This article describes the international Consortium Programme on Shrimp Farming and the Environment, which was formed based on the recommendations of the World Bank review on shrimp aquaculture and the environment (1998), a 1999 NACA/WWF meeting in Bangkok, Thailand on shrimp management practices, and an FAO Bangkok technical consultation on policies for sustainable shrimp aquaculture (12/1997). The article was prepared for publication in InterCoast Issue #39, Cross Portfolio Learning for Enhancing Integrated Coastal Management.

This collection of publications originates from the International Consortium Program on Shrimp Farming and the Environment, which was implemented by the World Bank, the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The consortium supported 35 complementary case studies prepared by more than 100 researchers in more than 20 shrimp farming countries.

The Manual of Procedures for the Implementation of the Asia Regional Technical Guidelines on Health Management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals provides background material and detailed technical procedures to assist countries and territories in the Asia Region in implementing the Asia Regional Technical Guidelines on Health Management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals. The Technical Guidelines were initiated due to increased recognition that disease emergence is often linked to live aquatic animal movements.

The Asia Regional Technical Guidelines on Health Management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals and their associated implementation plan, the Beijing Consensus and Implementation Strategy provide expert guidance for national and regional efforts in reducing the risks of disease due to trans-boundary movement of live aquatic animals. The Technical Guidelines were initiated due to increased recognition that disease emergence is often linked to live aquatic animal movements and causes significant socio-economic losses.

The sixteen papers in this volume were largely based on the data from a survey of more than 5,000 shrimp and close to 6,000 carp farms in sixteen countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region. They provide an economic and technical efficiency of production analysis for Asian shrimp and carp farming systems. This survey was conducted under the ADB/NACA regional study and workshop on aquaculture sustainability and the environment (RETA 5534).

In this issue:

Freshwater prawn Macrobrachium nobilii for rural nutrition. Snapshots of a socially responsible farm in Sri Lanka. Introduction of rainbow trout in Nepal. Tilapia seed production in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Seaweed mariculture - scope and potential in India. Growth enhancement of carp and prawn through dietary suppliementation with salt. Fertilisation and water quality management in small ponds. The "Gher Revolution". Exercising responsibilities to tackle aquatic animal disease. Immunostimulants in aquaculture.

In this issue:

Health Advisory Group urges vigilance and preparedness against emerging disease. New Zealand farmer helps train Asian aquaculturists. Mr Junaidi Che Ayub. Global Aquaculture Discussion Forum, Dhaka, Bangladesh. STREAM Conducts Livelihood Capacity-building in the Philippines, India. MPEDA/NACA shrimp farmer workshop held in Andhra Pradesh, India. Learning by Doing - Fisheries and Adaptive Learning. NACA cooperation expanded to shrimp health management in Vietnam. 150 people trained in Q3-Q4, 2003. International Symposium on Freshwater Prawns Held at Kochi, India. Developing an online aquaculture community for NACA.

In this issue:

Peri-urban aquaculture in Kolkata. Diffusion and adoption of shrimp farming technologies. Aquaculture education in India. Information system on fish germplasm resources in China. Freshwater crustacean aquaculture in China. The role of macronutrients. Innovations by Bengal farmers. Scientific guidelines for freshwater prawn farmers in India. Status of mariculture in Indonesia. Use of probiotics in larval rearing. Problems in shrimp culture during the wet season.

In this issue:

Recommendations of the Aquamarkets Consultation 2003. EC-funded project targets seafood trade and poverty. Shrimp disease control and coastal management. Fisheries and Adaptive Learning project. Shrimp aquaculture certification: Request for information & advice on a new web site. Workshop on control and responsible use of alien species. MPEDA/NACA Technical Assistance on Shrimp Health and Coastal Management. Changes to the regional list of aquatic animal diseases. STREAM SAPA Stakeholder Workshop in Hanoi. Regional Training Course on Grouper Hatchery Production. Review on low food chain species for marine fish culture. NACA/Deakin University to visit Indonesia 2-7 April 2003.

In this issue:

Fertilisation, soil and water quality management. Commercialisation of giant freshwater prawn culture in India. Aquaculture in reservoir-fed canal systems. Production of black-lip pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera. Hybridisation hassles. Breeding sea cucumber Holothuria scabra in Vietnam. Use of palm kernel meal in feeds. Getting the most out of your feed. Marine finfish aquaculture in Myanmar. Penaeus monodon culture in low-salinity areas. Fisheries and aquaculture in Nepal.