In this issue:

High-health postlarvae a prerequisite for sustainability of the Indian shrimp industry. Broodstock and all-female scampi grow out ponds in south India. Genetically modified fish and potential applications. Rainbow trout farming in hill terraces of Nepal. Sugar industry by-products as plankton boosters and yield enhancers in carp culture. Growth and production of Penaeus monodon in low saline culture systems. Poor households raise prawns for export. Marine fish marketing in Bangladesh.

In this issue:

NACA Governing Council endorses new work programme, elects Sena De Silva as next Director General. RapiDot Kit - Farmer friendly kit for WSSV detection. Regional mariculture program strengthened. Economics and marketing analysis of the live reef fish food trade in the Asia-Pacific. Workshop on molecular techniques in aquaculture and seafood safety, Mangalore, India. Better-practice approaches for culture-based fisheries development in Asia. High-level Bahrain fisheries deletation visits Iran. First monthly meeting of fish farmers at One-stop Aqua Shop in Punjab Pakistan. Fish breeding training program for farmers of OAS, Kaipara. Provincial workshops on National Fisheries Policy and Strategy Framework held in Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan. Monitoring and evaluating the impacts of aquaculture on the agency and well-being of women. STREAM welcomes AYAD volunteer. Workshop to strengthen aquatic animal health capacity and biosecurity in ASEAN. Asian Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture (AFITA) 2006 in Bangalore. Aquaculture rehabilitation project launched by Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

This report describes the experiences and lessons learnt from activities conducted by NACA in Viet Nam to support the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector using better management practices and harmonised strategies for the management of aquatic animal health and environmental problems. Achievements included reducing the risk of diseases from seed and on farms, developing capacity at the provincial and national levels, developing an effective surveillance system and wide dissemination of experiences.

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 2005, 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.

This report provides insight into the status of the shrimp trade in Vietnam, including policy environment, export capacity, production chain, distribution channels, markets and constraints. The report also reviews the livelihoods of poor stakeholders, including women, in shrimp market chains from input service supply, seed and broodstock supply, grow out, trade and processing. The report provides recommendations for policy makers and stakeholders in improving the livelihoods of poor stakeholders in shrimp market chains.