This volume is the proceedings of the Symposium on Cold Water Fishes of the Trans-Himalayan Region, held in July 2001 in Kathmandu, Nepal. In 32 presentations it reviewed information, experiences, ideas and findings related to fish and fisheries in the region, including fish species distribution, fishing intensity, socio-economic conditions and livelihoods of fisher communities, as well as to the impact of environment degradation, conservation measures and aquaculture technologies for indigenous and exotic cold water fish.

In this issue:

Chemical residues. Live reef fish trade in Hong Kong. Barramundi farming in Australia. Freshwater pearl and prawn production in China. Status of common carp varieties under culture in China. Induced spawning of Pangasius sutchi. Cambodian farmers innovate cost-effective variations on Chinese hatcheries. Genes and fish. Improving rural livelihoods in Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal and the Philippines through the STREAM Initiative. Marine finfish news, book reviews and more.

In this issue:

Governing Council 13 / AFBiS Seminar. US Consultation sets work agenda for the WB-NACA-WWF-FAO. Consortium on Shrimp Farming and the Environment. Conclusions and Recommendations of the Joint meeting of AFBiS 2002 and the 13th NACA Governing Council. FAO/NACA Expert Consultation Focusing on Aquaculture and Small-scale Aquatic Resource Management for Poverty Alleviation. Myanmar Fishery and Livestock Fair 2002 a huge success. Nepal develops national strategy on aquatic animal health management. Shrimp Farming & the Environment Case Studies now available on the web. NACA implements APEC project on Import Risk Analysis. MOU on project to prevent disease losses on prawn farms. Andhra Pradesh Fisheries Minister studies Thai & Malaysian aquaculture systems. Vietnamese mission evaluates new high value Chinese species.

This report, the forteenth in the series, contains information about the aquatic animal health status of thirteen states in the Asia-Pacific region.

STREAM is a regional initiative that will support capacity building among local government institutions, NGOs, and community groups involved in aquatic resources management. It will support community-based learning initiatives, develop a regional communications and learning strategy and support on-going policy and institutional changes in the region to enable aquatic resources users to participate more effectively in policy-making processes, and encouraging the development of more responsive government institutions.