The Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC/AQD) implemented the project “Sustainable Aquaculture through Cost-effective Culture Systems, and Prompt and Effective Aquatic Animal Health Management” from 2020 to 2024 with support from the Japanese Trust Fund (JTF). The Project consists of three main activities: 1) cost-effective culture system, 2) prompt and effective aquatic animal health management, and 3) capacity enhancement for sustainable aquaculture. It complies with Resolution No. 16 Strengthen aquaculture governance and implement good aquaculture practices to sustain production for food safety and security, sustainable livelihoods, and rural development of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Resolution and Plan of Action on Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security for the ASEAN Region Towards 2030 (RES&POA-2030). Recognizing the success and expertise of AQD in the development of aquaculture technologies, especially in broodstock management, spawning, larval rearing, nursery and grow-out culture of aquatic fish, crustaceans, mollusks, sandfish, and seaweeds, feed development, fish health management, development of vaccine treatment, protective measures against existing and emerging diseases, community-based resource management, and implementation of aquaculture related training courses, the Project was conducted to improve the stability and sustainability of aquatic food production and for technology dissemination in the Southeast Asian region. Under Activity 1 of this Project, this study aims to establish a community-based seedlings supply system. This article highlights the inherent challenges of hatchery production, particularly our growing vulnerability to climate variability, including temperature fluctuations and water quality issues. Effective data monitoring can guide adaptive management strategies through science-based strategies, such as investing in appropriate technologies, adjusting densities, and changing feeding practices to boost production yields.

Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) is a generic name used to describe the observed mortality occurring within the first 30 days of stocking shrimp (Penaeus sp.) post larvae (PL) in ponds. The aquaculture species reported to be affected by EMS are Penaeus monodon, P. vannamei and P. chinensis, of which P. monodon is the most susceptible. EMS has been reported in China (2009), Viet Nam (2010), Malaysia and Borneo (2011), and Thailand (2012). EMS could have been present in the Philippines as early as 2007 but this was not given attention then. Fish farmers in the Philippines observed that mortalities that occur as early as one week after stocking P. monodon PL in ponds or within two months of stocking were not due to the whitespot syndrome virus (WSSV). Hence, the farmers call it the two-month mortality syndrome (Tendencia et al., 2014). EMS is associated with WSSV, microsporidian infestation, Vibrio infection, and chemical contamination (Flegel, 2016; FAO, 2013). Affected shrimps have pale to whitish hepatopancreas with black spots or streaks, rigid and hard to squash. Histopathology of the hepatopancreas of shrimp samples from EMS cases showed massive necrosis and sloughing or shedding of the epithelial cells. EMS characterised by these specific histopathological changes in the hepatopancreas is called Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND). Incidence of AHPND has been recently reported in China, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Conventional feeds for mangrove crab (Scylla serrata) are highly fixated on the use of fish-by-products (FBC) and other slaughter wastes. These feeds, however, are highly polluting that can easily cause water quality spoilage, and may affect the health of the mangrove crab. They can likewise bring about problems in supply shortage, reliability in quality, and as carriers of disease agents. In order to support the sustainability of the mangrove crab industry in Southeast Asia, there is a need to produce an efficient and viable aquaculture feed for this species. Although SEAFDEC has started venturing into researches with emphasis on crab feed development, it was deemed necessary to work on further improvement of feed formulation with the inclusion of ingredients that are less expensive based on published nutritional requirements and physical properties of mangrove crab. This study assessed the efficiency of the refined crab feed in land-based tanks. Refinement of this feed formulation focused on partial replacement of fishmeal with alternative ingredients such as mussel meat meal. Cholesterol was added to refined crab feed to improve molting processes affecting the growth of the animal (Coloso et al., 2017). The same diet was evaluated for its proximate composition, water stability, amino acid and fatty acid compositions, digestibility of nutrients, attractability and palatability, and its biological effects on cultured mangrove crabs. Overall, results indicated that refined crab feed can potentially be used as sole feed for the grow-out culture of crabs as it can enhance the animals’ growth and survival in tanks.

Aquaculture achieved a significant milestone in 2022, surpassing capture fisheries production as the leading aquatic producer. Its global production reached 130.9 million t, with 94.4 million t comprising aquatic animals, marking a 4.4 % surge from 2020 (FAO, 2024). This milestone, coupled with the decline of capture fishery production due to overexploitation and overfishing, underscores the need to explore and develop aquaculture techniques for new aquatic species. Once established, these techniques will be promoted and hopefully create a new local aquaculture industry in Southeast Asia. Recognizing the unparalleled success and expertise of the Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC/AQD) in the development of aquaculture technologies, especially in the broodstock management, spawning, larval rearing, nursery and grow-out culture, fish nutrition, and fish health management, this study, with funding support from the Japanese Trust Fund (JTF), aims to develop aquaculture techniques for new aquatic species, namely: slipper lobster (Thenus orientalis), kawakawa (Euthynnus affinis), and shortfin scad (Decapterus macrosoma). Furthermore, this study was conducted to generate basic information on reproductive biology, breeding, farming techniques, feeding habits, fish health, and other relevant data for developing aquaculture techniques of the three species through the collection from identified sites, transport, stocking, and management of broodstock, larval rearing, feeding, and health management experiments.

What are sex pheromones and how do they function in the courtship and mating of shrimps and other crustaceans? Best known as chemical compounds excreted by animals to initiate reproduction-related responses from their potential mates, pheromones became an important factor in shrimp culture. An earlier study, showed that the domesticated shrimp had a reduced level of pursuit behavior than the wild-caught and suggested that sex pheromones could have played a role in this behavioral difference. Domesticated penaeids are typically reared communally until ready for use as broodstock wherein animals are continually exposed to varying chemical cues. There is a close relationship between chemicals involved in molting and mating of closed thelycum species but information regarding the effect of prolonged exposure of male penaeids to molting and sex pheromones of females on reproduction behavior is not available. In 2021, SEAFDEC/AQD conducted a research to evaluate the possible implications of monosex rearing on gonad maturation and reproduction behavior of Penaeus indicus broodstock. Results demonstrated that the traditional communal rearing of male and female P. indicus broodstock do not have a significant effect on the ovary development and sperm quality of female and male broodstock, respectively. But this common practice of rearing male and female broodstock together significantly reduced reproductive related behavior leading to lower successful matings compared to when broodstock were reared monosex. This novel information could be linked to previous report on reduced successful matings previously reported in black tiger prawn, P. monodon. Therefore, monosex rearing should be considered as an alternate broodstock setup as this will facilitate optimized sexspecific nutritional manipulation and even potentially increase the mating success of domesticated penaeid broodstock.

Seaweeds are ecologically important primary producers, competitors, and ecosystem engineers (Harley et al., 2012), support complex food webs in coastal zones, and provide habitats and food for associated organisms, from apex predators to invertebrates (Reisewitz, Estes, & Simenstad, 2006). Seaweeds are intimately linked to human cultural and economic systems via the provision of ecosystem goods and services ranging from food, medicine, to cosmetics (Pickering, 2006) and storm protection (Rönnbäck, et al., 2007). There is strong scientific consensus that coastal marine ecosystems, along with the goods and services they provide, are threatened by anthropogenic global climate change (IPCC, 2001). However, the impacts of ongoing and future anthropogenic climate change in seaweeddominated ecosystems remain poorly understood (Harley et al., 2012). It is therefore, timely and relevant to provide better understanding of the experiences of seaweed farmers and their capacity to anticipate, cope with, resist, and recover from the impact of natural hazards (Blaikie, Cannon, Davis, & Wisner, 1994). The Philippine-based SEAFDEC/AQD is currently conducting a three-year (2015-2018) study on the economic benefits and losses of seaweed farming due to climate change indicators. With pilot site in Panobolon Island, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, Philippines, the study highlights the adaptive strategies and the effects of climatic change on the productivity of small-scale seaweed growers in a community.

In the early 1960s, silver therapon (Leiopotherapon plumbeus), locally known as ayungin, is regarded as one of the most abundant freshwater fishery resources in the largest lake in the Philippines, Laguna de Bay. Smallscale fishing communities around the lake are reliant on this fishery resource for subsistence consumption and livelihood. Recently, ayungin is touted as the most exploited commercial freshwater fish species in most regions of the country. The decline of this important food fish has led to a growing interest in its domestication for culture production and for possible replenishment of depleted stocks in the wild. Therefore, efforts to domesticate, manage, and conserve this native aquatic species have been given a high priority. Due to its readiness to spawn in captivity and successful hatchery production in outdoor tanks, ayungin is considered an emerging species with potential for inland freshwater aquaculture.

As aquaculture in Southeast Asia rapidly grows, it is being confronted with incidences of aquatic animal diseases threatening its sustainability. In early 2013, the SEAFDEC Member Countries raised concerns regarding the outbreaks of acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), one of the causative agents of early mortality syndrome (EMS), that affected the shrimp industry of the region, specifically in Viet Nam, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines that led to low production and significant economic losses. In addressing such concerns, the SEAFDEC Council of Directors during its Meeting in 2014, suggested that health management, particularly the control and prevention of transboundary aquatic animal diseases, should be included in the future programs of the Aquaculture Department (AQD) of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). The pressing situation on AHPND in cultured shrimp in the region prompted SEAFDEC/AQD to seek financial support to fund a consultative meeting that would assess the occurrence of EMS/AHPND and other emerging diseases in farmed shrimps in the ASEAN Member States (AMSs). In response, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) collaborated with SEAFDEC/AQD and agreed to co-host the said consultative meeting, while the Government of Japan committed to fund the meeting through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). Thus, the Regional Technical Consultation (RTC) on EMS/AHPND and Other Transboundary Diseases for Improved Aquatic Animal Health in Southeast Asia was organized on 22-24 February 2016 in Makati City, Philippines. While assessing the status of EMS/AHPND and other emerging diseases in farmed shrimps, the RTC identified the gaps and priority areas for R&D and potential collaboration, and formulated the regional policy recommendations that centered on emergency preparedness and response systems (EPRS) through early warning, detection and response, for effective management of aquatic animal disease outbreaks in the region. The recommended EPRS comprises contingency planning arrangements that minimize the impacts of serious aquatic animal disease outbreaks through containment, i.e. prevention of further spread or eradication of the diseases whether at regional, national, or farm levels. Thus, establishing a harmonized aquatic EPRS among the AMSs was recognized as a top priority warranting a solid platform for effective and expeditious decision-making with clearly defined responsibilities and authority.

This article briefly summarizes the techniques developed, verified and/or refined during the implementation of the Project on the Promotion of Mangrove-Friendly Shrimp Aquaculture in Southeast Asia, which was implemented by the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department from 2000 to 2005. Conducted under the ASEAN-SEAFDEC FCG collaborative mechanism, the project which received generous funding from the Government of Japan through its JTF Program, aimed to develop sustainable culture technology packages on shrimp farming that are friendly to mangroves and the environment.

In 2010, five Southeast Asian countries led by Vietnam and followed by Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and the Philippines, have successfully joined the ranks of the world’s top 10 producers of food fish from aquaculture. Taking into account aquaculture production in general which includes seaweeds, the region’s production from aquaculture had contributed more than 45% to the region’s total fishery production, about 24% to the world’s production from aquaculture, and about 10% to the world’s total fishery production in 2010. As shown in the statistics reports, most of the aforementioned countries recorded double-digit growth rates in aquaculture production from 2006 to 2010, ranging from 18 to 62 percent. Another milestone in the fisheries sector of the region is the engagement of about 11 million people in aquaculture and its ancillary industries. In spite of these figures, the region’s rural areas where aquaculture development is taking giant strides remain the most impoverished groups in most countries of Southeast Asia. In an attempt to address this concern, SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department compiled the results of the implementation of its program on Meeting Social and Economic Challenges in Aquaculture which had been tried in local setting in the Philippines, with the objective of developing aquaculture technology adoption pathways that could be promoted in the other Southeast Asian countries with the same conditions as those in study sites in the Philippines, as means of alleviating poverty in rural areas.