This study is a continuation of “Evaluation of the impact of the Indian Ocean tsunami and US antidumping duties on the shrimp farming sector of South and South-East Asia” with the aim of assessing the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the introduction of anti-dumping duties on shrimp farming in the Asian region, with special focus on the effect that these unforeseen events had on shrimp prices and livelihoods of the stakeholders.

In this issue:

Visit to the AwF funded small-scale aquaculture project in Nepal. Success story of the Barakhandapat Ornamental Fish Breeding Unit, India. From Kyoto 1976 to Bangkok 2000 and Phuket 2010: Aquaculture development and personal transitions. Embryonic and larval development of Waigieu seaperch Psammoperca waigiensis. Culture feasibility of freshwater mullet Rhinomugil corsula in ponds in India. Management in seed production of an endangered catfish Horabagrus brachysoma during its hatchery phase.

In this issue:

First ever Ministerial Meeting on aquaculture. Keynote address delivered by His Excellency, Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka. Farewell Sena and welcome Eknath! 2nd Regional Training Course on Application of Business Management Principles in Small Scale Aquaculture. Consultation on Lake and Reservoir Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Asia. Asia Regional Seminar on Certification for Small Scale Aquaculture in Thailand. Special issue of the AFS Journal: Integrated technologies for advanced shrimp production. Farmers as Stakeholders in Commercial Aquaculture: Free download. Marker for banned antibiotic naturally occurs in freshwater prawns and other crustaceans.

Opening ceremony of the National Workshop on Scaling up of Shrimp Better Management Practices at the National Level, held in India, July 2011.

Sena De Silva presents on better management practices and cooperatives as a means for small-scale farmers to ramain competitive and sustainable.

C.V. Mohan presents on aquaculture certification and market access and the implications for small-scale farmers.

Sureel Singh presents on Fair trade as an enabling mechanism for small-scale farmers in India.

G. Rajkumar presents on adoption of better management practices for shrimp farming via small-scale farmer cooperatives in India.

Richard Callinan presents on lessons learned in ACIAR's shrimp BMP programmes in Indonesia.

Baskaran Manimaran presents on the Central Aquaculture Authority and scaling up of better management practices for shrimp farming in India.

Better management practices have proved to be a highly effective tool for the Indian shrimp farming industry. Work to extend adoption of the practices is ongoing and in this view a national workshop was held in Chennai, 16-18 May 2011 at the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture to discuss scaling up strategies, to extend the concept to new areas and to involve more farmers and identify lessons learned that can be applied elsewhere.

This project was conducted to demonstrate small scale shrimp farmer group access to international markets through certification schemes. This project proved that small-scale farmers organised into groups, can improve their technical capacities, and achieve access to markets. This achievement was the result of strong partnerships with producers, private sector and government agencies assisting to develop a sustainable business model for small scale aquaculture. Cost of compliance was found to be a significant barrier to entry.

International requirements on food safety, traceability, animal health and welfare and social responsibility are increasingly stringent. The burden of compliance and the cost of certification are particularly heavy for small scale farmers who are often excluded by the limited resources at their disposal. Working in groups can help small scale farmers attain economies of scale necessary to address compliance issues and participate in certification schemes, improving their competitive position.

In this issue:

A visit to Vientianne, Lao PDR. Development of captive broodstock of giant river prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Alien introduction and its impact on native fisheries and aquatic bioiversity of West Bengal, India. Ecological impacts of exotic fish species in India. Farm-made feeds support good growth and survivial of the humpback grouper. An easy way to hold live fish. Litopenaeus vannamei introduction: Sound management or expediency? Newsletter and more.

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 2010, 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 Vietnam, small scale farmers and other stakeholders involved in aquaculture perceive that climate changes such as frequent extreme weather events have serious impacts on their farming systems. Farmers have started to adapt by changing the management practices. Institutional initiatives that have been introduced includes provision of budget for climate change response for aquaculture, aquaculture area planning and monitoring, government financial support, policy on mangrove planting for coastal protection and development of farmer associations.

The conference was organised by FAO, the Thai Department of Fisheries and NACA and held in the Mövenpick Resort and Spa, Phuket, Thailand, 22-25 September. The conference was the third in a series of aquaculture development conferences, following on from the Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium held in Bangkok 2000, and the FAO Technical Conference on Aquaculture, held in Kyoto 1976.

In this issue:

Recent developments and future prospects of inland aquaculture in Asia. Factors influencing success of Penaeus vannamei culture. Freshwater prawn farming in a carbon-nitrogen controlled periphyton-based system: A sustainable approach to increase stagnant pond productivity. Constraints to fish production in community ponds in Orissa, India. Continued confidence in inland fisheries developmentg of a Sri Lankan youth begins to pay off. The Asia-Pacific Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report: 12 years and beyond.

Infectious myonecrosis is a viral disease caused by infectious myonecrosis virus. It affects Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei, tiger shrimp P. monodon and blue shrimp P. stylirostris. IMN is associated with heavy losses in farmed shrimp of 40-70%. Originally reported from Brazil, outbreaks were first reported in Indonesia in May 2006. With the current spread of the disease there is a high threat of the disease spreading to neighbouring P. vannamei-producing countries.

The Phuket Consensus is a declaration on aquaculture development endorsed by participants of the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010, held in Phuket, Thailand, 22-25 September. The consensus builds on the Bangkok Declaration, which was formulated at the International Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium, held in Bangkok, 20-25 February 2000. The consensus and declaration provide strategic guidance on sustainable development of aquaculture considering social, environmental, technical and economic issues.