As an R & D complex in aquaculture that can conduct replicated studies in marine waters, brackish water and freshwater, be it in aquaria, large tanks, earthen ponds or cages, there are not that many institutions in the world like the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (AQD). SEAFDEC AQD is one of four departments of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, a regional treaty organization with headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. Starting with six countries when the SEAFDEC treaty was signed in 1969, SEAFDEC now includes Brunei Darusalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The other three SEAFDEC departments are the Training Department (TD) in Thailand, the Marine Fisheries Research Department (MFRD) in Singapore and the Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department (MFRDMD) in Malaysia. Among the four departments, the Aquaculture Department, established in 1973 and hosted by the government of the Philippines, is the largest.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) has brought financial losses to all shrimp farming systems, and lately the “Early Mortality Syndrome” (EMS) or more accurately termed Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND) have added to the threats to shrimp farming in South Asia. Most studies on WSSV have been done in tanks with species other than Penaeus monodon. Several studies of RESCOPAR aimed to study WSSV epidemiology in on-farm situations and find ecological means of disease prevention or control. To achieve these goals experimental, cross-sectional, longitudinal and case studies were carried out by PhDs in Indonesia, the Philippines (Tendencia, 2012) and Vietnam.

Mud crab farming is an important source of income for fish farmers in the Philippines. The expanding export market for mud crab as an alternative for shrimp has led to intensified collection of wild seed for grow-out and has threatened the wild stocks. To ensure the sustainability of crab farming and reduce the fishing pressure on wild stocks, the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department developed a technology for large-scale production of juvenile mud crabs, Scylla serrata (giant mud crab), S. olivacea (orange mud crab) and S. tranquebarica (purple mud crab).