In this issue:

From integrated carp polyculture to intensive monoculture in the Pearl River Delta, China. Better management practices for Vietnamese catfish. Ipomoea aquatica - an aquaculture friendly macrophyte. Status of fisheries and aquaculture development in Pakistan. The changing face of post-grad education in aquaculture: Contributing to soaring production and sustainable practices. Hatchery management in Bangladesh. Production of Cirrhinus molitorella and Labeo chrysophekadion for culture-based fisheries in Lao PDR and much more.

The primary objective of this manual is to provide guidelines for attaining better practices in culture-based fisheries, an emerging practice in rural areas in the Asian region. It deals will the principles of culture-based fishery practices, primarily based on relatively long-term experiences in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. It is not only targeted at researchers per se, but also at stakeholders at the grass root levels, as well as planners and policy developers.

The Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health meets annually to discuss regional health issues including emerging disease threats. This report includes a review of regional disease status circa 2007, global and regional disease reporting arrangements, global issues and standards, progress in implementation of the the Regional Technical Guidelines on Health management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals, identification and designation of regional aquatic animal health resources and regional and international cooperation.

IDRC and NACA convened a workshop to identify the main research issues and needs to sustain Asian aquaculture into the first quarter of the 21st century, and also to bring them to the notice of relevant planners, managers and policy makers, and potential donors. The workshop was held in Rayong, Thailand from 4-7 June 2007. This report contains the issues papers drafted in preparation for the meeting and a summary of the discussions.

In this issue:

Developing guidelines for sustainable freshwater aquaculture planning in Vietnam. Aquaculture production, certification and trade for small-scale farmers. Backyard hatcheries for crustaceans in Thailand. Alternative carp species for diversification in India. Genetic and reproduction technologies for aquaculture and fisheries management of Murray cod. Status of sahar domestication in Nepal. Comparative advantage analysis of shrimp production in Asia. Strategies to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor, Vietnam, and more.

In this issue:

Better management practices for catfish aquaculture in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Developing better management practices for marine finfish aquaculture. Workshop on modelling carrying capacity for tropical finfish cage culture: Towards a consensus view. First comprehensive genetic management plan for Asian fish species: Mahseer. NACA and World Fisheries Trust sign agreement on collaboration. Fish Health Master Class. Second Workshop on Application of Molecular Genetic Techniques in Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Management. Two new species of spiny eels described from Myanmar. Importance of species identification in conservation. Koh Yao Noi mangrove replanting in celebration of 80th birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand. Responsible movement of live food finfish within ASEAN: Implementation workshop. Consultation on aquaculture certification guidelines. Strengthening regional mechanisms to maximise benefits to small-holder shrimp farmer groups adopting better management practices.

This document presents current status on genetic diversity of empurau and semah in Sarawak, Malaysia, including taxonomic status and a management guideline based on genetic data. Inadvertent mixing of the two species, especially during breeding, may lead to hybridisation, a threat to the genetic integrity of wild populations. Surveys on current status of genetic variability of empurau and semah are reported herein, and the results from which are used as baseline data for development of a genetic management plan.

In this issue:

Lao culture-based fisheries project gets underway. Expert Workshop on Aquaculture Certification, Brazil. Strategies for Development of Asian Reservoir and Lake Fisheries Management. EUS identified as cause of fish kills in Africa. NACA seeks shrimp farm specialists for assignments in Indonesia. FDA detains five species of farm-raised seafood from China. 7th Symposium on Diseases in Asian Aquaculture. Aquafeed Horizons Asia 2008. Scientists join fight against frog diseases. Artificial propagation of snow trout Schizothorax zarudnyi by Iranian experts. NACA keynotes three international meetings. Culture, capture conflicts project review, Indonesia. Sign up to the coldwater aquaculture Yahoo! Tech Group. Website publishing and administration training, Vietnam. Aquatic Animal diseases Significant to Asia-Pacific: Identification Field Guide.

These standard operating procedures were developed to reduce the risk of spread of trans-boundary disease of aquatic animals through the movement of live food fish. The procedures are a set of documents for health certification and quarantine measures to be used by competent authorities in trade among ASEAN member countries. The procedures recognise the existing variation in capacity between ASEAN members and have been designed so that they can be implemented across varying policy and legal frameworks.

In this issue:

Buffaloes in favour of culture-based fisheries in Sri Lanka. Aquafeeds in Myanmar: A change from farm-made to factory-made feeds. Challenging myths about seed quality and potential benfits to the rural poor. Catfish Clarius batrachus production using low cost hatcheries. Cage fish culture and livelihoods in the mid-hill lakes of Pokhara, Nepal. Marine fish hatchery training. Rabbitfish Siganus guttatus breeding and larval rearing. Vietnamese extension manual on culture-based fisheries.