The Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010 reviewed the present status and trends in aquaculture development, addressed emerging issues relevant to aquaculture development, assessed opportunities and challenges for future aquaculture development and built consensus on advancing aquaculture as a global, sustainable and competitive food production sector. This volume provides information on how aquaculture could be mobilized to alleviate global poverty and improve food and nutrition security in the coming decades.

In this issue:

Shrimp farming in Andhra Pradesh, India. Small indigenous freshwater fish species in village community ponds to ensure nutritional security of rural poor. Postlarvae culture and technical status of whiteleg shrimp Penaeus vannamei hatcheries, Vietnam. Jatropha meal as a promising plant protein source for aquaculture feeds. Use of soybean meal in cobia diets. Capture based aquaculture of spiny lobster Panulirus polyphagus in open sea cages. Institutional linkage helping rural women gain employment.

This practical manual "Guide to establishment of community-based aquaculture management groups" was prepared by the national team of Vietnam under the ASEAN Foundation supported project "Strengthening capacity of small holder ASEAN aquaculture farmers for competitive and sustainable aquaculture".

This manual is intended for the use by the current and prospective small-scale farmer groups who are interested in obtaining accreditation for their production process. The objective is to provide them an easy-to-follow, stepwise guide that can be used as a practical tool in their venture of attaining group certification. However, this can be used by the field extension officers and certifiers who are directly involved in the process or other interested parties.

This practical manual covers key aspects for successful grouper farming including formation of farmer groups, cage crop planning, crop calendar and better management practices for cage aquaculture of grouper. These include site selection, design, cage preparation, seed selection and stocking practices, feed, water and health management, harvest and post-harvest, record keeping, marketing and capital strengthening. It is designed for use by small-scale farmers.

This practical manual "Better management practices for seaweed farming" is produced by the Philippines national team under the ASEAN Foundation supported project "Strengthening capacity of small holder ASEAN aquaculture farmers for competitive and sustainable aquaculture" implemented by NACA in five ASEAN countries. The long-term objective of the project was to assist ASEAN small- scale aquaculture farmers improve their livelihoods by being competitive in markets and improving farm management practices to deliver quality and sustainably produced aquaculture products.

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.

M.C. Nandeesha presents on opportunities for educational institutions to scale up better management practices for shrimp farming.

In this issue:

Seaweed farming in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Scaling up better management practices: Empowering small scale farmers. Animal welfare for farmed fish...is Asia-Pacific ready? Aquaculture field schools as an extension methodology. Successful seed production of cobia, Rachycentron canadum in India. 22nd Governing Council Meeting and a new Director General. NACA receives the Magarita Lizárraga Medal. NACA receives Gold Medal Award from the Asian Fisheries Society. Striped catfish farming in the Mekong Delta and more.

The workshop was held in Chennai, India from 16-18 May 2011, at the Central Institute for Brackishwater Aquaculture. It was convened as an activity of the ASEM Aquaculture Platform, funded by the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme. The main purpose of the national workshop was to develop practical scaling up strategies at the national level and build consensus for an implementation plan for wider adoption of shrimp BMPs through a cluster management approach.

Tài liệu này là phiên bản thứ 3.0 về “Thực hành quy phạm thực hành quản lý tốt hơn (BMP) cho nghề nuôi cá tra vùng Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, Việt Nam”. Phiên bản này được chỉnh sửa từ phiên bản 2.0 dựa trên kết quả thí nghiệm ở 11 điểm trình diễn tự nguyện thực hiện theo BMP phiên bản 2.0 và ý kiến phản hồi của các hộ tham gia trình diễn và các nhóm liên quan khác trong các đợt hội thảo. Cùng với tài liệu này, nông dân cũng được dự án cung cấp một bản hướng dẫn BMP đơn giản hơn bằng tiếng Việt (chỉ bao gồm các bước thực hiện BMP) và sổ ghi chép các hoạt động hằng ngày. “Gói tài liệu” này được phổ biến đến người nuôi nhằm thúc đẩy quá trình ứng dụng BMP vào nghề nuôi cá tra ở Việt Nam.

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.

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:

Collaborative project "Grouper/cluster certification of aqua societies" completed. Report of the Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health available. Guidelines on Aquaculture Society Certification released. Listen to us online. Workshop on ecosystem approach to inland fisheries: Data needs and implementation strategies. Disease advisory: Infectious myonecrosis (IMN) status and threat. 7th Regional Grouper Hatchery Production Training Course, 25 September - 15 October, Situbondo, Indonesia.

This document is Version 3.0 of “Better Management Practices for Catfish Aquaculture in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam”. It incorporates revisions of previous versions and experiences from demonstration farms, as well as feedback from a National CatFish BMP Workshop, held 23-24 November 2010 in Long Xuyen City, An Giang Province, involving all stakeholders of the tra/striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) farming sector of the Lower Mekong Delta. A Vietnamese translation is available.

In this issue:

Rapidly changing aquaculture scene in the Red River Delta, Vietnam. Current situation and challenges for the farming of snakeheads in the Mekong Delta. Is there a business case for small-holders in Vietnamese pangasius? Small scale prawn culture practices towards sustainable development in Chittagong region, Bangladesh. Gloating hapa technology for the mass production of tilapia Oreochromis niloticus in Bangladesh. Management in seed production of golden mahseer Tor putitora in hatchery condictions.

Aquaculture has transitioned rapidly over the past decade to reach global status as a critical source of nutritious and safe food. Research, extension, policy and information systems are powerful mechanisms that must address several dimensions of food security at once. Intuition-based aquaculture is being systematically replaced by science-based practices and improved technologies from world-class research institutions and new innovations by entrepreneurial farmers and private companies.

Looking back to Kyoto (June 1976) and the last global conference, the Millennium Conference (February 2000), there was a clear recognition of the importance of networking and related forms of knowledge sharing and learning. This panel reviews examples of knowledge sharing networks using knowledge platforms and different knowledge management activities. It is expected that such networking and wider knowledge sharing activities will intensify and we suggest a number of new future directions drawn from other sectors.

How do we ensure that the benefits from aquaculture growth are pro-poor and gender equitable? In science, some gender-disaggregated statistics are collected by the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators programme. Akin to farming and fishing, aquaculture is usually assumed to be largely the domain of men. Minimal progress has been made in addressing gender issues in aquaculture, even though some researchers, activists and development agencies are recognising and raising the profile of the issues.