Prince of Songkla University in Thailand is inviting applications for two scholarship opportunities:
- The Graduate Studies Scholarship supports international students pursuing Master's or Doctoral degrees, with applications due 15 March 2026.
- The PhD Student Exchange Scholarship enables international PhD students to conduct research at PSU, with applications closing 20 March 2026.
Both programmes offer outstanding candidates the chance to study and conduct research at one of Thailand's leading universities. Applicants must meet specific eligibility requirements for each programme.
FAO is recruiting a Senior Aquaculture Officer (P5) based in headquarters, Rome. The initial appointment is for 2 years, but this is a regular budget position and will have long-term rights subject to performance. The deadline for applications is 18 February. For more information, please visit the job description page below:
Please direct all enquiries to FAO, this is not a NACA position.
In this issue:
- Improved larval rearing of Heteropneustes fossilis with live fish food organism - a method practised in the farmer’s field
- From scarcity to supply: The Nalbari magur (Clarias batrachus) seed hub in north-eastern India
- Fish dressing facilities in inland areas of India: Challenges and opportunities
- Entrepreneurship development through brackish water ornamental fish farming in Indian Sundarbans
- Farm brief: Medicinal leech farming, China
- NACA Newsletter
Medicinal leeches represent a niche but valuable aquaculture opportunity in China. A commercial farm in Anhui Province produces 36 tonnes annually of Whitmania pigra, a predatory leech species used in traditional medicine and pharmaceutical products. The dried leeches command prices around US$100 per kilogram. Unlike blood-feeding leeches, this species feeds naturally on aquatic snails throughout its life cycle, simplifying feed management. The farm rears leeches in large above-ground tanks holding up to 10,000 individuals each, with adults reaching 50 g in weight. The operation produces its own seed, with each adult producing around 90 eggs across three cocoons. This brief farm report provides insight into the production system for this unusual but commercially viable aquaculture species.
Small-scale farmers in the Indian Sundarbans are transforming their livelihoods through brackishwater ornamental fish farming. The region's estuaries and mangrove forests provide natural habitat for commercially valuable species like spotted scat, green puffer, pearlspot, and orange chromide. With training from ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture's Kakdwip Research Centre, local entrepreneurs have developed successful hatchery and grow-out operations.
Three farmers from Kakdwip Block demonstrate the sector's potential. Mr Tapan Maity produces 1,000-3,000 fingerlings monthly from his integrated facility. Mr Mahendra Dului operates a 32-tank hatchery using cost-effective farm-made feeds. Mr Aurobindo Haldar cleared his debts within three years of starting pearlspot production. These farmers combine scientific broodstock management with local knowledge to rear juveniles for urban pet markets in Kolkata and Howrah. The expanding domestic and export demand for brackishwater ornamental species offers sustainable income opportunities for coastal communities facing challenges from climate vulnerability and limited livelihood options.
