I have 24 years of research experience in aquaculture biotechnology. My major research interests include the development of molecular diagnostic tests for aquatic health management and the development of DNA markers for genetic characterisation of brackishwater shellfish and finfish. Presently, my research is focussed on exploring candidate genes for economically important traits in brackishwater organisms using biotechnology and bioinformatic tools, whole genome sequencing of shrimp and sequencing of viral shrimp pathogens using NGS techniques.
My research interests are pragmatic extension approaches that are better fit for sustainable coastal aquaculture. These include: Collective compliance of good aquaculture practices by small scale farmers through social capital development, public-private partnership for effective aquaculture extension services, application of ICT and mobile phone based solutions for extension service delivery and real-time interaction with end users, climate smart aquaculture and alternative livelihood models for coastal fishers through customised cages in open brackishwaters. I have twenty years’ of research and extension experience in coastal aquaculture. I have worked with NACA on two programmes viz. collective efforts of small scale farmers in aquaculture and the aqua-climate initiative. We have developed and launched "vanamei shrimp app", a mobile application for providing real-time solutions to small scale farmers.
Professor Jiansan Jia, a Chinese national, joined the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1998, and has dedicated all his efforts in promoting sustainable development and management of fisheries and aquaculture at global and regional levels. He has been the Chief of Aquaculture Service for 15 years, overseeing the FAO aquaculture programme through provision of policy advice, technical assistance and information and knowledge sharing and capacity building for developing countries. He was appointed Deputy Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division of FAO in 2012. Before FAO, Professor Jia worked for the Ministry of Agriculture in China for more than 20 years, holding a number of leading positions at local and central governmental and non-governmental institutions. He was involved in agriculture and rural development, fisheries and aquaculture management and participated extensively in bilateral and multi-lateral fisheries negotiations as well as distant water fishing operations, and supervised and coordinated international cooperation between China and various governments and international organisations in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries. He retired from FAO in 2017 and is now a Visiting Professor at the Shanghai Ocean University in China.
37 years’ experience working in policy and planning, knowledge-based management, reservoir fishery management, community-based fisheries development projects, small-hold aquaculture for food security, training and capacity building in fisheries and ocean governance in Thailand and worldwide. Expert in planning and adaptive management of community-based projects; assessment of fish stocking programmes; early warning, disaster risk reduction for tsunami, earthquake, floods and impacts of climate change. I am a former Director General of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific.
My research interests include inland fisheries management and aquaculture development. I have 25 years research experience on culture-based fisheries development in Sri Lankan reservoirs. This has included the introduction of co-management to improve the socio-economic status of fishing communities; the development of community-based strategies to increase fish seed production to meet requirements at the national level; and the development of web-based systems to collect information related to culture-based fisheries (www.infis.gov.lk) with data input and maintenance handled by fishing communities. I am a member of the NACA Technical Advisory Committee (2015-2018) and a life member of Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
