Thailand

This video by Chokanan Prompichai, NACA, presents two promising innovations aimed at reducing antimicrobial use (AMU) in aquaculture, showcased as part of Thailand’s National Innovation and Investment Plan (NIIP) and via the IDRC-funded InnoVet-AMR 2.0 Project. NanoVac, developed by AIT, uses nanobubbles to deliver vaccines to tilapia, while ShrimpGuard, developed by BIOTEC and KU, is a bacteriophage-based solution for managing shrimp diseases. Both technologies offer potential to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) without leaving chemical residues. The presentation compares their readiness, challenges, and adoption, incorporating feedback from shrimp farmers across Thailand. It highlights the need for cost-effective, easy-to-use solutions that align with farmers' real-world needs and regulatory frameworks.

The project evaluated the effectiveness of various types of nature-based solution (NbS) in Thailand that contribute to climate change resilience by enabling off-grid farm operations and reducing reliance on costly fossil fuels. Aquaculture enterprises were assessed for this project based on the NbS they utilised and the potential benefits they offer in mitigating climate change impacts and enhancing production systems in Thailand. Three enterprises / innovations were selected and are described within.

In this issue:

• Report of the 23rd Asia regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health.
• Sign up for our new Email Newsletter!
• AQUAINNOVATE: An AquaHub Event.
• Workshop on sustainable brine shrimp Artemia cultivation, 17 February, Tashkent.
• Tuskfish CMS V2.1 released.
• TCRS Shrimp Summit to spotlight issues.
• Global Artemia Summit: 27 June, Entebbe, Uganda.

NACA and FUTUREFISH invite aquaculture innovators to apply for Aqua-Innovate: Scaling Nature-Based Solutions in Aquaculture, a 5-day innovation workshop to be held from May 12–16 in Bangkok, Thailand.

This event will bring together startups, researchers, solution providers, seafood producers, and investors to identify commercially viable and scalable nature-based solutions to the challenges facing aquaculture. Our goal is to transform the aquaculture industry through innovations, and nature-based solutions practices. 

Selected participants will receive targeted mentoring and support to refine their ideas and explore real-world applications and partnerships. If you're developing a product, service, or approach that supports sustainable seafood production, we encourage you to apply.

Join us to share your stories, collaborate on identifying challenges, and co-create solutions together. We invite you to engage with us and explore how you can be part of this transformative journey.

In this issue:

• FAO programme supports national innovation and investment plans for aquaculture transformation.
• 14th Asian Fisheries Forum, 12-15 February 2025 register now!
• Saudi International Marine Exhibition (SIMEC) 3-5 February 2025, Riyadh.
• Workshop on Sustainable Brine Shrimp Artemia Cultivation, 17 February, Tashkent.
• Status, technological innovations, and industry development needs of mud crab (Scylla spp.) aquaculture.
• Global Seaweed: New and Emerging Markets Report 2023.

In this issue:

• Training Programme on Safeguarding Artemia Resources for Aquaculture held in Rome.
• First International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium Conference and Members' Meeting, Ostend, Belgium.
• Inception workshop: Knowledge brokering for nature-based solutions in aquaculture transformation.
• Reported Aquatic Animal Diseases in the Asia-Pacific Region during the First Quarter of 2024.
• 14th Asian fisheries and Aquaculture Forum, India.
• PhD scholarships: Shanghai Ocean University PhD Programme 2025.

This project contributes to NACA's recent work with the FAO on aquaculture transformation. The aim is to create more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems through innovation, investment, and partnerships. NACA is developing an Aquaculture Innovation and Investment Hub (AIIH) to help realise this vision in the region, providing a facility that will bring together innovators, startups, and investors to accelerate transformation. The project will contribute to developing National Innovation and Investment Plans for Thailand, The Philippines, and Fiji, which will address issues including climate change, disease prevention and management, environmental sustainability, gender equality and social inclusion, and resource utilisation and management. The project is part of a wider AQUADAPT initiative, a four-year partnership running from 2023-2027, funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre.

Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is sponsoring the project "Knowledge Brokering for Nature-Based Solutions in Aquaculture Transformation in Asia-Pacific: Support to the Aquaculture Innovation and Investment Hub." The project is part of a wider IDRC AQUADAPT initiative, a four-year partnership running from 2023-2027. AQUADAPT addresses the intertwined challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity through applied research on nature-based solutions in aquaculture in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. AQUADAPT emphasises Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), ensuring that nature-based solutions are inclusive of all genders and marginalised groups. The project's inception workshop was held in Bangkok from July 4-5, bringing together project teams from Thailand, The Philippines, and Fiji to discuss approaches and methodologies. 

In this issue:

• NACA and Thailand's Department of Fisheries Strengthen Collaboration.
• Full-degree scholarships and research internship grants from Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.
• Manual on Artemia production and use.
• The Grass Carp Aquaculture Manual.
• Pacific oyster farming: A practical manual.
• The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024: Blue Transformation in action.
• Safeguarding salt lake brine shrimp (Artemia) resources for aquaculture: A training project.
• Reported Aquatic Animal Diseases in the Asia-Pacific Region during the Fourth Quarter of 2023.
• First International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium Conference, 9 September (hybrid event).

NACA's newly appointed Director General, Dr. Eduardo Leano, along with staff, paid a courtesy call to Mr. Bancha Sukkaew, the Director General of the Department of Fisheries (DOF), Thailand, and directors of DOF's divisions. Discussions centered on ongoing projects between NACA and DOF and explored opportunities for collaboration both in Thailand and the wider region. Mr. Sukkaew emphasized the need to improve food security in the Asia-Pacific region and the importance of cooperation in information sharing and R&D to enhance productivity and reduce costs. Thailand is currently participating in a NACA project on Knowledge brokering for nature-based solutions in aquaculture transformation in Asia-Pacific. The Thai team is identifying innovations and nature-based solutions in the aquaculture industry, as a contribution to the regional Aquaculture Innovation and Investment Hub, presently in development.

In 2023, FAO and NACA initiated a consultation process on aquaculture effluent management in Asia and the Pacific in collaboration with NACA member governments. Experts across the region gathered information to assess the state of governance, advancements in technology and innovation in aquaculture effluent management. The consultative process culminated in an expert workshop, convened from 14 to 15 November, funded by FAO, to share views and national experiences on aquaculture effluent management.

In this issue:

• How welfare assessments of farmed white leg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) can benefit the whole industry
• Thai Fish Project: A path towards a sustainable aquaculture
• Nationally-recognised ornamental fish breeder Kripan Sarkar - a man to remember
• Tilapia parvovirus disease: An emerging threat for the tilapia aquaculture industry
• Naihati fish seed market as state-of-the-art for sustainable support services to fish growers, buyers and traders
• NACA Newsletter

The Thai Fish Project began in 2019, and involves around 200 research members and multiple institutions in Thailand and Japan. The project aims to promote domestication and wise use of two Thai native aquatic species, namely the Asian sea bass Lates calcarifer and banana shrimp Penaeus merguiensis through increasing productivity, reducing the impact of infectious diseases, and preserving genetic resources. The project also encompasses several specific research topics to ensure that it comprehensively addresses the concerns on safeguarding the food security and enhancing the environmental sustainability as much as possible. This article describes the main research activities, outputs and future expectations of the Thai Fish Project.

Risk analysis is an essential component of a national aquatic organism health strategy. Now widely applied in many fields, risk analysis provides a science-based framework for evaluating hazards, determining the likelihood and extent of potential harms, mitigating risks and guiding policy decisions. Combining risk and value chain analysis provides a risk-based and people-centred approach to managing disease risks and planning control measures for aquaculture systems. FAO organised a training course on Risk Analysis in the Value Chain from 3-5 September in Bangkok, Thailand, in partnership with NACA, INFOFISH, Thailand Department of Fisheries and the ASEAN Network of Aquatic Animal Health Centres. Financial support was provided by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and Thailand Department of Fisheries.

This report summaries the proceedings of the 21st meeting of the Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health, held 17-18 November 2022. The role of the group is to review trends in disease and emerging threats in the region, identify developments in global disease issues and standards, to evaluate the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Reporting Program and to provide guidance on regional strategies to improve aquatic animal health management.

In this issue:

High-level meeting on aquaculture transformation in the Asia-Pacific region; Developing a regional strategy for aquatic organism health: Progressive management pathways; Job opportunity - health management and husbandry researcher; 2022 China-ASEAN International Forum on Sustainable Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture Under the Blue Transformation Strategy; A new progressive management pathway for improving seaweed biosecurity; Indian delegates visit Thailand for training and industry exposure; PhD scholarships: Shanghai Ocean University PhD Programme 2023; Reported aquatic animal diseases in the Asia-Pacific region during the second quarter of 2022.

With the implementation of the new aquatic animal disease reporting in the Asia Pacific region from January 2021, and in lieu of the published QAAD Reports (last issue published was 4th quarter of 2020), NACA is publishing reported aquatic animal diseases submitted by countries in the Asia-Pacific region.  This report covers the second quarter of 2022 and the original and updated reports can be accessed at the QAAD page. 

Ocean University of China and partners will convene the forum from 20 to 22 November 2022. The forum will cover the following: Topic 1: International talent cultivation and training;Topic 2: Science and technology innovation; Topic 3: Industrial synergy. The forum will host discussions about the implementation of the “Blue Transformation” strategy, further expansion of the space for fisheries and aquaculture, and ways of improving the production capacity of aquatic products, with the purpose of facilitating the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Participation is free but registration is required. Registration closes on 22 October.