The fingerling rearing pond, like the nursery pond, should be free from weeds and predators. Submerged weeds and predators are killed by mahua oilcake, which then acts as a good fertiliser. If there are no weeds, to kill predators and competitors quickly you can just add 100 kg of urea followed 24 hours later by 200 kg of fresh bleaching powder for a 1-ha area of a 1-m deep pond.

This report provides insight into the status of the marine ornamental fish trade in the Philippines, including policy environment, collection, distribution channels, markets and constraints. The report also reviews the livelihoods of poor stakeholders in market chains including economic and financial aspects, natural and physical resources, livelihood patterns, social structures. The report provides recommendations for policy makers and stakeholders in improving the livelihoods of poor stakeholders in marine ornamental fish collection and market chains and resource management.

In watersheds, medium irrigation projects can be useful for aquaculture even though these water bodies are many times larger than ponds, and are basically built for irrigation or water storage. However, the full potential of these water bodies is not yet realised. Net pens or cages can be used to rear fingerlings in such environments.

It is best to stock advanced fingerlings in large ponds, tanks, and in both small and large reservoirs, since they can better escape predators and competitors. Seasonal ponds, often 0.10-0.15 ha and 1.5-1.8 m deep can be used as rearing ponds for raising advanced fingerlings. Low water levels at the end of the season will make netting and harvesting easy.

Everyone wants advanced fingerlings as early after the rains as possible. They fetch a good price and make marketable fish production possible in seasonal ponds. One way to produce early season advanced fingerlings is to grow them in perennial ponds and store them at high density with minimal feeding for the coming year. Whe such "stunted" fingerlings are stocked into ponds with good feed they grow fast and can be marketed in about 6-8 months.

Common carp is a foreign fish and there are several varieties. The variety used in Western Orissa is the fully scaled carp, which suits the tropical climate. Common carp lives and feeds near the pond bottom and can be grown with the Indian major carps, catla, rohu and mrigal as a 'polyculture' (which means growing many different types of fish together). It can also be grown alone, as a 'monoculture' in rice fields with high dykes that retain water.

In order to provide practical and effective technical guidance for shrimp hatchery management, it is necessary to establish a set of better management practices (BMPs) which underpin an effective hatchery production system. This document is not a complete manual on the management of P. monodon hatcheries but concentrates on the implementation of BMPs for the hatchery covering all of the critical stages and processes in the production cycle, which are currently believed to be causing problems in Vietnamese hatcheries. 

This report describes the experiences and lessons learnt from activities conducted by NACA in Viet Nam to support the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector using better management practices and harmonised strategies for the management of aquatic animal health and environmental problems. Achievements included reducing the risk of diseases from seed and on farms, developing capacity at the provincial and national levels, developing an effective surveillance system and wide dissemination of experiences.

These guidelines provide advice on producing fish seed of the Indian major carps in hapas within ponds to improve survival.

It was common to believe that fish cannot be cultured in seasonal ponds. However, fish can be produced in any pond of any size, anywhere in Orissa, provided that the water quality is good enough. A small and shallow pond that retains water for two months can be used for raising fry. A larger and deeper pond holding water for three to four months can be used for fingerling production.

If the place where fish live is good and healthy, fish rarely die from diseases. If we stress fish by roughly handling them, by keeping too many together, or by not feeding them well, they may suffer from disease. Depending on the disease, we may see lots of fish die in a short time, small numbers of fish deaths every day, reduced growth, marks on the fish, or a change in the way they look or swim.

This story comes from Lake Keenjhar near Thatta town Sindh Province in Pakistan. It contrasts the lives of women in the fishing village of Chilya with the life of an influential business man with a fish farm on the opposite side of the highway.

Fresh fish is so popular in much of eastern India that harvesting will usually draw a crowd of pond side customers. Marketing is no problem so long as the quantities are small. When bulk quantities are fished out a trader, wholesaler or a middleman may take the fish and depending on the distance, time of the day and season, transport them to the market with or without ice.

When people talk about growing fish, many say their biggest problem was getting started. In Delhi in April 2003 farmers and officials met with policy makers and said that one of their most pressing recommendations for change was to the way information is made available. They asked for a single-point, under-one-roof center, near to their place, where they could get much of what they needed.

These guidelines illustrate good practice for broodstock handling and management using practices that are suitable for small-scale operations. This document is also available in Oriya.

A bold bid by women in Kandhkelgaon Village, West Bengal, to break out of their poverty trap. This story describes how women who could no longer make a living from weaving turned to aquaculture. Success came, not just through income generation but by reducing the cost of being poor. The story highlights the influences that constrain and enhance development, including the sheer bravery and entrepreneurial spirit of people who are poor. 

A closer look at the benefits of working together, the evolution of a federation of aquaculture self-help groups and a one-stop aqua shop in rural West Bengal. India has the largest concentration of tribal population in the world. For a long time now, voices have been raised in support of disadvantaged social groups that are trying to derive a livelihood from limited resources in remote rural areas in India.

A closer look at the evolution of successful aquaculture self-help groups in rural West Bengal, the discovery of new uses for local resource systems and the energising effect of flexible rural credit.

Any pond can be used to grow fish, but a pond that is dug specially for fish culture usually has a regular shape, a flat bottom with a slight slope along its length. When deciding where to locate a new pond, you should consider the landscape, land use, soil texture (15% clay is best for pond construction and water holding), water supply (consider quality, quantity and seasonality), security (from theft) and convenience (maybe close to your house).

This report provides insight into the status of the marine ornamental fish trade in Indonesia, including policy environment, collection, chain of custody, distribution channels, markets and constraints. The report also reviews the livelihoods of poor stakeholders in market chains including economic and financial aspects, natural and physical resources, livelihood patterns, social structures. The report provides recommendations for policy makers and stakeholders in improving the livelihoods of poor stakeholders in marine ornamental fish collection and market chains.