In this issue:

Trends in water chestnut Trapa bispinosa farming in West Bengal, India; Improving livelihoods and increasing coastal resilience: A look at integrated mangrove-shrimp aquaculture in Vietnam; Snow trout fisheries in Arunachal Pradesh of the Eastern Himalayas; Gender issues in the fisheries sector of India; NACA Newsletter.

Water chestnut Trapa bispinosa (or paanifol in Bengali vernacular) is a perennial aquatic herb and economically important crop of lentic freshwater bodies. It is commercially cultivated for its edible fruit in shallow perennial ponds, wetlands and railway track-side water bodies. The fruit are harvested only in the post-monsoon until the beginning of winter. This article describes the farming and management of water chestnut, market chains, economic returns and role of this crop in the livelihoods of farmers in West Bengal, India.

In the last decade, integrated mangrove-shrimp aquaculture has emerged as a means of cultivating shrimp while maintaining the benefits of rearing shrimp in their natural environment. Furthermore, mangrove-shrimp aquaculture provides an additional means for farmers to secure livelihoods. Increased mangrove coverage provides considerable benefits to ecosystems and communities. Mangrove forests have also been shown to increase coastal resilience to climate change as they mitigate the effects of climate change and erosion. This research attempts to assess the feasibility of large scale implementation of integrated mangrove-shrimp aquaculture in coastal Vietnam.

The Advisory Group (AG) is a body of technical experts that meets annually to provide advice to NACA member governments on aquatic animal health management. The group is drawn from academia, the private sector and government. The role of the AG is to review disease trends in the region, identify emerging threats and developments in global aquatic disease issues and standards, evaluate the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Reporting Programme operated by NACA/FAO/OIE and regional governments, and to provide guidance on strategies to improve aquatic animal health management. This year’s meeting took place from 18-19 November at the Amari Don Muang Airport Hotel in Bangkok.

In this issue:

Collection of tubifex worms from the Adi Ganga canal, West Bengal as means of livelihood; Some facts for the grow-out culture of an endangered catfish, Clarias magur; The cryptic domain of gut microbiota in composite culture of Indian major carps; Integrated rice-fish farming in hilly terraces of the Apatani Plateau, Arunachal Pradesh.

Rice-fish farming is a popular activity amongst the Apatani tribe of the Ziro valley, conducted in their wet rice terraces. The strains of fish cultured include mirror carp Cyprinus carpio specularis, scale carp C. carpio communis and leather carp C. carpio nudus, cultivated synchronously with local rice cultivars (Oryza sativa), viz. eamo, ampu, mipya, pyapu, pyaping and eylang. This article describes the integrated farming practices and socio-economic circumstances of the Apatani in the Yachuli, Hapoli, Hong, Hari, Hija, Bula, Dutta and Old Ziro villages.

In this issue:

Current status of freshwater cage aquaculture in India; Fattening of mud crab Scylla serrata in estuarine region of south-eastern West Bengal; Aquaponics - sustainable farming method in the fight against hunger; aquatic invasive apple snails (Pomacea spp.) in Timore-Leste - current status, spread and management in rice fields; NACA Newsletter.

Aquaponics is a closed-loop system in which the waste water produced from a tank of fish is used as fertiliser to feed a bed of vegetation. In turn, the plant life filters the water through its roots and the cleaned water is returned to the fish tank for reuse. Aquaponics is a form of integrated food production system in which the wastes from one production compartment are used as inputs for others.

In this issue:

Concept of seed production of Heteropneustes fossilis in farmers' fields in West Bengal, India; Fishing gear and practices in flood waters of Assam; Fisherwomen empowerment: Shedding light on the invisible gender; Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture systems: A solution of sustainability.

Marine aquaculture of high value species such as fish is generally reliant on external food supplies and has a negative impact on water quality, generating high organic and nutrient loadings. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture offers a solution to reduce environmental impact of farming systems, culturing complimentary species that can recycle nutrients and reduce nutrient pollution while generating additional products for sale. This article looks at species selection and integration of trophic levels in system design.