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This manual summarizes the existing techniques on the induced breeding, seed production, and culture of the African catfish based on surveys done in Iloilo, Philippines. SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department will present a standardized way of breeding and culturing the African catfish under captive conditions, but will not encourage growing them in natural freshwater habitats. Previous data have shown that their presence in lakes adversely affects the population of other indigenous species and may lead to a loss of biodiversity.

This new aquaculture extension manual revisits the basics of tilapia culture with updated information on the grow-out technology in cages and ponds. Updated cost and returns analyses were also included to guide farmers regarding the profitability of farming tilapia. A fresh chapter on tilapia health management is also included to promote the prevention of tilapia diseases.

Myanmar is one of the OIE members and the Department of Fisheries (DoF) is highly concerned with transboundary aquatic animal pathogens. Therefore, the Aquatic Animal Health & Disease Control Section has already been formed not only for field diagnostic surveys but also for border control especially at international airport and border trade areas by checking and counter checking export and import of aquatic animals and products. At the moment, the DoF is stressing an issue of some transboundary diseases for finfish such as Gyrodactylus sp., Dactylogyrus sp., Argulus sp., Trichodena sp., Streptococcus sp., Aeromonas sp., and for crustacean are MrNV/XSV and WSSV. In addition, the DoF is facing challenges with parasitic disease and bacterial disease problems due to poor water quality management at culturing fish ponds. For the prevention and control of fish diseases within the country, the DoF is issuing Health Certificates by physical and microbiological examination of fishes and fisheries products. At the same time, Quarterly report on fish disease has being regularly submitted to NACA, OIE since 1998 until now. Although the DoF has no specific law and legislation on the control of quarantine pest and disease of aquatic animal, a good aquaculture practice has been implemented and code of conduct responsible for aquaculture is being followed in the country. The aquatic health management is a challenging issue in aquaculture development. Myanmar is still needing technical assistance to improve quarantine system especially for importation and exportation of live aquatic animals. Moreover, monitoring and surveillance programs with harmonized aquatic emergency preparedness and response system are required to boost up not only for Myanmar but also for effective management of transboundary disease outbreaks in Southeast Asia.

Emergency preparedness is the ability to respond effectively and in a timely fashion to aquatic animal disease emergencies (e.g. disease outbreaks, mass mortalities). It is a key element of a National Strategy on Aquatic Animal Health and an important consideration of the Progressive Management Pathway for improving Aquaculture Biosecurity. The important principles, requirements and elements and components of emergency prepareness and contingency plans are briefly described. The emergency preparedness response system audit is also presented as contingency planning arrangements that can provide useful insights and guidance in improving response action to disease emergencies. The paper concludes that many important lessons and insights learned from dealing with disease epizootics in the early 2000 remains valid after more than two decades when the aquaculture sector continues to be plagued with emerging diseases. Past lessons and more recent experiences demonstrated the value of rapid response, reporting/notification by competent authorities, continuous development of knowledge base and capacities in diagnostics, epidemiology, risk analysis, advanced financial planning and the important roles of governments and producer sectors in co-managing disease outbreak events as they both remain the critical entities responsible for launching rapid response. Skills and knowledge need to be passed on to locals as they are in the frontline of any disease emergency. Share key lessons from experiences by state and non-state actors (producer and academic sectors and other important players in the value chain), the international players that launch emergency responses, disease investigations and field situation assessments as well as financial entities that support these actions need to be continued. However, we also need to do - a stock taking exercise to evaluate what worked, what did not work, what resources are needed and to understand what are the new drivers for aquatic animal

Aquaculture is one of the important sectors in the economy of most Asia-Pacific countries. However, majority of aquaculture farms are small-scale and most often lack the necessary facilities to comply with or are not well informed of the product standards imposed by concerned authorities, especially for international trade. Most countries in the region have a high reliance on aquatic animals as the major source of protein for their populations. In the past 20 years, farming of shrimp and fish for export has become a major employer and revenue earner for many countries in the region. Aquaculture is a major employer, contributes significantly to national economies, assists in poverty reduction, and is an important element in food security and other national development priorities. Aquaculture has developed rapidly in the region and is now a significant component in the national economies of many countries. However, recent disease events in fish and shrimp farming have indicated that preparedness and response measures are lacking, contributing to spread of disease across large areas of the countries involved. The growth of aquaculture in recent decades has been dependent on the international movement of aquatic animals and, in particular, the introduction of non-native species. The movement of live aquatic animals and their products has the potential to spread pathogens from one country or region to another, which may result to disease outbreaks. In shrimps as example, most major disease outbreaks were associated with the movement of live animals (broodstock, nauplii and postlarvae) when the patterns of disease spread were analyzed. Many aquatic animal diseases, once established, are often difficult to treat or to eliminate. Over the past 30 years, the Asia-Pacific region has been swept by a number of devastating diseases of aquatic animals which have caused massive economic and social losses. These include spread and outbreaks of infection with Aphanomyces invadans (E

In Thailand, Department of Fisheries (DoF) is the competent authority for various aspects of aquatic animals including aquatic animal health. There are two principal legislation giving DoF power to apply for aquatic animal disease prevention and control measures in the country as well as import-export control; namely, Royal Ordinance on Fisheries and Animal Epidemic Act. DoF has two national reference laboratories for aquatic animal health, one is Aquatic Animal Health Research and Development Division (AAHRDD) for freshwater aquatic animal disease diagnosis and another is Songkhla Aquatic Animal Health Research Center (SAAHRC) for brackish water aquatic animal disease diagnosis. Both are ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratories. Besides, there are 19 regional laboratories of DoF located in different areas of the country. All of 21 laboratories are responsible for performing disease diagnosis service for fish farmers as well as for disease surveillance. There are a number of surveillance and control programs for aquatic animal diseases in Thailand. Passive surveillance: information can be collected from disease reporting and other sources such as scientific research, news, publications, social network, or rumor. Active surveillance: to provide assurance of disease status for trade purposes, DoF has setup nationally active targeted surveillance program for demonstrating a number of diseases free status of country or farm establishment in accordance with OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code. There are several farm standards in Thailand such as Good Aquaculture Practices for Hatchery of Disease Free Pacific White Shrimp, Good Aquaculture Practices for Marine Shrimp Farm, and Aquaculture Establishment for Export of Aquatic Animals. Each standard includes necessary biosecurity practices in order to prevent the introduction of pathogenic agent into or spread within or release from the farm. To control domestic movement of live aquatic animals, in normal situation, Aquatic Animal M

The regulatory authority responsible for the control of aquatic animal diseases in Japan is the Animal Products Safety Division, Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF). The ministry (Animal Products Safety Division) specifies certain diseases and their host species that are subjects for import quarantine on the basis of the law called Fisheries Resources Protection Act. The MAFF also implements risk control measures for the same diseases within Japan on the basis of another law, Fish Farming Production Maintaining Act. Currently, 24 such diseases are listed. For disease control within Japan, the MAFF issues Guideline for the Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases, which states the roles of different stakeholders, appropriate actions that are to be taken on the occurrences of specified or other diseases, fish health guidelines for fish farmers, or diagnostic methods for specified diseases, etc. Local prefectural governments in Japan are required to place personnel who work on fish health issues at the prefectural fisheries research laboratories. These people usually inspect fish farms, observe cultured aquatic animals, supervise the use of antibiotics or vaccines, and guide fish farmers for disease control. Disease diagnosis for aquatic animals is usually conducted by these local fisheries research labs for free. The Japan Fisheries Resource Conservation Association provides a comprehensive training course on fish diseases including laws or hands-on trainings for the staff of prefectural fisheries research laboratories. The JFRCA also give local fish health personnel the qualification as the fish health expert, if the person passes the examination conducted after the training course. Primary diagnosis for specified diseases is conducted by local fisheries laboratories. On the occurrence of the diseases that are suspected to be one of the specified diseases or OIE listed diseases that have not been reported in Japa

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Department of Agriculture as the Competent Authority, develops and implements rules and regulations on aquatic animal health for the Philippines. It establishes the monitoring system for OIE/NACA listed aquatic animal diseases. The disease surveillance and reporting activities are being carried out by the BFAR Fish Health Laboratory of the National Fisheries Laboratory Division and its counterparts at the regional offices. BFAR Fish Health Laboratories have different levels of diagnostic and detection capabilities for aquatic animal diseases. Diagnostic services and technical assistance are rendered to farmers on aquatic animal health. Results of diagnostic services and surveillance by BFAR central and regional offices, and other laboratories (SEAFDEC/AQD-Fish Health, DA-Biotech, Negros Prawn Cooperative) are part of the country s aquatic animal disease reports to the OIE/NACA. BFAR has a Fish Health Network that responds to aquatic animal disease emergencies. It also coordinates and collaborates through networking with research agencies, academe, private sectors and other stakeholders on aquatic animal health. The Fisheries Inspection and Quarantine Division implements the policies on biosecurity, quarantine and health certification for trade and transboundary movement of aquatic animals. It is also responsible for risk analysis on the importation of fish and fishery/aquatic products. Other regulatory requirements for in-country movement include local transport permit for fish and fishery/aquatic products for traceability. Importers and exporters are also registered by BFAR to ensure compliance to sanitary and food safety measures and requirements. BFAR is continuously strengthening its technical capacity, human resources, policies and regulations for a more efficient implementation of aquatic animal health services that includes response to transboundary disease emergencies of aquatic animals.

Singapore s population-dense, urban environment presents a unique context for her increasingly important aquaculture industry. This paper provides an overview of Singapore s existing aquatic emergency preparedness and response systems, which have been constructed and refined by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) in view of past experience with detections of pathogens of warmwater fish. These systems have been developed to fulfil Singapore s obligations as an OIE member country and AVA s duty to safeguard food security, animal and public health. As a trade and export hub, it is critical for Singapore to have timely detection and reporting of diseases which can have an impact on trade. Singapore also needs to balance the needs and perceptions of the multiple stakeholders using the limited space and resources in our island state. Finally, this paper outlines the current issues and gaps of Singapore s existing aquatic emergency preparedness and response systems.

The purpose of this survey is to obtain information on national capacity and the agencies mandated to implement emergency preparedness and response systems with respect to aquatic animal diseases. The results of this survey will help guide regional and national strategic planning with respect to improving aquatic EPR systems, thereby improving aquatic animal health more broadly and assuring adequate and rational support services to achieve sustainable aquaculture development. This FAO questionnaire on aquatic EPR system capacity and performance is a country level self-assessment survey with four sections: (1) general administration, (2) operational components, (3) support systems and (4) additional information.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is the intergovernmental organisation responsible for improving animal health worldwide. It is recognised as a reference organisation by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to develop international standards for animal health and zoonoses; as of May 2018, it counts a total of 182 Members. As the global leader for animal health and welfare standards, the OIE plays an influential role in the prevention, control and information sharing of animal diseases including aquatic animal diseases. The objectives of OIE are to: (1) Ensure transparency in the global animal disease situation; (2) Collect, analyse and disseminate veterinary scientific information; (3) Encourage international solidarity in the control of animal diseases; (4) Safeguard World trade by publishing health standards for international, trade in animals and animal products; (5) Improve the legal framework and resources, national veterinary services and aquatic animal health services; and (6) to provide a better guarantee of food of animal origin and to promote animal welfare. As an international standard setting organisation, the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code (the Aquatic Code) provides standards for the improvement of aquatic animal health worldwide. It also includes standards for the welfare of farmed fish and use of antimicrobial agents in aquatic animals. The sanitary measures in the Aquatic Code provide international standards on importing and exporting countries for early detection, reporting and control of pathogenic agents in aquatic animals (amphibians, crustaceans, fish and molluscs) and to prevent their spread via international trade in aquatic animals and their products, while avoiding unjustified sanitary barriers to trade. In addition, to provide a standardised approach to the diagnosis of the diseases listed in the Aquatic Code and to facilitate health certification for trade in aquatic animals and aquatic animal products, the OIE also developed

The Department of Fisheries (DoF) Malaysia is the custodian of the Fisheries Act 1985, which serves as the main legislative source for subsidiary regulations, including aquaculture and fish health management. It has established Emergency Disease Task Force Committee for any emergency related to disease outbreak as well as standard operating procedures for massive fish kill. This committee consists of taskforce teams from federal and/or state fisheries and oversee the operations of the task force. Fisheries Biosecurity Division under DoF Malaysia holds the primary responsibility for managing the country s emergency preparedness and response system for aquatic animal diseases. As for early detection system, Fisheries Biosecurity Division has established official control and official analysis for targeted diseases listed under OIE and National Listed Diseases. Fish health monitoring programmes are conducted every six months and samples are analyzed by accredited laboratories. Quarterly and half year reports are submitted to representative offices for the health status of targeted disease. Apart from the targeted fish health monitoring program, epidemiology on common and emerging diseases are conducted by National Fish Health Research Division (NaFisH) which is the only research and development arm under DoF. Laboratories under Fisheries Biosecurity Division are responsible for organizing and coordinating surveillance programs for diseases in the OIE list while NaFisH is responsible for conducting research and development on aquatic diseases that cause high losses in industry since 2002. Currently, the DoF has four servicing laboratories under Fisheries Biosecurity Division and one NaFisH laboratory under Fisheries Research Institute for fish health diagnosis in Malaysia.

Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) is a novel RNA virus resembling Orthomyxovirus. It has been recently re-classified to Tilapia tilapinevirus species, under Tilapinevirus genus, Amnoonviridae family (ICTV, 2018). Since the first discovery in Israel in 2014, so far TiLV has been reported from 14 countries in three continents (Asia, Africa, and South America). Thailand is one of the affected countries that reported emergence of this virus in 2017. Initially, we employed nested RT-PCR primer sequences previously published for TiLV diagnosis. However, the resulting amplification of nonspecific fish genes led us to modify the nested RT-PCR protocols into a semi-nested RT-PCR by omitting a non-specific primer to avoid false positive results. Subsequently, our molecular work together with histopathology and sequence analysis confirmed the presence of TiLV infection in Thailand. Prior to the publication of our manuscript, we informed the Thai Department of Fisheries of our discovery of TiLV in Thailand. Our publication was preceded by a brief article at the website of the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific in which we warned of the spread of TiLV and offered free use of a newly improved, semi-nested RT-PCR method and positive control plasmid for detection of TiLV. To date, we have provided positive controls in response to 44 requests from 24 countries who have expressed their appreciation for our attempt to help in emergent controlling the spread of this fish pathogen. Our current study focuses on genetic diversity of TiLV and development of detection method that covers all genetic variants.

Viet Nam is one of the top worldwide producers of aquaculture products which accounts for about 22 percent of total agricultural GDP of Viet Nam. Recently, diseases have become the biggest challenge for global aquaculture development therefore the Vietnamese government has paid close attention to develop an effective aquatic emergency preparedness and response system to timely deal with disease introduction and outbreaks. The Department of Animal Health (DAH), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), which is the competent authority of aquatic animal health management. To monitor transboundary diseases (especially the OIE-listed diseases), the current Vietnamese regulations only allow import of aquatic animals and its products which are certified as disease-free by competent authority of exporting country, and export aquatic animals and its products complying with importing conditions of importing country. Regional Animal Health Offices (belong to DAH) shall carry out sampling for testing pathogens and isolation for imported aquatic animals and its products as regulated in Circular 26/2016/TT-BNNPTNT dated 30 June 2016 before granting permit to import or export. For domestic transportation of aquatic animals, provincial sub DAH is responsible for monitoring infectious pathogens to certify disease-free status of aquatic animals before issuing health certificate for movement. In addition, a reporting and response system to aquatic animal diseases was established in the country from farm level to central level (DAH). Early detection and warning of diseases is critical for disease prevention and control, thus since 2014, the DAH has implemented national surveillance programs focusing on dangerous diseases in the key farming species (brackish-water shrimps, pangasius catfish) according to Circular 04/2016/TT-BNNPTNT dated 10 May 2016 of MARD and support exportation of aquatic animals and its products complying with international regulations and imp

The Competent Authority (CA) on aquatic animal health in Indonesia is the Directorate Aquaculture Area Development and Fish Health of the Directorate General of Aquaculture (DGA) under the Ministry of Marine Affairs. CA is supported by national reference laboratories and professional human resources that are capable of fish disease diagnosis; as well as an established network with the farmers, trading association, and relevant stakeholders which are actively involved in national meetings, conferences, socialization of emerging diseases and policy and regulation. To control transboundary fish disease at national level, the government of Indonesia has a National Strategy on Aquatic Animal Health and Environment, which was developed by FAO under project of TCP/INS/3402: 2013-2015) collaboration with DGA, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF). To strenghten the implementation of aquaculture in the country, the Indonesian Government issued President regulation Number 28 in 2017 which includes the implementation of fish health management as well as emergency response (Section VI, Article 60). To support the implementation of EPRS, Special Task Force Teams are formed by the Director General of Aquaculture. Stakeholders' participation is very important in the implementation of EPRS, such as a prompt report by fish farmers and extension officer to the upper level fisheries officers at district, provincial, and national level of any observed unusual mortality that indicates disease outbreaks. EPRS activities consist of emergency response on early warning (disease information, disease preventing guideline and regulation); early detection (surveillance, appointed diagnostic laboratory); and early response (collecting information, task force formation, public awareness). Standard Operational Procedures, and detection and control were done based on published scientific information available and guidelines from World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), Network of Aquac

The information presented in this paper were taken from several key FAO documents. The objective is to continuously raise awareness about the concept of risk analysis and its application to the aquaculture sector. The paper provides information in response to several key risk questions, e.g.: (1) what is risk versus hazard, (2) what is risk analysis, (3) who uses risk analysis, (4) why do countries need to be able to use risk analysis? An overview of the risks in aquaculture is also provided in terms of the process and approaches; and the different risk sectors in aquaculture. The paper concludes with some key points and challenges. Risk analysis is a decisionmaking tool that contributes to protecting national health and welfare. It can also contribute to sustainable aquaculture and the success of individual aquaculture businesses and operations. Risk analysis does not stand alone - it supports and is supported by other components of a National Strategy on Aquatic Animal Health. A basic strength of the risk analysis process is its flexibility - it is adaptable to almost any sector/system where risk and uncertainty occur. Countries will often be confronted with a lack of scientific information, both quality and quantity, to support the risk analysis process. Nevertheless, governments must often act under these uncertainties as well as make decisions in the face of a great deal of complexity, significant variability, and multiple management goals.

The polyculture of mud crab with one to three other species (milkfish (Chanos chanos), tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) and shrimp or sugpo (Penaeus monodon)) is a common practice in Region 3. Pond preparation is given importance prior to stocking of various species. Removal of sludge in the pond and application of probiotics are included in the standard pond preparation. The size and stocking densities of each species vary depending on the season. The volume of water to be replaced is based on the transparency of the water. The various species are fed natural food grown in the pond in addition to mollusks and low value fish given specifically for mud crab and shrimp. When pond water becomes transparent (indicating the decrease in phytoplankton density), the water is agitated using a small boat. If water continues to be transparent, fertilizers are applied to enhance growth of natural food. The pond water and animals are closely monitored to prevent diseases. Some of the early signs of occurrence of disease include the presence of bubbles on the water surface, and presence of weak shrimp on the feeding trays and along the dikes. The presence of weak shrimp and crab on the pond bottom and continuous swimming of these animals from night to dawn indicate poor pond water quality which can be remedied by circulating and flushing of the pond water every other day.

Aquasilviculture technology verification project was conducted at the National Brackishwater Fisheries Technology Center (NBFTC) of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in 1996-2000. Results indicated that given the proper technology, management and favourable market, and polyculture of high-value species (grouper (Epinephelus) and mud crab (Scylla)) will provide better return on investment. Dissemination of the technology through training started in 2001. In 2002, a 4-hectare undeveloped fishpond of NBFTC was converted into an aquasilviculture project to showcase the technical and economic feasibility of the technology with emphasis on the polyculture of mud crab, grouper and saline tilapia (Oreochromis) that would serve as a model livelihood project for coastal fisherfolk. In 2011, the BFAR launched the Philippine National Aquasilviculture Program to help restore mangroves that serve as breeding and nursery grounds of fish, and to provide livelihood projects through aquasilviculture to coastal fisherfolk. With increasing cost of development and management for aquasilviculture, integration of mangrove crab fattening and/or soft-shelled crab production have shown to improve profit under the present economic condition.

The initial exposure of the Santos family in aquaculture was the culture of milkfish (Chanos chanos) and mud crab (Scylla serrata) in brackishwater pond in Quezon. The milkfish fry were obtained from our own milkfish hatchery, in which several broodstock are maintained as source of eggs. The juvenile crabs for stocking were wild-caught obtained from Quezon, Camarines or Bicol Region traders. In the late 2012, SEAFDEC/AQD collaborated with the Mari-al Hatchery for the seed production of mud crab under the National Mud Crab S and T Program of the Department of Science and Technology. This collaboration was timely since the source of juvenile crabs was no longer reliable. Furthermore, excess crabs that would be produced from the hatchery can also be sold to other farmers. Training at SEAFDEC/AQD and technical assistance on site were provided by SEAFDEC/AQD prior to the operation of the mud crab hatchery. Part of the existing milkfish hatchery facilities were utilized for the crab larval rearing. The protocol of SEAFDEC/AQD was followed with some modifications based on the existing facilities and source of water supply. After the successful runs, a separate hatchery facility dedicated for mud crab larval rearing was constructed in 2013. Four runs were conducted with 1-2% survival rate from zoea 1 to crab instar. Problems encountered during the runs include: insufficient rotifers since the culture had to be shared with milkfish larvae, poor water quality due to typhoon and presence of a wharf nearby, low water temperature, human error, resignation of trained staff, lack of good quality broodstock source nearby, and MDS. The problems were addressed one by one. Although the technology has been developed, this has to be modified accordingly.

A 26-page manual describing the site selection, hatchery design, spawning, larval rearing, natural food production, and economic analysis for milkfish.

Fish meal (FM) is the best and main protein source for fish and shrimp feed because of the favorable amino acid profile, highly unsaturated fatty acids, palatability and absence of antinutritional factors. Aquaculture production has increased (about 8-9% a year) and is expected to increase further at the same rate to meet the demand for increase world population and health concern. In this connection, more aquafeed is required. Aquafeed rely much on fish meal (FM) and fish oil (FO) for the supply of major essential nutrients (essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, mineral and attractant). Therefore, more FM is required. However, world fish meal production has been relatively static in the last 15 years and is unlikely to increase further, coupled with public pressure on sustainable feed (fish in fish out ratio or fish meal independent ratio). Thus, levels of FM use in fish feed will have to be reduced and replaced by alternative protein sources for a sustainable increase in aquaculture production. Therefore, the identification and development of alternative feed ingredients that can replace FM is recognized as an international research priority. Consequently, several international integrated projects have been established in Europe, USA and Australia to reduce fish meal and fish oil in fish feeds. A European integrated project involving 14 countries, 32 partners with 4 major programs has been established to develop feeds from sustainable alternatives to fish meal and fish oil to produce safe, healthy seafood; assess the health benefits of fish farmed on the new diets; assess the safety of fish farmed on the new diets; assess perceptions regarding farmed fish and to devise a framework to communicate the risk and benefit of consuming farmed fish to the public and other stake holders. The strategic goal of this project is to tailor aquaculture feeds to produce high-quality fish with significantly reduced use of fish meal (FM) and fish oil (FO).

Fish production from aquaculture in Asia has steadily increased during the past decade. In 2012, Asia s share in the total world aquaculture production was about 89% with 60 M metric tons valued at US$ 120 B. ASEAN Member States such as Viet Nam, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and the Philippines are among the top producers in Asia contributing 9 M metric tons of production from aquaculture valued at US$ 19 B (FAO, 2014). To sustain the production and profitability of aquaculture operations, reducing costs is needed mainly through feeds and feeding which represent up to 60% of operational costs. Reductions in feeding costs can be realized through optimizing nutrient levels of diets, feeding strategies, and by using plant protein sources as fish meal substitutes. As more intensive methods for production of the top five commodities (carps, tilapia, milkfish, catfish, and Pangasius sp.) become popular in ASEAN Member States, practical feeds need to be formulated using plant protein sources that are locally available. Plant protein sources such as soy proteins and corn gluten have been used as partial or total replacements for fish meal quite extensively in aquafeed for the top aquaculture commodities because of their high protein content (40-60%) and good digestibility. Other alternative dietary protein sources with emphasis on oilseed meals, peas and other leguminous seed meals, leaf meals from terrestrial plants, aquatic plants, plant protein concentrates, single cell proteins, cereal by products, fermentation and other products have been or are currently being evaluated as fish meal substitutes for their nutritive values, inclusion levels, constraints in processing mainly to reduce the effects of anti-nutritional factors as well as economic value. The proper use of these ingredients would promote good fish growth, survival, production, and boost the income of small scale farmers. Testing of aquaculture feeds containing these local ingredients will help the regional a

Thailand is one of the major producers of aquaculture commodities and aquafeeds in Asia. As the aquafeed industry has been growing continuously, the government through the Department of Fisheries (DOF) had undertaken the enactment of the Animal Feed Quality Control Act (1982) since 1992.The DOF oversees production of commercial aquafeeds of eight species. At present, there are many negative impacts by both aquaculture activities and the aquafeed industry. These include the use of feed ingredients from non-sustainable sources. Researches on the use of alternative dietary ingredients in aquafeeds are on-going. However, these solutions need to be cost-effective to be commercially feasible and alternative culture-systems have to be considered to improve feed efficiency. Thus, the important sectors that are involved to ensure the sustainable development and use of alternative dietary ingredients in aquafeeds are the: 1) government, 2) feed millers, and 3) fish farmers.

In 2011, the Philippines ranked 7th in the world in fish production. It produced 4.97 thousand metric tons of fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and aquatic plants (seaweeds). The Philippines also ranked 11th in aquaculture production with 1.22% of the world s aquaculture production of 62.7 million metric tons (mt). Aquaculture in the Philippines generally depends on commercially-milled aquafeeds which in 2012 amounted to 61,846 mt. Aquaculture feed is composed of 24.3% fish meal. Fish-by-catch is associated with trash fish. Utilization of trash fish in the country in each segment could be summarized as: (1) for human consumption; (2) for processing of fish sauce; (3) for production of fish meal; and, (4) as direct feed for aquaculture. In 2013, about 15 thousand mt (24.3%) of fish meal were used wherein 3.97 thousand mt is imported while about 11 thousand mt is assumed to come from the local fish meal. The product lines of these plants are tuna and sardines based meal using heads, tails and whole fish rejected from tuna and sardine canneries. Local fish meal has around 50-55% protein content. Due to limited production and high cost of fish meal, the use of alternative feed ingredients for aqua feed sources are being utilized which include: a) legumes; b) Ipil-ipil leaf meal; c) miscellaneous fodder plants, such as the leaves and other aerial parts of papaya, water hyacinth, Ipomea and sweet potato; d) roots and tubers like arrow roots (Maranta arundinacea), sweet potato(Ipomea batatas L.), cassava (Manihot escolenta Crantz), taro (Colocasia esculenta L.), and elephant yam (Amorphophallus campanulatus); e) cereals and cereal by-products like rice bran and maize and f) oil cakes and oil meals. For feeds of animal origin, African snail meal, Giant toad meal, fish silage, feather meal, maggot meal, mussel (tahong) meal, and Superworm, Zophobas morio are identified. To improve the efficiency of feeding, there are three (3) practices being used in the Philippines. These are a)

Cultured marine aquatic species are predominantly carnivorous. Major species in the region are seabass, grouper, snapper, tiger shrimp, mangrove crab and abalone. These species, except for abalone, require a high level of dietary protein mostly supplied by marine sources such as fish meal. Global production of marine fish and marine shrimps showed a 3-4 fold increase from 1995 to 2010. For the same period, the usage of commercial feed for production of marine fish and shrimps increased while the fish meal portion in the formulation decreased. This is indicative of fish meal being substituted with alternative sources in commercial feed production, and to some extent the substitution of marine oil which particularly improved the FCR for the marine fish production from 2.0 to 1.9 and for marine shrimps from 2.0 to 1.6. Plant products that include cereal grains, legumes and oilseeds have the most potential among the alternative ingredients for use in aquafeed. The use of these resources for high value marine species is limited due to a variety of anti-nutritional substances they contain. Removal of these substances by processing techniques has improved utilization but with added cost. Hence, fish meal is still the primary source of protein for marine carnivores and its substitution with higher amounts of alternative plant proteins may be difficult compared with lower levels of replacements. The Asian region has accounted for the more than 50% of the total global aquaculture production in 2012 with indications of increased utilization of alternative protein sources in commercial feed production. For the major marine species in the region the increasing trend of plant protein usage with the targeted levels of substitution of fish meal with plant protein sources should be sustainable.

In 2013, capture fisheries contributed 85% (1.48 million mt) of total fish production in Malaysia. An additional 17.6% (261,000 mt) was recorded as fish-by-catch (FBC). On the contrary, aquaculture contributed 15% (260,800 mt) of the total fish production (49.0% marine fish and 51.0% freshwater fish). An estimated 150,000 mt FBCs were processed to fish meal (FM) producing 30,000 mt FM annually. In 2013, 16,600 mt of FM, valued at MYR50 million (USD15.6 million) were exported while 7,700 mt valued at MYR33 million (USD10.3 million) were imported. FBCs may consist of fish, crustaceans, mollusks and others. The quality of each FBC sample differs depending on the amount of fish and varies with the season and fishing ground. The use of FM, plant protein sources and fish oil (FO) in the aquafeed industry is not known. However, based on marine fish and shrimp feed price, the use of FM and FO in aquafeed was estimated to be 30-40%. Studies on FM and FO replacement in aquafeed using poultry by-product meal, fermented shrimp head waste, soybean meal, palm oil and soybean oil as well as the use of biofloc technology in white shrimp farming were also discussed. In order to improve feed and feeding practices, Department of Fisheries, Malaysia conducted good aquaculture practices on feeding management, feed formulation and fish nutrition courses to stakeholders (farmers and government officials). In addition, there are measures taken to monitor feed and feeding practices through random auditing process in aquaculture farms in Malaysia based on Good Aquaculture Practices (MyGAP) and Animal Feed Act 2009. Due to the increasing price of FM and FO, the aquafeed industry has started to replace in the feed formulations since the increasing feed cost has hindered farmers from buying aquafeed. As a result, there were traces of porcine DNA detected in almost all commercial aquafeed. Additionally, aquaculture farmers tend to formulate their own farm-made aquafeed instead of using commercia

A non-fish meal diet using plant and/or animal protein materials for yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata was developed. Three kinds of non-fish meal diets and a control diet containing 50% fish meal were processed. In the non-fish meal diets, the fish meal was replaced with commercially available plant or animal materials and supplemented with taurine and other ingredients for maintaining palatability. These diets were fed to one year old yellowtail (body weight: 753±96 g) in net cages. No significant differences in growth, daily weight gain, daily feed rate, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio were observed among fish given the diets. Non-fish meal diets were processed in a factory and their biological characteristics were studied such as uptake, stomach evacuation rate, and disease resistance. In addition, the diet palatability of each substitute protein source for fish was examined and ingredients that enhanced palatability of the non-fish meal diets were identified. Non-fish meal diets have the potential to support the growth of one year old yellowtail.

Aquaculture production has been practised in Cambodia for centuries where usually high value fish are grown in cages and fed low value fish. The use of low value fish or trash fish as feed also provides a storage mechanism where seasonally abundant and cheap fish are fed to high value species. In 2014, the production from aquaculture was 120,000 metric tons (mt), an increase of 25% from 2013, along with production from rice fields with an increase of 15% at 160,000 mt. Wild-harvested fish production in 2014 from small-scale fisheries and marine fisheries were 345,005 mt and 120,250 mt, respectively.

Fish production from aquaculture in Indonesia continues to grow rapidly from 1.7 million mt in 2009 to 4.0 million mt (excluding seaweed) in 2013. This is consistent with the increase of total aqua feed production from 995,000 mt in 2009 to 1.42 million mt in 2013 and about 90% of feed distributed to the farming area is produced by the feed industry. To meet the demand from the rapidly growing aquaculture industry, there is a need to develop new high-quality protein ingredients to reduce dependence on fish meal (FM). Despite high production of local FM in Indonesia, only around 5% of total production is used for aquafeed and the rest is exported mainly to Japan. Efforts toward reduction of using FM in commercial diets have been done in particular for freshwater species. Nowadays the content of FM in commercial diet for freshwater species is around 5-11%. Shrimp and marine species are still formulated to contain FM in range of 20-30% for shrimp and > 30% for marine species.Utilization of plant ingredients in particular soy bean meal (SBM) has partially replaced FM as dietary protein. However, SBM is also obtained entirely by import as all national production of soybean in the country are for tempe and tofu processing. Since almost 70% of components in commercial diet is imported ingredients, prices of commercial aquafeed increased through the years and are not competitive compared with price of fish in particular those categorized as low value species like carp, tilapia, catfish, Pangasius and milkfish. In several areas in Indonesia including Sumatera and Kalimantan Island, small-scale feed industry or on-farm feed making has been developed by individual or farmer group due to the limited access to commercial diets. Generally, the farmers use local feed ingredients which are available in their areas such as local fish meal, copra/palm cake meal, rice bran and tapioca. However, the quality of the diets produced varies among groups. Many nutritional studies have been c

After rapid development for three decades, aquaculture has become the most important source of food fish in Asia, which currently supplies about 55 per cent of food fish for the people. The rapid growth of aquaculture production has been largely the result of intensification of aquaculture, which heavily relies on artificial feeding. The development of shrimp and high value marine and inland finfish culture has greatly increased the demand for feed ingredients from animal sources, particularly fish meal and fish oil and low value fish as direct feed. Due to various factors, the production of fish meal from whole fish has, overall, declined gradually since 2005 despite some fluctuations. This decrease has been only partly offset by a growing share of fish meal production obtained from fishery by-products. In contrast, the overall demand for fish meal continued to grow, pushing prices to historic high at US$1,919 per mt in January 2013, with an increase of 206 percent between January 2005 and January 2013. The soaring price of fish meal and fish oil has significantly affected the economic return from farm production that relies on the feed with high content of fish meal and fish oil or direct use of low value fish as feed. Furthermore, the increasing use of fish meal and fish oil from whole fish that can be direct source of animal food for people has raised major public concerns. Due to the population and economic growth, it is projected that in 2030 the Asia-Pacific region will need to increase fish production by 30 million mt, mainly through aquaculture. With the on-going process of aquaculture intensification and potential increase of high value commodities that require high protein in feed, it is anticipated that demand of Asian aquaculture for feed ingredients, particularly the protein source, will continue to increase. With the stagnant capture fish production and potentially more production to be directed for direct consumption by people, there will be a gap be

This monograph provides updated information on diseases of marine and brackishwater cultured milkfish in the Philippines. The information presented here is largely based on the results of a three-year research project on milkfish at the University of the Philippines Visayas funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). The project involved surveillance and monitoring of hatchery, nursery and grow-out operations for occurrence of diseases as well as on disease diagnosis, prevention and control. Previously documented reports in the Philippines and in other documents, both published and unpublished, are also included in this monograph. The diseases are discussed on a culture phase basis, that is, disease problems encountered in hatchery-reared larvae and fry are listed first, followed by diseases observed in fingerlings and juveniles grown in nursery and grow-out culture areas, and adult stages maintained in broodstock facilities. Information regarding the causative agent, diagnostic procedures, and methods of prevention and control for each disease are provided, if available.

The paper presents the key problems on development and use of alternative dietary ingredients in aquaculture feed formulations in Southeast Asia based on the discussion and reviews during the Regional Technical Consultation. Policy recommendations are also presented.

The aquaculture industry in Singapore started in 1980s. The country has approximately 130 aquaculture farms, mostly located in the western part of the country. Aquaculture production mainly comes from coastal farms and the cultured fishes are milkfish, mullet, Asian sea bass, grouper, snapper, and pompano. With regard to land-based farms, the fish produced are mainly freshwater fish species such as catfish, tilapia, snakehead, gourami, marble goby and various species of carps. In 2013, the aquaculture industry produced approximately 4,200 metric tons (mt) which represented 8% of the entire country s fish consumption. The rest of the fish and other aquatic products consumed by the populace were imported from the neighboring countries and from Norway for salmon.

Lao PDR has a population of 5.7 million, with a land area 236,800 sq. km. About 87.7% of land or catchment areas drains into Mekong River and contributes 35% of the Mekong River Basin flow. Almost all of Laos territory has an enormous importance for fishery resources, including its rich aquatic biodiversity.

The United States Soybean Export Council s (USSEC) Soy-In-Aquaculture (SIA) project in the Philippines introduced the Low Volume High Density (LVHD) cage culture production methodology in 2003. The aim of this technology is to maximize farmers profit, improve productivity, reduce feed conversion ratios (FCR) and limit environmental degradation. The Philippine fish farmers were very conservative and hesitant about adopting the USSEC SIA Low Volume High Density (LVHD) cage culture technology, particularly the new feeding techniques using extruded floating feeds. This conservative attitude was highlighted with different projects using Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), milkfish (Chanos chanos) and snubnose pompano (Trachinotus blochii) in USSEC SIA LVHD cage feeding demonstrations conducted in different commercial farms in the Philippines.

Due to the occurrence of fish kills in various fish producing areas in our country, millions of pesos and opportunities for the Filipino people had been put into waste. Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU) collaborated with the Central Luzon Association of Small-scale Aquaculture to devise strategies to address the said problem and prevent further losses. More often than not, a fish kill can be attributed to the low level of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water, decrease or increase in salinity and sudden increase in temperature, which usually occur after heavy rainfall, flooding or high tide, or high levels of ammonia due to decomposing organic matter and high temperature during summer. For these reasons, BPSU researchers tested the use of radio frequencies and installed sensors in different areas of the fishpond at various depths to remotely monitor the levels of DO, salinity and temperature of the water. Once these reach critical levels, the installed system which comes with a specific program, will send an alarm through radio frequencies via Short Messaging Services (SMS) technology on the cellular/mobile phone of the caretaker or the fishpond operator. Upon receiving the alarm, caretakers were able to adjust the levels of dissolved oxygen, salinity and temperature of the water by remotely switching on the air compressor or the electric water pump using their cellular/ mobile phone, thus preventing losses due to fish kills.

Seahorse culture has been practiced throughout the world to meet the demand for global trade and reduce the pressure on wild stocks through overexploitation. Development of culture techniques for seed production of seahorses is one of the most effective measures to avoid such anthropological repercussions on the wild stocks, and is currently being conducted at SEAFDEC/ AQD with the aim to produce seed for stock release to protect these internationally threatened and overexploited species in Southeast Asia. This paper describes the breakthroughs in seahorse breeding and nursery rearing. So far, we have developed water and feeding management schemes that resulted in improved reproductive performance of broodstock and higher survival and growth rates in newborn and juvenile seahorses. We highlight the concern of providing desirable food organisms and maintenance of suitable water quality in order to maintain maximum efficiency in the management of the seahorse hatchery. Newborn seahorses fed with formalin-treated food organisms and reared in UV-treated seawater had significantly higher survival and daily growth rate based on stretched height and body weight than those fed with untreated food organisms and reared in both chlorinated and sand-filtered seawater. Broodstocks fed with mysid shrimps showed higher brood size and shorter parturition interval. Thus, improved reproductive performance as well as survival and growth of newborn seahorses were largely influenced by refinement of hatchery management techniques.

As aquaculture production of tropical fish and crustacean species becomes more intensified, practical diets need to be formulated to be cost effective and environment-friendly. Ingredients should be included to satisfy the nutrient requirements of the animal, promote optimal fish growth, and boost the income of small-scale farmers and commercial producers with minimal impacts to the surrounding environment. Feed formulation for sustainable aquaculture should aim at increasing aquaculture system performance and profitability, enhancing the animals disease resistance, increasing attractability, palatability, and digestibility of practical diets, and maintaining environmental quality through sound feeding management and good aquaculture practices. More vigorous research and development efforts need to be supported to generate feed technologies that will ensure a steady and reliable supply of safe and high quality aquaculture products to the public while preserving the environment.

Aquaculture is promoted for food security and poverty alleviation in developing countries. This study examines the socio-economic impact of aquaculture technologies extended to calamitystricken rural communities in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, representing the marine water fishery and in Dumarao, Capiz, representing the inland freshwater fishery at west central Philippines. The adoption pathway employed in both sites was community-based and participatory. The survey was conducted among cooperators and non-cooperators, randomly selected in equal numbers in two sites with 60 respondents each per site using a pre-tested interview schedule. Results showed that aquaculture is an acceptable technology both for cooperators and noncooperators. The venture is a profitable business either done individually or collectively through an association, if managed properly. Milkfish cage culture, however, needs big capital that technology adoption among local fisherfolk (Guimaras) is limited. In contrast, tilapia cage culture enables small farmers/fishers in Dumarao to venture on their own. Dumarao growers were able to innovate using local materials like bamboo poles to make their cages afloat instead of drums or plastic containers as buoys. There were, however, environmental, technological and institutional issues deterring technology adoption in both sites. Climate change and institutional issues were the more prevalent concerns of Dumarao growers. The technological issues like fluctuating market price, cost of feeds, and fry supply were more enunciated in Guimaras.

The shrimp (black tiger and white leg shrimp) and catfish industries in Viet Nam continue to experience increasing growth due to rapid aquaculture development. However, disease outbreaks become a major issue. Moreover, seafood consumers at present are likely to be more concerned about how the products are produced and how to control/manage aquatic animal health instead of treatment. Hence, the main objective of this abstract is to focus on one of the solutions to address these problems/issues and ensure sustainable aquaculture development in Viet Nam.

Accumulating evidence suggests rapid adaptation of fish populations when they are exposed to artificial hatchery environments. However, little is known if rapidly-adapted populations can readapt to their original, natural environment at the same rate. Here, I review recent studies on salmonid fish that address this issue. They indeed suggest rapid adaptation of hatchery populations, in which reproductive fitness under a natural environment became much lower than that in the wild population after only 1-2 generations of captive breeding. However, the reproductive fitness did not recover after one generation of natural rearing, implying that rapid adaptation to a new environment was not reversible at the same rate. I discuss potential consequences of the irreversible fitness reduction in extensively stocked fish species. Understanding the mechanism behind the irreversible rapid adaptation in fish populations will help us figure out a better, nature-friendly, and hence sustainable means of hatchery operations for human welfare.

The manual provides developed and refined techniques for collection and transport of spawned eggs and larvae, as well as larval rearing. It also describes the necessary facilities for maintaining milkfish broodstock. Guidelines on transporting broodstock, performing biopsy to determine sex of spawners, collecting and cleaning eggs, packing and transporting eggs to hatchery, incubating and hatching eggs, and packing and transporting of larvae are also provided in the manual. The importance of nutritional quality of the diet in relation to the performance of the milkfish broodstock and quality of resulting eggs and larvae is also explained in the manual. Broodstock feeds are enriched with vitamin C, beta-carotene, and other nutrients for better reproductive performance of broodstock and better egg and larval quality. It also offers formula to initially estimate the number of spawned eggs and determine the hatching rate. The manual guides stakeholders and operators who are interested in setting up breeding facilities for milkfish.

A 42-pages extension manual describing the biology, fingerling production, site selection, cage design and construction, measurement & analysis of water & sediment quality parameters and economic analysis.

A 26-page extension manual describing the biology, broodstock acquisition & management, larval rearing, harvest & transport and prevention of diseases & parasites in hatchery production of pompano.

A 30-page extension manual describing the biology, site selection, pond management and harvest & post-harvest of milkfish intensive polyculture in earthen pond.

The mangrove red snapper is among the high-value marine fishes with great potential for export. Snapper is important to coastal fishery and ideal for aquaculture particularly in Southeast Asia. Grow-out culture of snapper are described - pond culture and culture in cages inside the ponds. In the pond culture, the whole area can be maximized and the available natural food can be utilized by snapper. In rearing snapper in cages inside the pond, fish sampling and harvesting are easily done and also in preventing of disease infection and securing of fish stocks during flooding. In both culture methods a good site would have a mangrove buffer space about 20-100 m that lies between the ponds and the source of water like river or sea. Pond soil with a good water retention property is desirable for dike construction. Water supply should be adequate year-round, free from pollutants and run-off flooding. Pond supplies, labor and technology should be available on the selected site which is also accessible to markets with peaceful locale. The pond for growing snapper should be prepared well in order to promote good growth of fish, to minimize pollution, and prevents the proliferation of pathogens. Stocking of healthy and larger uniform size juveniles will mean higher survival, faster growth and shorter culture period. Proper handling of juveniles during harvest, size-grading, counting, packing, transport, acclimation and stocking should be observed and should be done during the cooler part of the day. Recommended juveniles for grow-out is about 20-100 g average body weight (ABW) and stocking densities of 5,000/ha in ponds, and at 5 pcs/m3 or 5,000 pcs/ha when stocked in cages inside the pond. During culture, good water quality is maintained and when necessary the cleaning of net cages, repair of dike leaks and seepages, and aeration are to be considered. Snapper dietary protein is about 48-50%. The following are the factors to consider in the feeding management of sn

Aquaculture has been the focus of fisheries development policy in Indonesia since the new Minister in the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia was decided in October 2009. The Ministry s vision is to increase aquaculture production up to 3.5 times for the period of five years (2009-2014) from 4.78 to 16.89 million mt (DGA 2009). The development of Indonesian aquaculture plays an increasingly important role in the country s economic growth through job creation and income generation, especially in rural areas. Several measures have been implemented to develop aquaculture, such as expansion of aquaculture areas, intensification of existing aquaculture facilities, production of good quality seeds, continued development of biotechnology for producing new species or strain, improved efficiency offered and use of locally available raw materials such as maggot meal, and development of technology on disease control using molecular tools. Also included are the improvement of farmer s education and awareness in implementation of Best management practices (BMPs) for sustainability, increased participation of farmers and private sector in aquaculture development, and provision of various financial schemes for aquaculture businesses.