New courses

Food safety is one of the major issues that concern the aquaculture industry. When fish and other cultured organisms are raised in controlled conditions of containment, they are susceptible to risk of microbiological and chemical contamination. A wide range of chemicals and drugs have been used to control diseases, prevent and control parasites, enhance growth, and improve water and soil quality, among others. Aside from environmental issues arising from their use, the presence of chemical residues in the cultured organisms that may render products unsafe for human consumption is an important consideration. Because of better awareness of the importance of food safety in aquaculture products, consumers now demand that fish should be produced in accordance with responsible farming practices. The …

SEAFDEC/AQD will offer the International training course on community-based freshwater aquaculture for remote areas of Southeast Asia from 22 November – 1 December at AQD’s Tigbauan Main Station in Iloilo, Philippines. The 10-day course aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of the participants on appropriate and suitable freshwater aquaculture methods and practices so that they would be able to transfer and promote these technologies to rural communities for livelihood and poverty alleviation. The course is designed for fisheries/aquaculture extension officers and those working at the rural fishery communities. The training fee is PhP 12,000 or USD 1,000 per person. For more information, please contact AQD’s Training and Information Division at: (6333) 511-9172; or fax (6333) 511-8709; or email edjayson@seafdec.org.ph.

SEAFDEC/AQD invites participants to its Training course on milkfish farming from 26 September to 10 October at AQD’s Tigbauan Main Station in Iloilo, Philippines. The 15-day training covers topics such as larval rearing, natural food production, grow-out and cages, and feed formulation. The training fee is PhP 12,000 or USD 1,200 per person. For more information, please contact AQD’s Training and Information Division at: (6333) 511-9172; or fax (6333) 511-8709; or email edjayson@seafdec.org.ph.

SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department, in cooperation with the Department of Fisheries (DOF) in Myanmar will offer the International training course on mudcrab culture from 26 September – 01 October 2011 at the DOF Crab Hatchery in Chaung Tha, Myanmar. The six-day course aims to provide participants with: (a) knowledge on the biology of mudcrabs; (b) basic principles and procedures for managing mature crabs, rearing of zoea to crab instar stage, nursery and grow-out culture of crabs (ponds and pens in mangroves), fattening and soft shell crab farming; (c) economic feasibility of the various culture systems; and (d) basic concepts of sustainable aquaculture. The course consists of lectures, practical sessions and field trip. The training fee is U$500.00 per person (Myanmar participant may avail of …

Southeast Asian coastal marine areas are rich in aquatic life resources with highly diverse fauna and flora supported by a plenty of highly productive environments such as mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral-reefs, which serve as reproductive, nursery, and/or feeding grounds for many aquatic organisms. However, a lot of aquatic life resources are decreasing due to various causes. Among the variety of aquatic species in the Southeast Asian region, there are a lot of high-value species and that is why fishing, hunting and collection have been done intensely. Because of this, most of the important fishery organisms are threatened and overexploited situation. Changing environment ascribed to global climate change and to degradation of aquatic life habitat through human activity also has …