Brackish waters offer good prospects for future aquaculture development, as there are fewer competing uses for these resources. Kilarkollai Village (Tamil Nadu, India) has brackish waters on the village periphery, which are under utilised. The majority of the population are landless poor, economically and socially marginalised, and live below the poverty line. A team from the ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture demonstrated nursery rearing technologies in partnership with four Scheduled Caste families from the village, with a view to providing supplementary livelihoods and income. The team provided training, initial inputs and technical support.

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.

In this issue:

Training Course on Mariculture Technologies in Asia-Pacific; FAO/NACA Virtual Workshop on Aquaculture Transformation in Asia and the Pacific Region; Belt & Road Forum for International Freshwater Fishery Industry Innovation; 8th Global Conference on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries, 21-23 November; Reported Aquatic Animal Diseases in the Asia-Pacific Region during the First Quarter of 2022; International Training Course on Biology and Pathology of the Penaeid Shrimp 2022; Angkasa Putra inaugurated as first President of the South-East Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Student Association; Artemia webinars: Video recordings of technical presentations available.

GAF-8, the 8th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries – will be held from 21-23 November, 2022, hosted by the Society of Fisheries Technologists (India) (SOFTI), Kochi and the ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi. GAF-8 is a stand-alone event, that will be packed with a variety of different activities and sessions covering all aspects. The GAF8 session and event themes, call for abstracts and other information will be available shortly. Please see the GAF website for registration and other details.

In this issue:

Dynamics of small-scale aquaculture development in India: A review; Green water technology as an essential support to larval rearing of hilsa shad; Collection of freshwater molluscs and sale of meat by women in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India; A success story of ornamental fish farming as a tool for alternative livelihood of tribal women in Keonjhar District, Odisha, India; Recent trends in seed production of stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis, in India; NACA Newsletter.

Hatchery production of stinging catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis) seed is increasing as it is a good fish species favoured by consumers due to its high protein and lower fat content. Stinging catfish naturally breeds in the monsoon season, and is found gravid in the wild during July-September. In captivity it can be successfully produced using either induced or natural breeding techniques. This article summarises what is known about stinging catfish biology, and methods for its captive breeding, rearing of larvae and fry, feeding strategies and health concerns, to aid production of seed of this valuable catfish.

Highlights of the course include: Updates on major shrimp diseases including EHP, white faeces, and AHPND; shrimp farming systems and management; Shrimp molecular immunity; molecular approaches for disease detection including PCR and CRISPR; hands-on laboratory sessions, including pathogenic viral detection using PCR, histological preparations, EHP assays and bioinformatic analysis, and an optional field trip to local shrimp farms in Surat Thani.

The course will be held at Centex Shrimp, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. This is a paid training course. Reservations will close on 31 October. For more information, please download the flyer.

In Odisha, India, ornamental fish farming, culture and seed production are being utilised by self help groups to provide livelihoods for poor people in rural communities. The objective of self help groups is to sustainably increase the income of poor families to bring them above the poverty line. This is being achieved through a process of social mobilisation, training and capacity building, and provision of some necessary facilities. This article documents the evolution of ornamental fish farming by the Pragati Self Help Group in Bhatunia Village.

The conference will be held in virtual format. Please download the flyer below or visit the conference website.

Topics include: Improvement of resource efficiency and profitability of fish farming by selective breeding; Optimisation of an Asian seabass genetic improvement program: Genomic selection for growth performance and harvest traits; Pigment genotype-by-diet interaction on growth in Atlantic salmon; Selective breeding - a driver for profitable and sustainable aquaculture productions; Diversity of sex determination in fish: Lesson learned for sex manipulation in aquaculture; Past, present and future stories in genetic improvement of commercially important penaeid shrimp in Thailand: From population genetics to genomic studies; Surrogate production of fish by germ cell transplantation.

The common freshwater snail Bellamya bengalensis, golden apple snail Pila globosa and freshwater pearl mussel Lamellidens marginalis are naturally found in West Bengal. These molluscs are also an important source of protein for poor rural communities, and are also gaining popularity in middle and high income suburban areas for their nutritional and traditional medicinal values. They also represent a significant source of employment and income generation for women from Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. This article documents the collection, preparation, trade and use of freshwater molluscs in Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur districts of West Bengal.