Southeast Asia is endowed with a variety of species that can be cultured as food fish. Since 1973, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center/Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) has devoted research efforts to establish broodstock for the tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon), milkfish (Chanos chanos), and other economically important fish and crustaceans in the region. The objective is to ensure the availability and reliability of seed supply for fish culture. SEAFDEC’s pioneering effort on genetics was a collaborative study with the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute on the genetic variation of milkfish populations in the Philippines. Towards the end of the 1980s, genetic activities, co-funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada in collaboration with Dalhousie University of Canada, were focused on tilapia.