Women’s entrepreneurship can be a boon for sustainable utilisation of resources, food security and employment generation. Women entrepreneurship can be defined as the process, in which she thinks to set up a business, gathering all the resources necessary to manage a business venture, provide employment to others and to make a profit along the way while minimising risk while initiating, organising and running a business enterprise.

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has a job opening for Fisheries Research Program Manager. The position is based in Australia and reports to the Chief Scientist. The position is responsible for managing a portfolio of fisheries research and development projects commissioned by ACIAR. The projects are typically partnerships between research institutions in Australia and agencies within ACIAR's partner countries in the Indo-Pacific and aim to improve the productivity and sustainability of fisheries.

In this issue:

Inspiring story of aquaculture in Sikkim - a journey from conservation to farming; farming of scampi and tiger shrimp together - a case study from West Bengal; Labeo pangusia - a candidate for diversification of hill aquaculture; sustainability of an integrated livestock-fish-crop farming system as a small scale enterprise; sustainable coastal aquaculture in India; potential scope and prospects of domestic fish market in Chhattisgarh.

Trade in fisheries products is an important source of livelihoods for economically underprivileged people in Chhattisgarh. A socio-economic profile of traders and other actors from a domestic fish market is presented, including age, gender, education and income levels. The market infrastructure, distribution channels and species traded are described. Constraints to marketing arrangements are identified and include a lack of cold chain, storage and transport facilities.

FAO has developed an online training course on ending child labour in agriculture. The course is designed to raise awareness and build knowledge among agricultural stakeholders about the importance of addressing child labour in agriculture, including livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture. It aims to build specific skills, depending on work-related responsibilities and tasks and/or interests, by providing concrete ideas and guidance that can be applied in real life agricultural policy and programming situations.

Improvements to fish yield in small water bodies as well as to the incomes and nutritional status of rural communities have been demonstrated. in Laos, Sri Lanka and Vietnam but culture-based fisheries practices are not yet widespread, despite having significant potential in tropical climates. A project to introduce culture-based fisheries to Cambodia is described. Participating communities reported improved catch per unit effort, an increase in the number of people engaged in fishing and lower food costs.

Community fishing is a unique feature in the state of Assam, India. The present case study narrates a community fishing event in the floodplain wetlands (beels) of Kamrup District in Assam, India, witnessing participation of different tribal communities in fishing and the modus operandi of diverse types of fishing gears with catch details. The design details of the gear were documented. The communal fishing practices of local communities are described along with the respective roles of men and women.

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.

These are the proceedings of a consultation on the existence and effectiveness of environmental monitoring systems for fisheries and aquaculture in the Lower Mekong basin. The document provides a baseline assessment of environmental monitoring systems in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam and the report of a workshop to discuss the assessments findings and future steps towards an improved environmental monitoring and early warning system that will contribute to climate change adaptation in fisheries and aquaculture in the area.

In this issue:

FishAdapt: A conference on climate change adaptation for fisheries and aquaculture. 11th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum convened in Bangkok. A new and improved PCR detection method for Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) based on a gene encoding a spore wall protein. Radio interview on NACA's mission and role in regional food security. Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, Q1 2016. Guidebook on farmer-to-farmer extension approach for small-scale freshwater aquaculture. New NACA website in the works.