The genus Alburnoides is widely distributed in Turkey in rivers and streams of basins of the Marmara, Black and Aegean seas, being absent only fr ... Read more »

NORWAY - New research sheds light on how the interaction between salmon and the Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) virus develops and spreads in fish. The findings may also be of interest for influenza research in general.

ISA was first discovered in Norway in 1984 and is still a serious threat to aquaculture.

Disease outbreaks usually start in one cage and spread gradually over weeks and months to neighbouring cages. The disease can not be treated, causing large losses. The disease must also be reported to the OIE.

Maria Aamelfot has, as part of her doctorate, studied the disease. She has exami ... Read more »

BANGLADESH - For the ethnic minority Adivasi communities of Bangladesh, the enduring effects of the Adivasi Fisheries Project (AFP) are still being felt, three years after the project ended, reports the WorldFish Center.

During the project, fish production increased five-fold, fish consumption nearly quadrupled and the average household income for members of this vulnerable population improved significantly, far outstripping project expectations. Many of the nearly 3600 households that participated in the project are still using the aquaculture techniques that they learned, and others in the community have also adopted the practices.

Despite its fertile floodplains, numerous communit ... Read more »

In 1985, Leiden biologists made a survey in the Tanzanian part of the lake, with an old ferry as floating lab, to establish the status of the rapidly declining cichlids. During this expedition Tijs studied the egg spots on the anal fin of cichli ... Read more »

In the early 1950s the Norwegian wild lobster catch amounted to about 1000 tonnes per year. Today this figure has been reduced by 95 per cent. This drastic decline has resulted in the release of juvenile lobsters as part of sea-ranching programmes.

The animals come from Norsk Hummer AS' facility at Tjeldbergodden. The company has been working for something over 20 years, together with SINTEF among others, to find the best system of farming this unique species.

Heat is the key

... Read more »

PHILIPPINES - A project to identify Nile tilapia ‘super strains’ in the Philippines will help to increase the living standards of poor fish farmers and consumers, create new employment opportunities and provide food security across the nation.

Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the most cultured freshwater fish in the Philippines, and the tilapia industry provides valuable income and an affordable source of animal protein for the growing population, including many of the 30 million people that FAO estimates depend on agriculture and fishing for a living.

About to enter its second year, the project entitled Evaluation of Nile Tilapia Strains for Aquaculture in the Philippines is lead by WorldFish in partnership with, the Freshwater Aquaculture Center from Central Luzon State University (FAC-CLSU) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources - ... Read more »

MYANMAR - A $2 million project to improve rural food security and livelihoods in Myanmar through the development of fisheries and small-scale aquaculture was officially launched last week by WorldFish and the Myanmar government Department of Fisheries.

The Myanmar government estimates that the fisheries and aquaculture sector employs over 2.6 million people full and part-time, and increasing productivity, efficiency, sustainability and equity in the fisheries production system has the potential to benefit millions.

Project leader Dr Gareth Johnstone from WorldFish says that the first step of the project is to gather information and data on the state of fisheries and aquaculture, and confirm the importance of fish for income and food in Myanmar.

"The numbers that we have from the government show that fisheries a ... Read more »

"Otoliths can form the basis of new techniques for modelling fish growth, productivity and distribution in future environments," said Dr John Morrongiello of CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship, lead author of a paper published online in Nature Climate Change November 28.

"They are widely used to support fishery stock assessments, and are beginning to be used to measure and predict ecological responses to ocean warming and climate change.

"Any change identified in growth and age maturity, especially of commercially-important species, clearly has implications for forecasting future stock states and ... Read more »