The 13th APMBC and 5th ANZMBS conference are combining to engage marine biotechnologists, industry, investors, and policy makers in current marine biotechnology research, and industry development in the Asia-Pacific region. The conference will be held from 2-6 October 2023 in Adelaide, Australia. This provides a great opportunity to participate in the growth and future development of the marine biotechnology industry in the region and globally. A key objective of the joint Conference is to encourage academic-industry partnerships across the region. Abstract submissions and early bird registrations are now open!

In June, China will open its doors to the world through the Global Seafood Fair. With over 50,000 visitors and a strong buyer presence, the fair is an excellent opportunity for businesses to showcase their products. The event will feature over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 10,000 products for buyers to choose from. Attendees can also participate in several industry-focused events, including the Global Shrimp Industry Development Summit Forum, the Overseas Seafood Products Digital Trade Forum, the Tilapia Industry Chain Summit, and the China Aquatic Prepared Dishes Development Summit.

In this issue:

Augmenting entrepreneurial attitude among tribal women of Jharkhand through a skill development programme in fish value added products; Culture of hilsa, Tenualosa ilisha in freshwater ponds: Progress and prospects in farming practice; Present status of medium-saline ‘bheri’ fishery and integrated mangrove aquaculture in West Bengal, India: A short study, Part I; Information for farmers on yellow tail catfish, Pangasius pangasius, for easier captive production; Captive breeding and larval rearing of Cirrhinus reba, a small indigenous fish of aquaculture importance; NACA Newsletter.

A new paper in Nature Communications by Cottier Cook et al. describes the need for a new progressive management pathway to improve seaweed biosecurity. The seaweed aquaculture industry has rapidly expanded to 35 million tonnes per annum, a production that represents 51% of global coastal aquaculture by volume. Rising seawater temperatures and coastal eutrophication have led to an increase in infectious diseases and pest outbreaks. The paper describes a process for developing and implementing locally-adapted progressive management pathways to address seaweed disease and pest issues.

Update: The forum will now be held on 13 December and and updated conference agenda is available below. Please register your attendance using the form linked below. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants before the meeting, thank you.

A free online forum will be organised by the Agriculture Trade Promotion Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, and Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, and NACA. The forum aims to strengthen international exchange and cooperation in aquatic trade, promote high-quality development of fisheries, disseminate advanced concepts, technologies, and models of aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region and Silk Road countries, and promote the health and sustainable development of global fisheries. Participation is free but registration is required.

On 28-29 November FAO and NACA collaborated on a virtual workshop to develop a regional strategy for aquatic organism health, using a progressive management pathway for improving aquaculture biosecurity. The workshop was held under the auspices of the project “Responsible use of fisheries and aquaculture resources for sustainable development component 3: Biosecurity and health management”. The workshop involved 31 experts from 16 countries, including national focal points, FAO and NACA. The objectives of the workshop were to: Present and analyse country responses to a self-assessment survey on biosecurity and health management capacity and performance; to provide guuidance to country participants on conducting a SWOT analysis; and to prepare a detailed plan for Phase II of the initiative.

In this issue:

Sustainable livelihood model for coastal families through seabass fingerling production: A success story; A pilot of integrated mangrove-aquaculture as a nature-based solution to mitigate climate change in West Bengal, India; Recreational fisheries in Uttarakhand; Soft-shell mud crab production for export in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India; Conducting artificial fertilisation, hatching and spawn development of Indian shad, Tenualosa ilisha: Pathfinding hilsa domestication; NACA Newsletter.

Nature-based solutions are interventions that aim to protect, restore and sustainably manage natural and modified ecosystems to benefit human well-being and biodiversity and address societal concerns. Integrated mangrove-shrimp farming or simply aquaculture is the coexistence of mangroves and shrimp aquaculture in a tide-fed environment. In comparison to other shrimp farming systems, integrated mangrove-shrimp farming can additionally produce timber and supports biodiversity. To understand the possible benefits of mangrove integration, our consortium compared three integrated mangrove-aquaculture systems together with three local farmers in North 24 Parganas. This article describes our findings, and important factors to consider before deploying integrated mangrove-aquaculture systems.

In this issue:

Training Course on Mariculture Technologies in Asia-Pacific; FAO/NACA Virtual Workshop on Aquaculture Transformation in Asia and the Pacific Region; Belt & Road Forum for International Freshwater Fishery Industry Innovation; 8th Global Conference on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries, 21-23 November; Reported Aquatic Animal Diseases in the Asia-Pacific Region during the First Quarter of 2022; International Training Course on Biology and Pathology of the Penaeid Shrimp 2022; Angkasa Putra inaugurated as first President of the South-East Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Student Association; Artemia webinars: Video recordings of technical presentations available.

In this issue:

• 31st NACA Governing Council held online.
• SDG-aligned Artemia Aquaculture Workshop held in China / online.
• Policy brief on sustaining the future of the global seaweed industry.
• Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report
• Training Course on Mariculture Technology in Asia-Pacific.

A policy brief on “Ensuring the Sustainable Future of the Rapidly Expanding Global Seaweed Aquaculture Industry – A Vision” authored by 37 experts from 30 organisations worldwide was published by the UNU Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies on 10 November 2021. The policy brief highlighted the key challenges that must be addressed for the long-term sustainability of the global seaweed industry, ensuring its role in providing nature-based solutions within the sustainable ocean economy agenda and contributing to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021 – 2030). The report makes policy recommendations for promoting wider environmental, gender-responsive and socially inclusive approaches to upscaling the seaweed industry.

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.

India’s seaweed sector is an emerging area for the development of the rural economy. A growing interest of the government and subsequent announcement of a ‘multi-purpose seaweed park’ in Tamil Nadu will boost the seaweed farming and related industries. India aims to increase seaweed production to 1,150,000 metric tons from the current production levels of 2,500 metric tons in the next five years. SMART AGRIPOST in collaboration with ICAR-CMFRI and industry associations, is pleased to organize a two-day virtual conference and exhibition, Seaweed India 2021 on 26-27 August 2021, to connect all stakeholders. The webinar will help review and deliberate on the opportunities and challenges in the emerging seaweed sector in India with regard to its various dimensions.

Join us on 8 October 2021 for the Professor Sena De Silva Memorial Oration. The topic for the oration is "Aquaculture and marine resources exploitation: reframing the issues", presented by Professor Govanni Turchini of Deakin University and organised by the Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The oration will be held at 05:00 GMT (15:00 AEST) via Zoom. To participate, please use the following link: Professor Sena De Silva Memorial Oration 2021.

In this issue:

Integrated taxonomy, conservation and sustainable development: Multiple facets of biodiversity; A note on 100th birth anniversary of the late Dr Hiralal Chaudhuri; Aquaculture field schools supporting mangroves for climate change adaptation of Indonesian milkfish-shrimp farmers; An insight to red tilapia breeding and culture: A farmer advisory; Aquaculture for livelihoods and food security in North-western India; NACA Newsletter.

Over the last five decades, over 30 million people along Java’s north coast have experienced subsidence and subsequent soil erosion. In 2015, Building with Nature Indonesia (BwNI-Demak) started a coastal protection project in 10 communities of nine coastal villages of Demak regency. The protection measures introduced included the use of permeable structures (dams) that successfully capture sediment and support natural recovery of mangroves, and aquaculture field schools, to train small-scale farmers on good aquaculture practices such as low external inputs sustainable aquaculture, associated mangrove aquaculture and multi-trophic srhimp aquaculture.

Shanghai Ocean University is offering master and PhD scholarships for aquaculture and hydrobiology-related majors interested in studying rice-fish farming in the Lancang Mekong River area. The scholarship programme is open to nationals of Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam who are less than 35 years old and have a bachelor degree with good academic record. The scholarships include full tuition fee waiver, accommodation, living allowance and medical insurance. Applications close 30 May 2021.

In this issue:

13th Technical Advisory Committee; Presentation of the State of World Aquaculture and Regional Aquaculture Reviews 2020; Online training course on mariculture technologies for the Asia-Pacific region; Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, January-March 2020; Regional Webinar on Infection with Decapod Iridescent Virus 1 (DIV1) and Preparedness for Emerging Shrimp Diseases; China announces import measures to respond to nucleic acid positives of COVID-19 detected from the outer packaging of frozen white leg shrimp from Ecuador.

The workshop was held from 10-12 July 2019, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The objectives of the workshop were to i) assess the current status of underutilised aquatic genetic resources at the regional level and to assess R&D status of priority species with potential for use in food and agriculture; ii) discuss knowledge gaps and regional priorities concerning underutilised genetic resources and create awareness on their role and value for diversification of food supplies and livelihoods; and iii) formulate strategies for strengthening the institutional framework for management and conservation of genetic resources at the regional level.

The 11th Symposium on Diseases in Asian Aquaculture (DAA11) marks 30 years since the Fish Health Section - Asean Fisheries Society (FHS-AFS) establishment and it will be celebrated in Malaysia. Local hosts, the Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOF) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry together with the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Sarawak (MANRED) will be organising the event in cooperation with the FHS-AFS.