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.

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.