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.

It has been recognised that farmers’ innovations are crucial in order to achieve cumulative growth, both economically and socially. However, several social, political, economical and environmental factors have hampered farmers’ innovation, such as lack of information on aquaculture, inadequate science and technology policies and lack of governmental support. The panel will assess crucial factors needed to promote, encourage and support farmers’ innovative processesand transform developing countries to innovatoin-driven economies.

Presentation of the summary, conclusions and recommendations of Thematic Session 5 (Improving knowledge, information, research, extension and communication on aquaculture).

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.

In this issue:

Relative efficacies of lobsters Panulirus ornatus and P. homarus cultured using pellet feeds and trash fish, Vietnam. Tilapia in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Marketing low-value cultured fish in Bangladesh: An evaluation of value chain. Current practices of rice field eel Monopterus albus culture in Vietnam. Self-help group makes fisherwomen self-relian: A story of success. Small indigenous freshwater fish species of India: Significance, conservation and utilisation. 

In this issue:

Expert Workshop on Inland Fisheries Resource Enhancement and Conservation in Asia. Reviews in Aquaculture: Special issue on the Use and Exchange of Aquatic Genetic Resources. Dr Ayyappan becomes the Director General of ICAR. CIBA training course - capacity building on entrepreneurship development in coastal aquaculture. Success Stories in Asian Aquaculture - now available for free download! Giant Prawn 2011. Peer reviewed publications. Meetings address climate change impacts on small scale milkfish farmers in the Philippines.

This is the manual for the "train the trainers" course aiming to increase the capacity of small-scale farmers in ASEAN countries. The manual focusses on five countries and commodities: Snakehead (Cambodia), Tilapia (Thailand), seaweed (Philippines), marine fish (Indonesia) and shrimp (Vietnam). In this volume, lectures presented by experts are included. The training program included technical aspects related to the culture of commodities, marketing, access to information, organization of farmer groups, gender and good culture practices.

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.

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:

Success Stories in Asian Aquaculture. Twelfth Regular Session of Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Training of trainers programme will strengthen small scale farmer competitiveness in ASEAN. Workshop on development of better management practices for catfish farming in the Mekong Delta organised in Vietnam. Vulnerability & adaption of climate change impacts on catfish farming - case study Can Tho, Vietnam. NACA welcomes Dr Nigel Abery, Coordinator of the Adaption of aquaculture to climate change project. EU supports better management practices for responsible aquaculture. Myanmar delegation visits CIFA to study aquaculture.

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.

In this issue:

Lao PDR becomes the 18th member of NACA at the 20th GCM. Vietnamese catfish farmers visit Andhra Pradesh, India. Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010. Expert Meeting on the Use and Exchange of Aquatic Genetic Resources. Culture, capture conflicts: sustaining fish production and livelihoods in Indonesian reservoirs. Regional Grouper Hatchery Training Course, 11 - 31 October 2009. Sri Lankan group trained in cage culture in Thailand. First step towards the creation of a network of aquaculture centres in the Americas.

In this issue:

GLOBALGAP standard in Thai shrimp farms: Mission (im)possible? The Victorian trout industry and the bushfires. Small-scale aquaculture in the Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar. The history, status and future prospects of monosex tilapia culture in Thailand. Mangroves of Nakhon Si Thammaarat Province in Souther Thailand. Induced breeding of pacu Piaractus brachypomus in captivity. Fumosins - mycotoxins of increasing importance in fish. Microsatellite DNA markers, a fisheries perspective. Formulated feed for tiger grouper grow out.

In this issue:

Myanmar revisited. Harvesting, traditional preservation and marketing of fishes of Chalan Beel, Bangladesh. Role of community in production and supply of larger, quality fingerlings. Can rice-fish farming provide food security in Bangladesh? Nutritional and food security for rural poor through multi-commodity production from a lake of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Emerging boost in Sri Lankan reservoir fish production. Farming the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium malcolmnsonii. Breeding and seed production of catfish Ompok pabda.

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.