This report summarises the proceedings of the 24th meeting of the Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health, held 24-25 November 2025 by video conference. 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.
Reports received in 2025 only came from few member governments including: Australia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. Listed below are the reported aquatic animal diseases covering the third and fourth quarters of 2025 (with first and second quarter reports from Chinese Taipei). The original and updated reports can be accessed at the QAAD page.
NACA recently participated in the FAO Expert Workshop, "Turning guidance into action: regional insights for implementing the Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture," held from 24-25 February 2026 in Rome, Italy. The Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) provide a shared set of principles and recommendations to promote a sustainable, equitable aquaculture sector worldwide. While the guidelines offer a clear vision for the sector's economic, social, and environmental future, the current focus is on practical implementation.
Building on recent regional workshops, experts gathered to develop a decision-support tool to help countries adapt these guidelines into actionable national policies. Implementing the GSA requires robust institutional support, targeted capacity building, and innovative financing. NACA encourages stakeholders to integrate these guidelines into their governance frameworks, providing a roadmap to maximize aquaculture's contribution to food security and environmental conservation.
NACA participated in two major FAO-led aquaculture events held back-to-back in Fuzhou, China, from 17–20 March 2026, bringing together global leaders to advance sustainable aquaculture. The FAO Roundtable on the Global Sustainable Aquaculture Advancement Partnership (GSAAP) focused on strengthening collaboration and aligning technical support with country needs, while the First FAO–China Fisheries Association Joint International Conference explored practical solutions to key sector challenges, including feed sustainability, seed systems, aquatic animal health and innovation.
Together, the events highlighted the urgency of coordinated action as aquaculture continues to expand under increasing environmental and resource pressures. Discussions emphasized moving beyond pilot initiatives towards scalable, partnership-driven solutions. NACA’s participation reinforced its role in regional cooperation and knowledge exchange, contributing to global efforts to build more resilient, inclusive and sustainable aquaculture systems.
25 February 2026Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | 1325 views
The Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) were adopted by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in July 2024. They provide a shared vision and a set of principles, practices and recommendations that countries can implement to transform their aquaculture sectors in line with the 2030 Agenda, the FAO Blue Transformation Roadmap 2022–2030 and the 2021 COFI Declaration. The GSA serve as a roadmap to foster good governance, science-based decision making, effective management and inclusive, environmentally responsible value chains based on respect for human rights. Their ultimate goal is to ensure that sustainable aquaculture delivers food security and nutrition, equitable livelihoods, restored ecosystems and climate resilience.
