The 84th edition of the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report contains information from eleven governments. The foreword discusses meetings of the ad hoc Steering Committee of the Regional Collaboration Framework on Aquatic Animal Health in Asia and the Pacific.

This report was prepared by the 18th Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health (AG) that met at Bangkok, Thailand on 18-19 November 2019. The group discussed OIE standards and global issues, review of regional disease status, reports on the aquatic animal health programmes of partner agencies, and disease reporting.

The 11th Symposium on Diseases in Asian Aquaculture (DAA11) marks 30 years since the Fish Health Section - Asean Fisheries Society (FHS-AFS) establishment and it will be celebrated in Malaysia. Local hosts, the Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOF) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry together with the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Sarawak (MANRED) will be organising the event in cooperation with the FHS-AFS.

The Advisory Group (AG) is a body of technical experts that meets annually to provide advice to NACA member governments on aquatic animal health management. The group is drawn from academia, the private sector and government. The role of the AG is to review disease trends in the region, identify emerging threats and developments in global aquatic disease issues and standards, evaluate the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Reporting Programme operated by NACA/FAO/OIE and regional governments, and to provide guidance on strategies to improve aquatic animal health management. This year’s meeting took place from 18-19 November at the Amari Don Muang Airport Hotel in Bangkok.

NACA and the Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation collaborated to organise a study tour programme focused on shrimp operations in Thailand for fourteen Bangladesh officers during 29 April to 2 May 2019. The study tour was supported by the Winrock Foundation and coordinated by Dr Cherdsak, the outgoing Director General of NACA. The group met with CP Executives, DOF-Thailand and Banjong Farm in Chachoengsao Province.