This report describes a training course on grouper hatchery protocols that was held in Indonesia in 2006. A total of 20 participants from 13 countries attended the training course which was hosted by the Brackishwater Aquaculture Development Centre, Situbondo. Participants came from Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

In this issue:

Cage aquaculture of tilapia in Lake Taal, Philippines. Development and adoption of BMPs by farmer groups. Lotus - an aquatic plant of versatile qualities. Integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems in Bangladesh: Potential for sustainable livelihoods and nutrititional security of the rural poor. Spreadsheet model of the market chain for the live reef food fish trade. Regional Grouper Hatchery Production Training Course. Replacing marine fish oil in aquafeeds with tropical palm oil products. NACA Newsletter.

The Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health meets annually to discuss regional health issues including emerging disease threats. This report includes a review of regional disease status circa 2006, global and regional disease reporting arrangements, global issues and standards, progress in implementation of the the Regional Technical Guidelines on Health management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals, identification and designation of regional aquatic animal health resources and regional and international cooperation.

In this issue:

Peter Edwards writes on rural aquaculture: Recent developments in Chinese inland aquaculture. Reducing feed costs in aquaculture: Is the use of mixed feeding schedules the answer for semi-intensive practices? Seed production technology of ornamental gouramis Colisa fasciata and C. lalia under captive conditions. Marine finfish market information and aquaculture development trends in selected locations in Indonesia and Malaysia. Market analysis of the live reef food fish trade.

In this issue:

MPEDA-NACA sustainable shrimp village demonstration programme. Inter-calibration of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) PCR laboratories in India. Shrimp health management training. Rotary International/NACA meeting facility up at Koh Yao Noi. Tsunami-affected farmers train in marine cage aquaculture. Marine finfish aquaculture network at the APAN meeting in Singapore. Aquatic animal health policy workshops build consensus in ASEAN nations. Aquaculture Compendium released. Developments in establishing a conservation plan for the Mekong giant catfish. ROUNDTABLE: Exploring south-south cooperation opportunities in sustainable shrimp farming in West Africa, Conakry (Guinea). Technical missions to Cambodia and Lao PDR.

This paper provides an overview of seafood consumption production in southeast Asia circa 2006. It forecasts a need for aquaculture to expand area under culture and intensity; highlights the potential for fishmeal to constrain growth, and identifies a trend towards cultivation of high-value species. Sources for the review included a regional synthesis of aquaculture developed for a regional workshop in 2005, a review of marine finfish hatchery development and a regional survey of cage fish culture.

This report examines the role mariculture could play in reducing poverty and providing alternative livelihood opportunities for people living in coastal areas. This includes a review of the current status of coastal poverty, coastal livelihoods and vulnerabilities within the Asia-Pacific region and the experiences and examples of sustainable economic development through mariculture. This review then identifies key follow-up actions and recommends strategies for future pro-poor mariculture development.

In this issue:

High-health postlarvae a prerequisite for sustainability of the Indian shrimp industry. Broodstock and all-female scampi grow out ponds in south India. Genetically modified fish and potential applications. Rainbow trout farming in hill terraces of Nepal. Sugar industry by-products as plankton boosters and yield enhancers in carp culture. Growth and production of Penaeus monodon in low saline culture systems. Poor households raise prawns for export. Marine fish marketing in Bangladesh.

In this issue:

NACA Governing Council endorses new work programme, elects Sena De Silva as next Director General. RapiDot Kit - Farmer friendly kit for WSSV detection. Regional mariculture program strengthened. Economics and marketing analysis of the live reef fish food trade in the Asia-Pacific. Workshop on molecular techniques in aquaculture and seafood safety, Mangalore, India. Better-practice approaches for culture-based fisheries development in Asia. High-level Bahrain fisheries deletation visits Iran. First monthly meeting of fish farmers at One-stop Aqua Shop in Punjab Pakistan. Fish breeding training program for farmers of OAS, Kaipara. Provincial workshops on National Fisheries Policy and Strategy Framework held in Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan. Monitoring and evaluating the impacts of aquaculture on the agency and well-being of women. STREAM welcomes AYAD volunteer. Workshop to strengthen aquatic animal health capacity and biosecurity in ASEAN. Asian Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture (AFITA) 2006 in Bangalore. Aquaculture rehabilitation project launched by Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

This report provides insight into the status of the marine ornamental fish trade in the Philippines, including policy environment, collection, distribution channels, markets and constraints. The report also reviews the livelihoods of poor stakeholders in market chains including economic and financial aspects, natural and physical resources, livelihood patterns, social structures. The report provides recommendations for policy makers and stakeholders in improving the livelihoods of poor stakeholders in marine ornamental fish collection and market chains and resource management.

This is the annual report (2003-2004) of the Reef Fish Aquaculture R&D Project, based at the Northern Fisheries Centre, Cairns. The project provides a core platform for a suite of R&D projects addressing the feasibility of aquaculture technologies for high-value marine finfish species. This report outlines progress on the three core components of the programme, namely broodstock management and spawning, live prey production, and larval rearing and grow-out.

In this issue:

Nursery rearing of silver barb Puntius goniotus. Artemia enrichment and biomasss production for larviculture. Seed production of mud crab Scylla serrata in India. Macrobrachium on the southwest coast of India. Fish wastes in urban and suburban markets of Kolkata: Problems and solutions. Groups of poor women farming carps in leased ponds, Bangladesh. Lymphocystis disease and diagnostic methods in China. Mesocosm technology advances grouper aquaculture in northern Australia.

The Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health meets annually to discuss regional health issues including emerging disease threats. This report includes a review of regional disease status circa 2005, global and regional disease reporting arrangements, global issues and standards, progress in implementation of the the Regional Technical Guidelines on Health management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals, identification and designation of regional aquatic animal health resources and regional and international cooperation.

This report provides insight into the status of the marine ornamental fish trade in Indonesia, including policy environment, collection, chain of custody, distribution channels, markets and constraints. The report also reviews the livelihoods of poor stakeholders in market chains including economic and financial aspects, natural and physical resources, livelihood patterns, social structures. The report provides recommendations for policy makers and stakeholders in improving the livelihoods of poor stakeholders in marine ornamental fish collection and market chains.

The purpose of the project was to investigate international trade in fisheries products and its relationship to poverty alleviation and livelihoods of poor aquatic resource users in developing countries in Asia, and to identify options to improve the effectiveness of poverty reduction through international seafood trade. The project directly addressed the EC-PREP priority area of trade and development, and indirectly provided valuable insight to two other priority areas: food security and sustainable rural development; and institutional capacity building.

This is a historical report describing the establishment of a marine finfish and shrimp aquaculture research programme by the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department at its Tigbauan station. The report describes the facilities that were established, with diagrammes of the facility layout and list of personnel. It also summaries research findings and makes recommendations on future research directions, including on broodstock manturation, development of larval and compound feeds, health and extension of technology.

In this issue:

Small-scale pond culture in Bangladesh. Issues and challenges in community-based aquaculture. Aquaculture as an action programme building confidence and self-worth. Transforming policy recommendations into pro-poor service provision. Grow out of spotted Babylon to marketable size in polyculture with seabass. Influence of economic conditions and global shocks on grouper markets. Status of cobia hatchery technology in Vietnam. Organic shrimp raceway system. Macrobrachium rosenbergii in Vembanad Lake. Management of monogenean parasites.

A study tour of seafood markets in southern China (Guangdong Province and Hong Kong SAR) was conducted in 2005. The programme provided participants with exposure to some of China's larges live marine seafood markets, provided insight on marine farming systems and management including major species and technologies, and provided participants with the opportunity to develop valuable business and scientific contacts with farmers, buyers, traders, industry groups and scientists.

Recognising the importance of iridoviral disease, in terms of its potential to spread and cause economic loss, grouper iridoviral disease was included for listing in the quarterly aquatic animal disease (QAAD) list under any other diseases of importance effective for reporting from first quarter of 2003. This disease card is developed to provide information to national authorities and support the regional NACA/FAO/OIE QAAD reporting system.

This is the report of the 3rd Regional Grouper Hatchery Production Training Course, which was conducted at the Brackishwater Aquaculture Development Center, Situbondo, East Java, Indonesia from April 18-May 8, 2005. There were a total of 17 participants coming from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Singapore, and Vietnam. The training consisted of a  mixture of theory, practical and field trips for the participants.