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.

Development of small-scale aquaculture has dominated development discourse because of its potential to fight malnutrition and poverty, to ensure food security and enhance the socio-economic condition of people living at the bottom of the pyramid. Aquaculture has contributed to strengthening livelihoods and food security in southeast Asian countries, contributing to the livelihood of the poor farmers through improved food supply, income and employment.

An online forum will be held on 16 August to enable technical exchange between policymakers, fishery extension officers, researchers and entrepreneurs in development of the freshwater fisheries industry through technology innovation.

The forum will focus on innovations and developments in freshwater fishery biotech, breeding, culture models, digitisation, and industrialisation, featuring presentations and discussions from experts of international organisations, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Engineering, universities and entrepreneurs in virtual exchanges and discussions. Participation is free but registration is required.

In this issue:

• Ornamental Aquaculture Field School: A new extension approach
• State of the art of carp spawn production and transportation at Ramsagar, Bankura District, West Bengal, India
• Seahorse aquaculture: A new paradigm of commercial activity
• Mixed infections in tropical freshwater fish culture systems: A potential emerging threat for successful aquaculture
• NACA Newsletter

For the last five decades or so, West Bengal has been the leading state in India for the production of production and supply of major carp fry, underpinning the success of freshwater fish culture. This article describes the structure of the hatchery industry in Ramsagar, West Bengal, production practices and systems, packing, transport and links to major seed markets both within the state and elsewhere in India. Market price, broodstock management and natural breeding methods are also discussed.

The Farmer Field School approach is promoted by FAO as an alternative technology dissemination mechanism to the top-down extension methods in south-east Asian countries. In order to utilise the potential of the farmer field school approach for aquaculture, ICAR-CIFA has piloted Aquaculture Field Schools (AFS) in several states in India. AFS are schools without walls to improve the decision-making capacity of the farmers and facilitate cross-learning opportunities. It is a participatory extension methodology whereby fish farmers are allowed to choose the methods of aquaculture production through discovery-based approaches. 

In this issue:

New reviews of aquaculture now available online; Post-doctoral scholarships for women in STEM at the University of Stirling; Research breakthrough seen to curb shortage of "poor man's fish"; Free online aquaculture courses; Fishing for life 2022: South and South-East Asian Conference on Small Scale Fisheries and Aquaculture; Reported Aquatic Animal Diseases in the Asia-Pacific Region during the Third Quarter of 2021; Shrimp 2022: INFOFISH World Shrimp Trade Conference and Exhibition; Tuskfish CMS v2.0.3 available.

We are pleased to announce that the FAO Reviews of Aquaculture have been published online at the FAO website, including the six Regional Reviews and a Global Synthesis, which were developed and published in conjunction with the Global Conference on Aquaculture Millennium +20 (GCA+20). The publications are linked below. Video presentations of the reviews, including expert panel discussions and question and answer sessions, are also available from the GCA+20 website.

In this issue:

Exploration of canal resources as a potential source for fish production in the Indian Sundarbans; Expansion of new host range of isopod Tachaea spongillicola infestation to fish species could pose a risk to aquaculture food industry in southeast Asian countries; Aspects of air-breathing fish farming practiced at Mathurapur-II Block, West Bengal, India; Magical role of live foods in boosting spawn survival of climbing perch: A success in the farmer’s field; NACA Newsletter.

Fisheries is next to agriculture in offering employment opportunities for poor rural communities in Sundarbans. With around 17 million hectares of canals in India, there is considerable potential to generate jobs and improve the food security of rural populations if canals can be used for aquaculture production. This study explored the feasibility of aquaculture as a secondary use of canal infrastructure through use of net barrier partitions, installed and managed by local communities.