The fourth meeting of the Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health (AGM-4) was held at Hotel Taj Samudra, Colombo, Sri Lanka on 22nd – 24th October 2005. The Regional Advisory Group (AG), constituted by NACA, in cooperation with OIE and FAO, provides advice to NACA and Asian governments on aquatic animal health management. During the three-day meeting, the AG addressed key aquatic animal health issues in Asia, including regional disease reporting system and emerging aquatic animal disease problems (emphasizing white tail disease in Macrobrachium rosenbergii, monodon slow growth syndrome, taura syndrome and infection with koi herpes virus). The meeting provided a number of useful recommendations for governments and NACA on aquatic animal disease control in Asia-Pacific.

Contents:
* Fish as Pollutants: Limitations of and Cross Currents in Law, Science, Management and Policy
* US rejects Scottish salmon; Industry fury as 27 shipments banned by food watchdog
* Illegal import of exotic prawns can wipe out industry says
* Fisheries Director General of Malaysia
* Genetically engineered pet fish debated
* Prawn farm receives international accreditation
* Global Market for Aquaculture to Reach $ 94 Billion by 2008

The Advisory Group provides advice to NACA members in the Asia-Pacific region on aquatic animal health management. The report of the 2003 meeting includes coverage of:

* Emerging diseases and health problems in the region
* Implications for Asia of disease outbreaks elsewhere
* Review of Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease reports
* Updates on the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code & Diagnostic Manual tests
* Outcomes of the 2003 meetings of the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission
* Emergency preparedness and emergency fund
* Harmonization of diagnostic procedures
* Regional and international cooperation on health
* Aquatic Animal Pathogen and Quarantine Information System

This report was prepared by the Asia Regional Advisory Group (AG) on Aquatic Animal Health (AGM-3) that met at the NACA Headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, on the 23rd-25th November 2004. Coverage includes:
* Outcomes of the 72nd General Session of the OIE
* Review and evaluation of regional aquatic animal disease reporting
* Review and implementation of the technical guidelines on movement of live aquatic animals
* Development of procedures for advising on dealing with aquatic animal health emergencies
* Identification and designation of regional aquatic animal health resources, including regional resource experts, regional resource centres, and regional reference laboratories
* Regional and international collaboration.

Final Report First Meeting of the Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health (AGM-1)

Shrimp farming is one of the fastest growing aquaculture sectors in many parts of the world and also one of the most controversial. Rapid expansion of this sector generated income for many countries, but has been accompanied by rising concerns over environmental and social impacts. The International Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming provide the basis upon which stakeholders can collaborate for a more sustainable development of shrimp farming. The International Principles have been developed by the Consortium on Shrimp farming and the Environment, which consists of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP/GPA), the World Bank (WB) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The principles address issues including:
* Farm siting.
* Farm design.
* Water use.
* Broodstock and postlarvae.
* Feed management.
* Health management.
* Food safety.
* Social responsibility.

FAO/NACA/UNEP/WB/WWF. 2006. International Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming. Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA). Bangkok, Thailand. 20 pp.

1. Three scholarships are available for the hatchery training course
2. Economics and Marketing Analysis of the Live Reef Fish Food Trade in the Asia-Pacific region
3. Coperation between Indonesia and the Philippines
4. 250 million loan for the fishing industry in Hong Kong
5. Aquaculture and seafood market in Korea
6. Malaysian National Aquaculture Centre to be built in Sabah
7. Neural implants to control fish behavior
8. Upcoming Events in 2006
9. Marine fish wholesales prices in Guangzhou (Southern China) and Hong Kong SAR.
10. Recent publications

In this issue:

* NACA Governing Council endorses new work programme, elects Sena De Silva as next Director General.
* RapiDot Kit - Farmer friendly kit for WSSV detection.
* Regional mariculture program strengthened.
* Economics and marketing analysis of the live reef fish food trade in the Asia-Pacific.
* Workshop on molecular techniques in aquaculture and seafood safety, Mangalore, India.
* Better-practice approaches for culture-based fisheries development in Asia.
* High-level Bahrain fisheries deletation visits Iran.
* First monthly meeting of fish farmers at One-stop Aqua Shop in Punjab Pakistan.
* Fish breeding training program for farmers of OAS, Kaipara.
* Provincial workshops on National Fisheries Policy and Strategy Framework held in Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan.
* Monitoring and evaluating the impacts of aquaculture on teh agency and well-being of women.
* STREAM welcomes AYAD volunteer.
* Workshop to strengthen aquatic animal health capacity and biosecurity in ASEAN.
* Asian Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture (AFITA) 2006 in Bangalore.
* Aquaculture rehabilitation project launched by Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

What roles can a regional initiative like STREAM – based as it is in an intergovernmental organization like NACA – play in fisheries and aquaculture policy development in its member countries across Asia-Pacific? The articles in this special number of the STREAM Journal provide some answers to this question. In the first article, we write about the way our thinking progressed around STREAM’s involvement with policy matters, and briefly introduce each of the contexts illustrated in the following articles.

From Cambodia, we learn about the perceived impacts, benefits and challenges from a major policy change concerning community fisheries, after several years of efforts by many stakeholders. The next two articles are from Indian colleagues who have been involved with another lengthy process which led to policy changes on the lease periods of ponds and setting up One-stop Aqua Shops across three states in eastern India.

In Pakistan, an FAO-supported project has been under way to reach out across the country’s four provinces, to hear from as broad a range of stakeholders as possible, as a national fisheries and aquaculture policy and strategy has taken shape. We’ll look forward to reporting in future SJ numbers on the impacts, benefits and challenges from its implementation.

The final article presents a clear case from Indonesia of the importance of listening to the voices of poor people involved in the international fish trade, to understand their lives and to seek ways of changing policy and practice so that their livelihoods can improve while also addressing concerns about the environment.

Aquaculture systems of regional importance have been identified for technology development through multidisciplinary research. Each Regional Lead Centre of NACA focuses its efforts on selected farming systems of its competence.