Aquaculture
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12348/2
Browse
Recent Submissions
- Chemicals used in aquaculture, including antibiotics, disinfectants, biocides, and other therapeutic agents, can significantly affect the surrounding environment and disrupt the interconnected One Health sectors, encompassing human, animal, and environmental health, as well as food safety. However, there is limited understanding of the extent and key factors influencing chemical use in aquaculture farms in Bangladesh. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study in November 2022, surveying 116 commercial tilapia farms in Mymensingh, a major tilapia production hub in Bangladesh. The pond-level questionnaire was deployed to collect data from one randomly chosen pond per farm where tilapia farming was conducted during the last production cycle. A total of 68.1% of farmers reported 251 instances of aquamedicine administration involving 61 different products, with the majority (54.6%) being antimicrobial agents, including antibiotics, antiparasitics, and disinfectants, applied in the selected ponds. Approximately 46.6% of the farmers interviewed experienced fish mortality in their ponds and the two primary causes of fish mortality identified by respondents were water quality issues (85.2%) and pathogen infections (66.7%). Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the likelihood of using any chemical inputs was approximately twenty-four times higher (OR 23.8, 95% CI: 4.9–116.3, p<0.05) on the ponds where clinical signs of illness were present and five times higher in polyculture commercial tilapia farming techniques (OR 5.3, 95% CI: 1.1–26.2, p<0.05). Frequent use of chemical products, particularly antimicrobial agents, could have significant risks to both environmental, animal, and human health. This practice may contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the contamination of aquatic ecosystems with harmful residues. To mitigate these impacts, it is essential to promote preventive measures such as improved water quality management and biosecurity practices, while ensuring the responsible and judicious use of antimicrobials in aquaculture.
- In aquaculture, antimicrobials are commonly used to prevent and treat infections in fish; however, injudicious antimicrobial use (AMU) can pose significant risks, including the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in aquatic environments. This study was carried out to assess the occurrence of drug-resistant Escherichia coli in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) collected from 41 commercial tilapia farms located in five upazilas (Fulbaria, Trishal, Phulpur, Tarakanda and Mymensingh Sadar) of Mymensingh, Bangladesh, between December 2022 and April 2023. A total of 153 samples, including skin (n=41), gill (n=41), intestine (n=30), and farm water (n=41) were analyzed. The E. coli isolates were isolated and then identified using the E. coli-specific uidA gene by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was conducted by means of Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method with 14 antimicrobials to determine the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns, and the results were interpreted by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. In addition, the multiple antimicrobial resistance (MAR) index was calculated to determine the extent of multi-drug resistance in E. coli. A total of 31 E. coli isolates (20.26%) were identified, with the highest prevalence in the intestine (32.26%), followed by skin (29.03%), water (25.81%), and gill (12.90%). The isolates were mostly resistant to ampicillin (93.55%), nalidixic acid (38.71%), and oxytetracycline (32.26%). Conversely, more than 80% of the isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol, meropenem, norfloxacin, gentamicin, azithromycin, levofloxacin, and cefepime. The MAR index values ranged from 0 – 0.71, with 38.71% of the isolates classified as multi-drug-resistant isolates, indicating selective pressure within the aquaculture environment. These findings highlight the possible risk of transmitting AMR bacteria through the aquatic food chain and emphasize the necessity for prudent AMU in aquaculture.
- Rice cultivation in Cambodia faces challenges from climate change, including intensifying droughts, erratic rainfall, and declining market prices, which undermine the sustainability of traditional monoculture systems. Integrated Rice-Field Pond (RFP) systems, piloted under the CGIAR–Asian Mega Delta initiative, offer a climate-smart alternative by transforming rice paddies into multifunctional, resilient micro-ecosystems. Strategically embedded ponds provide water security, enhance aquatic biodiversity, diversify food and income sources, and strengthen household resilience against climate shocks. Demonstrations under the CGIAR–Multifunctional Landscapes (MFL) program in Prey Veng and Kampong Thom highlight significant benefits: fish harvests through improved pond management, integrated farming profits were several times higher than rice monoculture, and household nutrition and dietary diversity improved. Community adoption has been strong, with low investment requirements enabling scalability to thousands of households. However, management gaps such as widespread pond draining, passive use, and inconsistent practice adoption, limit system resilience. Addressing these challenges requires targeted capacity building, improved governance, and national policy alignment to formally recognize RFPs as climate adaptation assets. Scaling the vision of “One Pond, One Family” could transform Cambodia’s rice landscapes into interconnected, biodiverse of productivity and resilience, securing livelihoods and food systems for millions of rural households.
- Carp-based aquaculture is a major contributor to freshwater fish production and livelihoods in Bangladesh, yet high mortality of hatchery-produced larvae remains a persistent challenge when stocked directly into grow-out ponds. Effective nursery management is therefore essential to ensure the production of healthy, robust, and high-quality fingerlings. This publication provides practical guidance on carp nursery management with a strong focus on biosecurity. It covers nursery systems, pond preparation, stocking density, water quality management, stage-specific feeding practices, disease prevention, and safe harvesting and transportation. Emphasis is placed on simple, cost-effective biosecurity measures to reduce pathogen introduction and spread, particularly in small- and medium-scale nursery operations. Adoption of these recommended practices can significantly improve fingerling survival and growth, reduce production risks, and enhance the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of carp aquaculture systems.
- This data gap study of Zambia’s aquatic food system shows a sector focused on building basic institutional foundations rather than advanced technologies. The most critical data gaps relate to mapping stakeholder roles and improving fishery production statistics, reflecting a strong need for governance clarity, coordination, and reliable baseline information. Stakeholders view these foundational elements as more urgent than digital tools or monitoring technologies, identifying weak institutional structure as the main constraint to growth. At the same time, experts highlight less frequently mentioned but highly significant gaps in climate change indicators, malnutrition, and subsistence production. These concerns signal underlying risks to food security and climate resilience that could undermine progress if left unaddressed. The sector also demonstrates strong demand for evidence to inform policy, with data primarily generated to influence government regulations and strengthen resilience to environmental shocks. In addition, gender norms and gaps have become a central operational concern, as women’s dominant role in informal value chains makes gender-disaggregated data essential for increasing national production.
- Tengara catfish (Mystus tengara) is a small indigenous freshwater species valued for its high nutritional content, excellent taste, and strong market demand across South Asia. Despite its suitability for integration into carp-based polyculture and nutrition-sensitive aquaculture systems, large-scale farming of tengara has been constrained by the absence of standardized hatchery seed production techniques. This manual presents a practical, low-cost, and scalable hatchery-based protocol for induced breeding and mass seed production of tengara, developed under the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) program. The guideline provides step-by-step instructions covering broodstock pond preparation, brood management, induced breeding, spawning, egg incubation, hatchling harvesting, packaging, transportation, and nursery rearing. Designed for easy adoption by small- and medium-scale hatcheries, this protocol supports reliable seed supply, promotes nutrition-sensitive aquaculture, and contributes to improved household nutrition, income generation, and food security.
- Pool barb (Puntius sophore) and swamp barb (Puntius chola) are small indigenous fish species of high nutritional importance, traditionally contributing to food security and rural livelihoods across South and Southeast Asia. Despite their rich micronutrient content and suitability for integration into carp-based polyculture systems, their wider aquaculture adoption has been constrained by declining wild stocks and the lack of standardized hatchery seed production techniques. This manual presents a practical, low-cost, and scalable hatchery-based approach for the induced breeding and mass seed production of these two species, developed under the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) program. The guideline outlines a structured step-by-step protocol covering broodstock management, induced breeding, spawning, egg incubation, hatchling harvesting, packaging, transportation, and nursery rearing. Designed for easy adoption by hatchery operators, this protocol supports reliable SIS seed supply and promotes the expansion of nutrition-sensitive aquaculture to enhance household nutrition and food security.
- Mola carplet (Amblypharyngodon mola) is a small indigenous fish species of high nutritional importance, widely valued for its role in improving dietary micronutrient intake in South and Southeast Asia. However, declining natural stocks and the absence of standardized hatchery protocols have limited its wider aquaculture adoption. This manual presents a practical, hatchery-based approach for the induced breeding and mass seed production of mola, developed under the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) program. The guideline outlines a structured nine-step protocol covering broodstock pond preparation, brood management, induced breeding, spawning, egg incubation, hatchling harvesting, packaging, transportation, and nursery rearing. Designed for easy adoption by small- and medium-scale hatcheries, the protocol enables reliable seed supply, supports carp–mola polyculture systems, and promotes nutrition-sensitive aquaculture. Its application can contribute significantly to improved household nutrition, enhanced fish production, and strengthened food security in vulnerable communities.
- This data gap study finds that Bangladesh’s aquaculture sector prioritizes practical, production-focused data, especially on innovation, value chain structures, local fish consumption, and biodiversity. These needs reflect immediate concerns around productivity, food security, and environmental management. However, the strong focus on short-term operational data has led to the neglect of critical long-term issues. Experts highlight malnutrition data and life cycle assessments as essential for sustainable development, yet these remain low priorities among stakeholders. The study underscores a clear gap between immediate production goals and the data needed to support long-term health and environmental sustainability.
- Effective aquatic sample collection, transportation, and laboratory processing are critical for generating high-quality, reliable, and comparable data for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in aquaculture, as inappropriate handling can compromise sample integrity and undermine surveillance outcomes. To strengthen national capacity for evidence-based AMR surveillance, technical staff from the Department of Fisheries (DOF) were trained on standardized field and laboratory protocols to support systematic sample collection, transportation, processing and enrichment for microbiological assessment. This hands-on training was arranged under the Fleming Fund Country Grant to Bangladesh (FFCGB), with technical and programmatic support from the SAAF AoW3 One Health program of WorldFish. The training represents a continuous and strategic effort by WorldFish’s Aquatic Animal Health and One Health (AAH and OH) programs to strengthen the capacity of competent authorities in Bangladesh, enabling them to lead, sustain, and scale up AMR surveillance in aquaculture under a One Health approach, and to generate robust evidence to inform policy, regulatory actions, and responsible antimicrobial use in the sector. This session (Part 1) formed part of a five-day, hands-on training program designed to comprehensively cover the key components of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in aquaculture. The training addressed multiple aspects of the surveillance process, including standardized aquatic sample collection, safe transportation, laboratory processing, quality assurance, and data integrity, with a strong emphasis on practical application to strengthen participants’ technical skills and operational readiness for field and laboratory implementation.
- This SOP provides a comprehensive and standardized workflow for molecular detection of key fish pathogens, combining improved extraction methods and updated PCR/qPCR protocols, which will help in disease diagnosis and pathogen screening of fish.
- The material was jointly produced under the Antimicrobial Resistance and One Health South Asia (AMROH-SA) Project and the CGIAR Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods (SAAF) Science Program. Topics covered are the pre-collection preparations for AMR surveillance; required background information for AMR surveillance; sampling and transportation of aquatic organisms for AMR surveillance; fish and shrimp necropsy for AMR surveillance; organ collection from fish and shrimp and enrichment for AMR surveillance.
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat, often driven by the irrational and excessive use of antimicrobials. In aquaculture, inappropriate and excessive antimicrobial use (AMU), frequently linked to limited awareness and restricted access to veterinary advice, contributes to the spread of resistant bacteria, affecting the health of organisms across the food chain. To raise awareness and encourage responsible practices among fish farmers, aquatic animal health practitioners and agrovet medicine sellers, WorldFish in collaboration with Massey University, developed AMR AquaShield, Snakes and Ladders game for antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). The game was implemented as part of the Practitioner Engagement Program (PEP), supported by the UK aid-funded Fleming Fund AMROH-SA project and CGIAR’s Sustainable Aquatic and Animal Foods (SAAF) science program.
- WorldFish conducted two courtyard meetings in Fulbaria and Tarakanda upazilas of Mymensingh in September 2025 to pilot antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) at the community level. Farmers, agrovets, veterinarians, and fisheries officers, took part in sessions on biosecurity, fish disease identification, and responsible antimicrobial use. Activities included interactive games, a water-quality testing demonstration, and knowledge assessments to encourage practical learning. The meetings helped improve farmers’ understanding of AMR risks, strengthened local networks among practitioners, and promoted the adoption of biosecurity and responsible AMU practices in aquaculture. This report was jointly produced under the Antimicrobial Resistance and One Health South Asia (AMROH-SA) Project and the CGIAR Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods (SAAF) Science Program.
- Inland fisheries are central to rural livelihoods in Cambodia, providing both subsistence and seasonal income. Community Fish Refuges (CFRs) are a recent innovation in the Tonle Sap floodplain to retain floodwater and provide dry season aquatic habitats. They offer a sustainable strategy to enhance fish productivity within rice field fisheries by protecting fish populations in communal water bodies managed by local communities. As new shared multiple-use assets, CFRs represent a need for a new management and learning system that can foster resource management that is both a collective effort and integrates the needs of multiple water stakeholders. While the ecological and production benefits of CFRs are well documented, the challenge is how communities and CFR Committees can adapt, through collective learning, to collectively managing this shared asset in the long term. Unequal access to learning driven by social inequalities, hierarchical communication structures, and short project cycles undermines inclusive participation, peer learning, and leadership renewal in CFRs. Ultimately, all learning processes must be guided by local needs and contextual realities and grounded in approaches that affirm local communities' rights to food security, self-determination, ongoing processes of collective learning, and inclusive participation in environmental governance.
- This article describes WorldFish’s efforts to map and understand mollusc aquaculture systems across Southeast Asia as part of the WAVES project. It highlights regional production practices, environmental and climate-related pressures, and governance challenges influencing the sustainability of mollusc farming. The work brings together scientific evidence and stakeholder perspectives to build a comprehensive picture of mollusc production systems. These insights provide a foundation for identifying risks, opportunities, and pathways toward more sustainable mollusc aquaculture in the region.
- This document is a user guide, designed as a knowledge product, to support aquaculture practitioners, extension officers, policymakers, and other stakeholders in effectively using the digital climate risk management tool for aquaculture. The guide provides step-by-step instructions on tool navigation, interpretation of climate information, and application of outputs to enhance climate-informed planning, risk reduction, and adaptive decision-making within the aquaculture sector.
- This document is a user guide designed to support aquaculture practitioners, extension officers, policymakers, and other stakeholders in effectively using the digital climate risk management tool for aquaculture. The guide provides step-by-step instructions on tool navigation, interpretation of climate information, and application of outputs to enhance climate-informed planning, risk reduction, and adaptive decision-making within the aquaculture sector.
- This training program is designed to strengthen the knowledge and skills of farmers and key stakeholders on rice–prawn and homestead pond aquaculture. It is organized under the Scaling for Impact (S4I) and Multifunctional Landscape (MFL) Programs, in coordination with other One CGIAR Initiatives. Farmers and value-chain actors engaged in intensive monoculture rice production are increasingly seeking diversified options to enhance resilience and productivity. Integrating non-rice crops and aquaculture into existing rice-based systems offers promising opportunities to address the challenges posed by climate change. Through this training, participants will examine successful practices, identify constraints, and reflect on what has or has not worked in their own production systems. Farmers participating in demonstrations of these technologies will receive support to strengthen their linkages with fisheries and aquaculture-related stakeholders across the value chain. This will help improve both production and market connectivity. These training activities contribute to Area of Work 2 of the S4I program, and the Area of Work 1 of MFL is supported by the CGIAR Science Program as part of broader efforts to scale climate-resilient, sustainable farming innovations.
- This blog highlights WorldFish’s efforts to address antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture across South Asia through community engagement, capacity building, and evidence-based interventions. It showcases activities in countries including Bangladesh, India, and Nepal that focus on improving biosecurity, raising AMR awareness, and promoting responsible antimicrobial use among fish farmers and practitioners. The blog emphasizes the importance of regional collaboration and people-centric approaches to address shared AMR challenges. The experiences presented demonstrate how locally grounded interventions can support sustainable antimicrobial stewardship in aquaculture systems.