In retail fish markets in Kolkata city proper, suburbs and neighbouring districts, pituitary glands are collected as a profession from the heads of mature fish. The preserved glands are used to induce breeding via hypophysation in carp hatcheries throughout West Bengal, playing an important role in the availability of carp seed to support aquaculture operations. This article describes the livelihoods of pituitary gland collectors and traders in West Bengal, India.

Feed is an important input that involves nearly 60% of the total production cost in commercial aquaculture. Hence, nutritionally balanced and cost-effective diets play a large role in deciding the return from an aquaculture venture. Nutritionists are searching for alternative ingredients and approaches to offset the use of fishmeal in aquaculture feeds. This article discusses strategies to reduce feed cost by promoting gut health and nutrient utlilisation, including: Use of probiotics and prebiotics,  supplementation with exogenous enzymes, essential nutrients and chemoattractants, and use of other feed additives such as acidifiers to improve digestibility and mycotoxin binders.

Clarias magur, locally known as magur, is a well-preferred medium sized catfish among Indian consumers. Difficulties such as shortages of effective inducing agents and the erratic response to induced breeding, low survival in different life stages, slow growth, and lack of effective feeds have been a bottleneck for the wider adoption of this fish by farmers. There has been considerable research to simplify the technology and disseminate it among farmers over the last decade. This article summarises these attempts and describes the present level of its technology practiced in India.

The Shrimp Farming BD App contains information on improved technologies - from pond preparation through to harvest - and has a calculator that farmers can use to work out the quantities of chemicals, feeds and other inputs they need for their pond. Also incorporated is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page where users can find answers to common questions with a single click: and they can send specific technical questions to SAFETI specialists online and receive an answer back within hours. The app can also be used to post news messages, and a link to market prices is planned. 

Commercial trout farming in Uttarakhand has advanced progressively during the last decade and has become a profitable occupation among the rural masses especially in the colder regimes where no other fish farming has possibilities. The rainbow trout here plays the most dominant role as a commercially important candidate species for culture in this hill locked Himalayan state of India. This article describes the current status of trout fisheries resources and trout aquaculture in Uttarakhand, and their potential further development.

In this issue:

Registrations open for the Global Conference on Aquaculture Millennium +20; Presentation of the State of World Aquaculture and the Regional Aquaculture Reviews 2020; Webinar: International Forum of Aquaculture in Silk Road Countries; Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, April-June 2020; World Fisheries Day Lecture Series, 20 December: Biosecurity - the concept to guarantee sustainable development of aquaculture; Webinar: Beauty and the Beast: Important Parasites of Fish; Second Online Training on Mariculture Technology for the Asia-Pacific Region: Aquaculture Biosecurity.

We are pleased to announce that registration for the Global Conference on Aquaculture Millennium +20 (GCA +20) is now open. Interested participants are invited to complete the application form and the conference Secretariat will inform registrants as to the status of their application in due course. The GCA +20 will be a hybrid conference; registration will allow attendance of conference in-person or virtually, with the indicated preference taken into account to the extent possible. The maximum number of in-person participants will have to be capped, in close consultation with the host and in line with the latest advice from health authorities. The GCA is open to all interested stakeholders, including from government, academia, private sector and civil society. Women and youth (35 years of age or younger) are strongly encouraged to apply. Kindly note that registration is free.

In this issue:

Framework for participatory linkage of marine ornamentals germplasm conservation to livelihoods: Is community aquaculture an inclusive option? Induced breeding of farm-bred and pond-raised critically endangered peninsular carp, Hypselobarbus pulchellus; A way forward for utilisation of aquatic genetic resources in Asia-Pacific: Synthesis from deliberations during the Regional Workshop on Underutilized Fish and Marine Genetic Resources and their Amelioration 2019; Cast nets: The dominant active fishing gear in the Kashmir Valley; Moyna model of major carp farming in Purba Medinipur District, West Bengal, India; NACA Newsletter.

Exploratory surveys conducted on pristine reef islands has revealed hidden diversity with discovery of two shrimp species new to science, Periclimenella agattii and Urocaridella arabianensis and range extensions for Thor hainanensis and Argeiopsis inhacae. A hands-on training in marine ornamental shrimp rearing was organised at Agatti Island, Lakshadweep during March 2020 to develop a core mass of entrepreneurs to participate in community aquaculture. Another initiative has established a live germplasm resource centre for clownfish, which has ten species conserved in captivity. This facility also serves as a master breeding facility to produce seed for use in a community aquaculture program.

Hypselobarbus pulchellus is endemic to the peninsular rivers of India, mainly the Krishna, Godavari, Tungabhadra, Sita and Tunga. It once formed a major fishery of the Tungabhadra reservoir but has declined to the status of a critically endangered species. H. pulchellus is a bentho-pelagic species which inhabits the deeper part of large streams and rivers along the base of ghats. It is the only indigenous fish that consumes aquatic weeds and submerged grasses, and could play a role in controlling aquatic vegetation in reservoirs, tanks and irrigation canals. Capable of attaining 8 kg, H. pulchellus would make a welcome addition to pond culture practices of India, especially for composite fish culture. This article gives an overview of the breeding and seed production technologies developed by ICAR-CIFA for farm-bred and pond-raised H. pulchelllus.