. On behalf of NACA and OIE-RRAP, we encourage all members in the Asia-Pacific region to regularly submit monthly aquatic animal disease reports.

In this issue:

Counting down to Aquaculture Millennium +20; Free webinar - Fish Vaccination: Theory, Innovations and Application; Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, October-December 2020; Invasive disease linked to raw freshwater fish: Group B Streptococcus; International Crustacean Symposium 2021.

FAO will conduct a regional training course on surveillance and monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture from 26-30 July, in collaboration with the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and INFOFISH. The course will focus on methodologies relevant to monitoring and surveillance of AMR in major bacterial pathogens of diseased aquatic animals in Asia. The training will be held via video conference. To register for the training sessions, or to view the training programme, please visit the INFOFISH website.

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.

The Fish Health Section of the Asian Fisheries Society will convene a webinar via Zoom on 21 April, from 12:00 to 15:00 Bangkok time (GMT +7). Topics include: Stress-related non-infectious disorders in fish (Prof. George Iwama, Quest University, Canada); Nutritional diseases of aquatic animals (Prof. Orapint Jintasataporn, Kasetsart University, Thailand); Harmful algal blooms and fish kills (Prof. Lim Po Teen, University of Malaya); and Aquaculture ecotoxicology (Dr Roger Chong, CSIRO Australia). Participation is free, but registration is required.

In this issue:

Shrimp health: Online Consultation on Strategies for Hepatopancreatic Microsporidiosis caused by Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP); Webinar: Pathogen Free: Non-infectious Diseases and Disorders of Aquatic Animals; Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, July-September 2020; Register for the Global Conference on Aquaculture Millennium +20; Scholarship opportunity: Lancang-Mekong Rice-Fish Programme; International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium.

This report summarises the proceedings of the 19th meeting of the Advisory Group, held 26-27 November 2020 via video conference. The group's role includes reviewing disease trends and emerging threats in the region, identifying developments in global aquatic disease issues and standards, evaluating the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Reporting Programme and providing guidance on regional strategies to improve aquatic animal health management.