The Expert Consultation on Aquaculture Education in the Asia-Pacific was held in, Vietnam, 2000. The consultation was the final activity of APEC project FWG/02/99 “Collaborative Aquaculture Education Program”. This report gives the findings and papers presented to the Expert Consultation, including the follow-up recommendations for establishing an Aquaculture Educational Consortium, in the form of a network, comprising academic and training institutions in the Asia and Oceania regions.

The sixteen papers in this volume were largely based on the data from a survey of more than 5,000 shrimp and close to 6,000 carp farms in sixteen countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region. They provide an economic and technical efficiency of production analysis for Asian shrimp and carp farming systems. This survey was conducted under the ADB/NACA regional study and workshop on aquaculture sustainability and the environment (RETA 5534).

In this issue: An experience with group formation in Jabarrah, West Bengal. Aquaculture self-help groups in rural West Bengal. Lessons learned for Fulwar Toli from an exposure visit to Jabarrah. Livelihood intervention by Fish Farmers Development Agency - a success story from Mayurbhanj, Orissa. Understanding of assets-based livelihoods through participatory rural appraisal to eliminate hunger. Poverty ranking tools in PRA - experiences of EIRFP in addressing vulnerability. This edition is also available in Vietnamese, Khmer, Ilonggo and Oriya.

This report, the 22nd in the series, contains information about the aquatic animal health status of seventeen states in the Asia-Pacific region. The foreword discusses the role of disease surveillance programmes and issues realted to the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission.

In this issue:

Freshwater prawn Macrobrachium nobilii for rural nutrition. Snapshots of a socially responsible farm in Sri Lanka. Introduction of rainbow trout in Nepal. Tilapia seed production in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Seaweed mariculture - scope and potential in India. Growth enhancement of carp and prawn through dietary suppliementation with salt. Fertilisation and water quality management in small ponds. The "Gher Revolution". Exercising responsibilities to tackle aquatic animal disease. Immunostimulants in aquaculture.