The fry and fingerling industry of the milkfish (Chanos chanos Forskal) in the Philippines is alleged to suffer from certain imperfections. Primary among these are an annual shortage of catch necessary to meet the stocking requirements of the 176,000 ha of fishponds; high fry mortality rates during transp0rt;failure of the pricing system to perform its spatial and form allocative functions; and exploitation of fry gatherers and pond operators by middlemen and nursery pond operators who form the core around which the whole fry and fingerling industry has developed. These alleged imperfections provide the rationale for various government policies affecting the fry and fingerling industry. This study indicates a higher level of industry performance than hitherto supposed. In 1974, an estimated 1.35 billion fry were caught, adequate to meet annual stocking requirements. Allegations of fry shortage were based on simultaneous underestimation of catch and overestimation of stocking requirements, and were traced to temporary price increases resulting from expanded fishpen area, which subsequently declined. Fry storage and transport mortality rates of 8.7% and 6.6%, respectively, compared with a mortality rate of 54% during rearing, indicated that major technical inefficiencies arise in fishponds rather than in the distribution system. Of every 100 fry caught, 38 are harvested at marketable size. Monthly average fry prices among 17 major trading regions were significantly correlated, indicating a high level of information flow in the industry. An examination of the concession system which restricts first sale opportunities of gatherers indicated that concessionaires are unable to capture their full monopsony advantage due to the "competitive fringe" of smugglers. Rather than exploitation, the concession system is a form of indirect municipal tax on fry gatherers. Since the fry industry is a 57-million-peso-per-year industry upon which approximately 170,000 people directly and indirectly depend, it is suggested that the location of future milkfish hatcheries and timing of production be planned such that they complement rather than displace the natural fry fishery and distribution system.

Abstracts of the 17 papers presented at the conference are cited individually in this issue.

This proceedings is a comprehensive account of the seminar and contains the papers read and discussed at the sessions, and the recommendations reached and formulated.

An up-to-date account is given of the biology of milkfish (Chanos chanos) under the following chapter headings: Species identity and history; geographic distribution and variation; life history and habitat; food and feeding habits; age, growth and mortality; reproduction; behavior; environmental physiology; and, community relationships.

Documents the presentations at ADSEA '91, the 2nd Seminar-Workshop on Aquaculture Development in Southeast Asia. ADSEA '91 includes reviews of the status of the researches conducted by Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) on the following cultured species sea bass, groupers, snappers, milkfish, rabbitfish, mullet, tilapia, carp, catfish, bivalves and the seaweed Gracilaria. Topics on aquaculture development in Southeast Asia and Japan were also discussed. The status and development of seafarming and searanching in different SEAFDEC member countries and their ecological, social and economic implications were also presented. The contributions of the selected participants during the meeting which are contained in this volume are cited individually.

A 53-page monograph updating AQD's 1990 publication of the same title. The book includes siganid morphology, distribution and ecology; reproduction; fisheries; diseases and parasites; genetics. It also covers larval culture; fry and fingerling production; nutrition and feeds; and problem areas in aquaculture.

The use of chemicals is common in various aquaculture systems, as it is in many agricultural practices. However, with growing worldwide awareness of the need for responsible practices in aquaculture, governments and aquaculturists are increasingly concerned with the effects of the use of chemicals in aquaculture, especially those which appear likely to be hazardous to man, cultured stock and/or the environment. The need to synthesize and disseminate information on the use and management of double prime aquachemicals double prime was recognized by the Fishery Resources Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) Aquaculture Department, who convened double prime The Expert Meeting on the Use of Chemicals in Aquaculture in Asia, double prime which was held 20-22 May 1996 at the SEAFDEC facilities in Tigbauan, Iloilo, the Philippines. Support was provided by FAO, SEAFDEC and the Canadian International Development Agency s (CIDA) ASEAN Fund. The World Health Organization (WHO) supported the participation of a human health expert. The meeting was attended by 27 participants and more than 70 observers from the public and private sectors of 20 countries. Among the attendees were representatives from the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), the Fish Health Section of the Asian Fisheries Society (FHS/AFS), the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), the GESAMP Working Group on Environmental Impacts of Coastal Aquaculture, and the ICES Working Group on Environmental Interactions of Mariculture. The results of this expert workshop are presented in this volume. They include the texts of presentations on a wide range of topics (thematic reviews) related to the use of chemicals in aquaculture, with emphasis on the Asian Region, as well as country overview papers summarizing the use of aquachemicals in Asian countries. The contributions of the selected participants during the meeting are contained in this volume.