Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific

VND576 billion to protect rare aquatic animals

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:00 -0500

The Government has decided to earmark 576 billion VND to help protect rare and precious aquatic animals from extinction from now until 2020.

The project received the go ahead from the Prime Minister under a decision signed by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai on May 2.

The blueprint looks to protect rare and precious underwater animals from extinction risks and develop genes of rare species with the participation of the whole community, contributing to protection of biodiversity and sustainable development for the fisheries industry.

During the 2008-10 period, the plan will focus on collecting data about rare and precious underwater animals that are deemed at extinction to map out appropriate protection models for each species.

Exotic fish threatening Vietnams ecosystems

Thu, 08 May 2008 07:00:00 -0500

Several non-native fish species brought into Vietnam in recent years could displace native species and damage ecosystems unless prompt action is taken, scientists have warned.

Fishermen on the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City have recently been catching large amounts of suckermouth catfish (Hypostonuns lecostomus) an imported fish that used to be bred as pets.

Nguyen Van Chuc, a resident in the citys Binh Thanh District, said he could catch up to 100 of the fish daily.

The fish have been reproducing rapidly and I can now catch them everywhere, said Chuc.

Nguyen Tuan, an expert from the Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2, said suckermouth catfish eat indiscriminately and reproduce rapidly.

Workshop on Guidelines for Aquaculture Certification

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:19:24 -0500

The Workshop on Guidelines for Aquaculture Certification was hosted by the Government of China in Beijing, P.R. China from 6 to 8 May 2008. The workshop, conducted as a joint initiative of FAO, NACA, the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences and Department for Certification and Accreditation Administration of China, brought together 65 participants, including several experts and stakeholders in aquaculture from China, and regional/international experts from FAO, NACA and SEAFDEC, from government agencies, private business, and experts involved in certification schemes and food safety.

VND850 billion for aquaculture biotechnology

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:56:38 -0500

More than VND850 billion will be invested in a project to develop and apply biotechnology in the fisheries sector from now until 2020.

The project, presented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at a conference in Hanoi on April 21, aims to create a breakthrough in aquaculture development and post-harvest technology.

The project will help ensure sustainable development of the fisheries sector and improve the competitive edge of Vietnams aquatic products.

The project will focus on preserving and developing gene sources alongside developing new varieties of aquatic products and support research on feed, disease prevention and treatment, and the management of aquaculture environments.

Cyclone Nargis relief appeals

Tue, 06 May 2008 01:41:01 -0500

At least 22,000 people have been killed in the Myanmar cyclone and the toll is likely to rise as officials make contact with the worst-hit areas. 40,000 more are believed to be missing.

Foreign Minister Nyan Win said on state television that 10,000 people had died in just one town, Bogalay, as he gave the first detailed account of what is emerging as the worst cyclone to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people were killed in Bangladesh.

"In Irrawaddy Division the death toll amounts to more than 10,000," he said in a state television broadcast, in which he also said the government welcomed outside assistance from aid agencies who want to help with the recovery.

Update: The latest information suggests that the above figures may be vast underestimates, and that a massive number of people have also been rendered homeless. Ed.

Disaster relief appeals:
CARE
World Vision
Save the Children
Merlin
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Unicef

Darwin online

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:35:33 -0500

All published writings and unpublished papers of one of the history greatest scientists, Charles Darwin, are officially being published online since 17 April 2008. The project run by Cambridge University has digitised some 43,000 pages of text and 150,000 images of original publications - all of it searchable.

All of Darwin's unpublished manuscripts are being scanned, transcribed or both, if reproduction permission can be obtained. All previously published manuscript transcriptions are included (except where reproduction permission could not be obtained). Overall the site provides a vast amount of material on and by Darwin never before seen on the internet or never reproduced before in any form.

Some texts appearing online for the first time include the first editions of the Journal Of Researches (1839), The Descent Of Man (1871), The Zoology Of The Voyage Of HMS Beagle (1838-43) and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th editions of the Origin Of Species, the pivotal tome that elucidated his thoughts on evolution.

There is no charge to use the website. Most texts can be viewed either as colour originals or as fully formatted electronic transcriptions. There are also German, Danish and Russian editions.

Enjoy reading Darwins writings at The Complete work of Charles Darwin Online.

International hands-on training programme on Molecular Biology Techniques

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:22:55 -0500

A training course on molecular biology techniques will be held at CIFA, India, from 13-27 October 2008 (tentative). For more information about the course contact Dr Kuldeep Kumar, Senior Scientist, email kuldeepkumar_kk@yahoo.co.in.

The Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) under the administrative control of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has been striving for the development of freshwater aquaculture of the country through planning, conducting and coordinating research, education and training on all aspects of freshwater aquaculture. Over 22 years of its existence, the institute has developed several epoch-making technologies that it can be proud of. Development of technology of induced breeding, seed production and culture of carps, freshwater prawn and catfish; fish stock improvement through genetics and biotechnological tools; culture of freshwater pearls and ornamental fishes; therapeutics and diagnostics; formulated feed for fish and prawn; management of soil and water for optimum productivity; biofertilization, cryopreservation of gametes, etc. are a few examples of its research outcome.

The Fish Genetics and Biotechnology Division of the institute cater to application of biotechnological tools for increasing fish production. Molecular genetics approaches, such as DNA marker technology, DNA cloning, RNA technology and proteomic tools have been developed by the division, which complement the genetic improvement programme through traditional selection. Research on generating DNA linkage maps, mapping populations, EST databases, etc. to be served as genomic resources for detection of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and subsequently marker assisted selection (MAS) is taken up by the division on a priority basis. Besides, candidate gene approach of identifying and characterizing genes involved in reproductive processes of carps has been successful.

Objectives

Fish Genetics and Biotechnology division of CIFA is contemplating to organize a hands-on training on molecular biological techniques, which would cover all the basic and essential techniques Researchers interested in molecular biology need to experience the many ways in which research is conducted in this field, and the hands-on nature of the molecular biology techniques course is an effective way to introduce them to these methods. Thus the present training is expected to serve effectively the researchers working in the area of fish genetics and biotechnology.

Cage aquaculture carrying capacity tool now available

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:29:27 -0500

A Cage Aquaculture Decision Support Tool (CADS_TOOL) is now available from the Australian Institute of Marine Science website. CADS_TOOL is a decision support system for cage aquaculture managers, developed by Dr. Halmar Halide. CADS_TOOL is coded in Java and designed to run on any computer platform. The objective of this software is to:

Classify a site.

Select the best site from several site alternatives.

Calculate the sustainable holding density of a chosen site.

Perform a basic economic appraisal of a site.

CADS_TOOL was first demonstrated at the workshop Modeling carrying capacity for tropical finfish cage culture: towards a consensus view, held in Lampung, Indonesia, in November 2007. This workshop was funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and convened by the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) and the Directorate General of Aquaculture of Indonesia.

Economics of aquaculture feeding practices in selected Asian countries

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:14:39 -0500

Economics of aquaculture feeding practices in selected Asian countries. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No. 505, edited by Mohammad R. Hasan, 205p.

This technical paper provides an analysis of the economic implications of, and the reasons for, adopting various feeding practices for different fish species and aquaculture systems in Asia. It consists of case studies in six Asian countries (Bangladesh, China, India, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam) and an overall synthesis ending with conclusions and recommendations. The systems studied include extensive/traditional, semi-intensive and intensive farms for a number of different species including sutchi and pangasiid catfishes (Bangladesh and Viet Nam), hybrid catfish (Thailand), carp polyculture (India and China), prawn and milkfish polyculture (the Philippines). The work identifies the principal input costs, assesses the economic rates of return (gross and net margins), returns to labour, land and capital, gross and net total factor productivity, and break-even prices and production. For the most part, intensive farms applying industrial feeds attained the highest economic returns, although not necessarily the highest benefits.

Assessment of freshwater fish seed resources for sustainable aquaculture

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:30:00 -0500

Assessment of freshwater fish seed resources for sustainable aquaculture, FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No. 501, edited by Melba G. Bondad-Reantaso, 2007, 628p.

Four of the most important resources to aquaculture, outside human and technological resources, are land, water, seed and feed. Efficient use of these resources are necessary to guarantee optimum production from aquaculture. A number of regional and international events highlighted some of the most pressing issues concerning seed in global aquaculture development. These include inadequate and unreliable supply of quality seed, genetic quality, inadequate hatchery technology and facilities for rearing fry/fingerlings, distribution mechanisms, impacts of releases of cultured seed stocks, the need for more hatcheries with business orientation and others. In order to secure stable seed supply for major freshwater aquaculture species, factors affecting seed availability, seed quality, seed production technologies and support services, seed distribution networks, breeding technologies, genetic improvement and domestication need to be understood well if resources are best to be targeted and policy decisions on future investment and management options improved.