FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circulars While many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have made commendable efforts to set up policies, as well as administrative, legal and regulatory frameworks to properly develop and manage aquaculture, some countries are still lagging behind. And in some of the countries that have made conducive policies, implementation is delayed by a lack of financial and skilled human resources. This issue must be addressed as a priority if the Asia-Pacific aquaculture sector is to continue to develop sustainably.

This review covers the vast Asia-Pacific region comprising Oceania, South, Southeast, East and Central Asia. The outstanding regional characteristics are the dominance (except in Central Asia) of small-scale mostly commercially oriented farms, the dominance of cultured freshwater species in number and output and, as a recent FAO survey reveals, the low productivity of labour and the low employment multiplier of aquaculture in general, except in Oceania. These are circumscribed by the diminishing availability of land and freshwater, climate change and globalization of trade. The governance of the sector has set them towards the proper direction to acquire these capacities; its main features are the increasing use of market-based incentives and the adoption by farmers of voluntary governance mechanisms that include better management practices (BMPs) and codes of conduct (CoCs), bolstered by their association. Guided by progressive policies and regulations, these have shown that they can stimulate higher production, enable better returns, induce responsible farming practices, and produce higher quality and safer aquatic products. This, in capsule, is the major lesson from the region's recent history of aquaculture development. The challenge is to widely promote, adopt and sustain it in practice.

The Asia-Pacific region is remarkably diverse and wide ranging, geographically, in its flora and fauna, culturally, institutionally and economically. The region includes the two most populous countries in the world, China and India, a greater part of the Asian continent, the Australian continent, and many small islands, mostly in the Pacific Ocean, which are some of the smallest island nations in the world. Fisheries and aquaculture are socio-economically important sectors to most nations in the Asia-Pacific region and most nations in the region have high rates of fish consumption, mostly sourced from aquaculture although the small island nations depend to a greater extent on capture fisheries. This review entails analyses of the aquaculture sector in Asia-Pacific including the status and trends, progress made in achieving sustainable development, salient challenges, issues and anticipated future development. Status and trends are based on data extracted from the FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics (FAO, 2020a; FAO, 2020b), unless stated otherwise, and are mostly for the period from 2008 to 2018 and occasionally for the period from 1990 to 2018 for relevant historical comparison and longer-term contextual analyses.

FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circulars A summary of trends in North America for 2010–2015, this review describes current and evolving aquaculture practices (species, methods, amounts and values) and details the needs of the industry in terms of resources, services and technologies. Environmental impacts are discussed, as well as the industry's response to market demands and opportunities, its contribution to social and economic development, and external pressures on the sector (e.g. climate change).

FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circulars Whereas aquaculture in Latin America and the Caribbean is progressing at rates above world averages, growth is slowing due to governance, planning and environmental issues, among others. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges facing aquaculture in the region, as well as opportunities for further development.