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 2009, 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.

Over the past few decades inland fisheries resources have come under increasing pressure from water engineering projects, pollution and overfishing. FAO and NACA convened an expert workshop to review inland fisheries resource enhancement and conservation practices in Pattaya, Thailand, 8-11 February. Experts from 10 Asian countries attended the meeting to share experiences and lessons learned. Regional collaborative efforts are required to facilitate assessment of current inland fisheries resource enhancement and conservation practices.

The production from inland capture fisheries in Thailand is about 1 million tonnes per annum. Engineering the environment and fish stocking are the two major practices adopted, and closed-season fishing as well as control of fishing gears are used for conservation purposes. Fish stocking programs date back to the 1950s have been continuously conducted. This presentation provides a historical perspective on stock enhancement practices in Thailand since the 1950s.

Inland fisheries resource enhancement has been considered a major component of reservoir fisheries management since 1962. Multipurpose reservoir construction commenced about the 1960s for irrigation, hydropower generation and flood control. Reservoir fisheries are always a secondary or tertiary activity and are given low priority; however stocking has been considered a major component of reservoir fisheries management. This presentation reviews the history of and changes to stock enhancement practices in Vietnamese reservoirs since the 1960s.

In this issue:

Development of modern aquaculture in Java, Indonesia. Better management practices - gateway to sustainability. Update on organic scampi aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh. Domestic fish marketing in south India. Seed rearing of catfish Clarias batrachus. Supply and use of catfish Pangasianodon hypopthalmus seed in the Mekong Delta. Risk analysis and sustainability of catfish seed in the Mekong Delta. Life of a river in the Himalaya: Ecological study of the Trisuli River, Nepal and more.

In this issue:

Inception meeting on methodologies for aquaculture society certification. Meetings discuss impacts, adaptation to climate change of Vietnamese shrimp farmers. Aquaclimate project: India case study. In memory of Gagan Bahadur Nhuchhe Pradhan. Version 2 of the draft better management practices for catfish farming released. Technical course on federating digital library systems.

In this issue:

Mussel farming initiatives in North Kerala, India. Selective study on availability of indigenous fish with ornamental value in West Bengal. Aquaculture livelihoods centre in Aceh, Indonesia. e-Sagu Aqua - an innovative information and communication technology model for transfer of technology for aquaculture. Freshwater pearl crop: An emerging enterprise in the Indian subcontinent. Preliminary risk assessment of Pacific white shrimp (P. vannamei) introduced to Thailand for aquaculture. Black gill disease of lobster and more.

In this issue:

Community management and revenue sharing practices of culture-based fisheries in Lao PDR. Floodplain aquaculture in Bangladesh. Promoting small-scale inland aquaculture in Papua New Guinea. Group approaches to shrimp farming: The key to sustainability. Native catfish culture - a technology package for farmers. Influence of salinity in the growth of the black clam Villorita cyprinoides. EUS in Asia and Africa. Offshore opportunities for artisinal aquaculture. Grouper aquaculture in Brazil. 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 2008, 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:

9th Technical Advisory Committee meeting and 30th anniversary of FFRC. Training Workshop on the Use of Molecular Genetics in Conservation held at USM, Malaysia. Japan International Award for NACA Staff. Consortium on freshwater finfish genetics and breeding. Shrimp Farming eNews. Seventh Meeting of the Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health. Sri Lankans learn pisciculture at CIFA. India's Central Institute for Freshwater Aquaculture observes 33rd Foundation day.

During 2002, slow growth of farmed Penaeus monodon was reported throughout shrimp growing areas of Thailand and figures indicated that annual production volume was reduced by approximately 36%. The cause of this slow growth was not determined but laboratory trails suggested that a filterable infectious agent was involved. Injected extracts affected P. monodon but not P. vannamei. The slow growth condition was referred to as monodon slow growth syndrome or MSGS. This disease card provides an overview.

In this issue:

An increasingly secure future for wastewater-fed aquaculture in Kolkata, India? First culture-based fisheries growth cycle in Lao PDR is overhwelmingly encouraging. Revival of abandoned shrimp farms in Andhra Pradesh. Growth of industries linked with aquaculture in Kolleru Lake area, India. Applications of nutritional biotechnology in aquaculture. Technical and management aspects of catfish hatcheries in Vietnam. Asian seabass farming. Mariculture development opportunities in southeast Sulawesi, and much more.

In this issue:

Regional technical cooperation in reducing dependence on trash fish. Culture, capture conflicts in Indonesian reservoirs: Phase 2. Progress on the IFC/NACA ACEH Shrimp Project. Indian shrimp farmer societies succeed through better management practices. Multidisciplinary situation appraisal of mangrove ecosystems in Thailand. New CIFA Director appointed. FAO Glossary of Aquaculture.

Fish and fish products are crucial in the nutrition and livelihoods of the Myanmar people. However, little information is available on their patterns of consumption, inter-regional differences, availability and types of fish consumed. This report is the outcome of two concurrent missions, one to coastal areas and one to inland areas. The report includes the findings of the missions as well as conclusions and recommendations in support of the long-term sustainability of fishery resources in Myanmar.

This technical paper provides an analysis of the economic implications of, and the reasons for, adopting various feeding practices for different fish species and aquaculture systems in Asia. The systems studied include extensive/traditional, semi-intensive and intensive farms for a number of different species including sutchi and pangasiid catfishes (Bangladesh and Viet Nam), hybrid catfish (Thailand), carp polyculture (India and China), prawn and milkfish polyculture (the Philippines).

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 2007, 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.

IDRC and NACA convened a workshop to identify the main research issues and needs to sustain Asian aquaculture into the first quarter of the 21st century, and also to bring them to the notice of relevant planners, managers and policy makers, and potential donors. The workshop was held in Rayong, Thailand from 4-7 June 2007. This report contains the issues papers drafted in preparation for the meeting and a summary of the discussions.

In this issue:

Developing guidelines for sustainable freshwater aquaculture planning in Vietnam. Aquaculture production, certification and trade for small-scale farmers. Backyard hatcheries for crustaceans in Thailand. Alternative carp species for diversification in India. Genetic and reproduction technologies for aquaculture and fisheries management of Murray cod. Status of sahar domestication in Nepal. Comparative advantage analysis of shrimp production in Asia. Strategies to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor, Vietnam, and more.

In this issue:

Better management practices for catfish aquaculture in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Developing better management practices for marine finfish aquaculture. Workshop on modelling carrying capacity for tropical finfish cage culture: Towards a consensus view. First comprehensive genetic management plan for Asian fish species: Mahseer. NACA and World Fisheries Trust sign agreement on collaboration. Fish Health Master Class. Second Workshop on Application of Molecular Genetic Techniques in Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Management. Two new species of spiny eels described from Myanmar. Importance of species identification in conservation. Koh Yao Noi mangrove replanting in celebration of 80th birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand. Responsible movement of live food finfish within ASEAN: Implementation workshop. Consultation on aquaculture certification guidelines. Strengthening regional mechanisms to maximise benefits to small-holder shrimp farmer groups adopting better management practices.

In this issue:

A different form of dumping: The need for a precautionary approach for yet another new species for shrimp farming in Asia. Sustainable livelihoods of pangus farming in Bangladesh. Business approach to national broodstock centres in Vietnam. Freshwater aquaculture in Myanmar. Traditional carp culture in Central Europe. Egg and larval quality in sand bass Psammoperca weigiensis. Effect of protein and lipid level of growth performance of tiger grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus.