Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) has recently emerged as a serious disease of cultured shrimp. It has also been described as early mortality syndrome (EMS) due to mass mortalities occurring within 20 to 30 d after stocking of ponds with postlarvae. Here, Penaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon from shrimp farms in the Philippines were examined for the toxin-producing strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus due to AHPND-like symptoms occurring in marketable size shrimp. In the P. vannamei, histology revealed typical AHPND pathology, such as sloughing of undifferentiated cells in the hepatopancreatic tubule epithelium. Analysis using the IQ2000 AHPND/EMS Toxin 1 PCR test generated 218 bp and 432 bp amplicons confirmative of the toxin-producing strain of V. parahaemolyticus among shrimp sampled from 8 of 9 ponds. In the P. monodon, histology revealed massive sloughing of undifferentiated cells of the hepatopancreatic tubule epithelium in the absence of basophilic bacterial cells. PCR testing generated the 2 amplicons confirmatory for AHPND among shrimp sampled from 5 of 7 ponds. This study confirms the presence of AHPND in P. vannamei and P. monodon farmed in the Philippines and suggests that the disease can also impact late-stage juvenile shrimp.

The FAO Fishery Statistics had indicated that Asia is the top producer of fish and fishery products from both capture fisheries and aquaculture. Specifically, Southeast Asia had contributed 9-31% of the total aquaculture production in Asia from 1950 to 2014 with Indonesia and the Philippines accounting for the most at 23-63% and 10-45% of the total, respectively. Aquaculture has been viewed as a solution to the growing concern on food security issues as well as for the socio-economic stability of many countries in Southeast Asia. For such reason, aquaculture operations are being intensified to compensate for the declining production from capture fisheries and in order to nail the gap between supply and demand for fish and fishery products in the world. With intensification, aquaculture production has already overtaken the contribution of capture fisheries to the world’s total fisheries production. However, concerns on the safety and quality of aquaculture products have been raised as result of intensified fish farming operations. Added to such concern is the irresponsible introduction of aquatic species for aquaculture that serve as carriers of pathogens. As a result, a large number of infectious aquatic diseases have emerged threatening the sustainability of aquaculture in the Southeast Asian region. In an effort to address the emergence of transboundary diseases in the region, the Aquaculture Department of SEAFDEC (SEAFDEC/AQD) launched a program on Healthy and Wholesome Aquaculture which includes as one of its main objectives, the need to continue improving aquaculture production through innovations in fish health management.

Understanding the physiological condition of seaweeds as influenced by biotic and abiotic stress is vital from the perspective of massive expansion and sustainability of seaweed-based industries. The photosynthetic responses ofNeosiphonia sp. epiphyte-infected (INF) and healthy (HEA) Kappaphycus alvarezii under various combinations of irradiance, salinity and pH were studied using photosynthesis-irradiance (P-E) curves. Measurements of algal photosynthetic rates, expressed in terms of amount of oxygen production per fresh weight biomass per unit time (mg O₂ g⁻¹ FW h⁻¹), were carried out using the light-dark bottle technique. Neosiphonia-infected K. alvarezii (INF) had lower photosynthetic rates than healthy ones (HEA). Similarities (p > 0.05) in light-saturated photosynthesis rates (P_max) and significant differences (p < 0.05) in initial slope of curve (α) between INF and HEAK. alvarezii suggest that both samples are adapted to similar light conditions and differs only on photosynthetic efficiency. Low P_max (0.7–2.0 mg O₂ g⁻¹ FW h⁻¹) and high initial saturation irradiances (E_k = 90–519 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) of INF seaweeds resulted to their low photosynthetic efficiency (α = 0.002–0.010). Such decline in α is attributed to the epiphyte, as Neosiphonia sp. covered almost the entire surface of K. alvarezii. An increase in chlorophyll-a (35–42.1 vs. 27.7–31.5 μg g⁻¹ FW, HEA) and phycobilin (1.96–2.39 vs. 1.16–1.58 mg g⁻¹ FW, HEA) contents was also observed in INF samples, suggesting acclimation to low-irradiance conditions, as a result of competition for light between the epiphyte and host. Both INF and HEA K. alvarezii also exhibited broad photosynthetic tolerance to short-term changes in irradiance, with no photoinhibition at the highest irradiance of 850 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹. K. alvarezii had a euryhaline photosynthetic response, with optimum salinity of 35 psu. Photosynthetic rates increased with decreasing pH, revealing K. alvarezii’s ability to modify its photosynthetic affinity for acidic seawater conditions; yet, their underlying mechanism of response to pH shifts still need to be further examined.

The effects of using thraustochytrid Schizochytrium sp. as source of lipid and fatty acids in a formulated diet on growth, survival, body composition, and salinity tolerance of juvenile donkey’s ear abalone, Haliotis asinina, were investigated. Treatments consisted of diets either containing a 1:1 ratio of cod liver oil (CLO) and soybean oil (SBO) (Diet 1) or thraustochytrid (Diet 2) as source of lipid and fatty acids at 2 % level. Natural diet Gracilariopsis heteroclada (Diet 3) served as the control. No significant difference in growth was observed in abalone fed Diet 3 (SGR: 5.3 % BW day⁻¹; DISL: 265 μm day⁻¹) and Diet 2 (SGR: 5.2 % BW day⁻¹; DISL: 255 μm day⁻¹). Survival ranged from 78 to 85 % for all treatments and was not significantly different from each other. A 96-h salinity stress test showed highest survival of 84 % in abalone fed Diet 2 compared with those fed diets 1 and 3 (42 %). The high growth rate of abalone fed Diet 2 and high tolerance to low salinity could be attributed to its high DHA content (8.9 %), which resulted to its high DHA/EPA ratio of 10.5 %. These fatty acids play a significant role in abalone nutrition. The fatty acid profile of abalone meat is a reflective of the fatty acid profile of the oil sources in the diet. The present study suggests that the use of Schizochytrium oil in lieu of CLO and SBO can support good growth of abalone which is comparable with abalone fed the natural seaweeds diet.

This PNS for dried anchovies aims to provide a common understanding on the scope of the standard, product description, process description, essential composition and quality factors, food additives, contaminants, hygiene and handling, packaging and labeling, methods of sampling, examination and analysis, definition of defectives and lot acceptance.

This PNS for live mangrove crab aims to provide a common understanding on the scope of the standard, product description, process description, essential composition and quality factors, food additives, contaminants, hygiene and handling, packaging and labeling, methods of sampling, examination and analysis, definition of defectives and lot acceptance.

Sandfish, a type of sea cucumber, are both a high-value culture species and one that supports the aquaculture of other fish species by cleaning up waste on the bottoms of ponds or sea cages. Hatchery and nursery technologies for sandfish are being continuously refined by Vietnam’s Research Institute of Aquaculture No. 3, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center and their partners. These technologies have also been initially transferred to the private sector through a training course and manual.