36. Information on some seafarming culture systems has been collected, analysed and delivered to each member country. Four training manuals on Eucheuma seaweed culture, oyster culture, seabass culture and marine finfish netcage culture have been produced and distributed. Four seminar reports on country status of Eucheuma seaweed culture, oyster culture, finfish culture and marine finfish netcage culture have been prepared. In addition three project publications, namely, Status of Scallop Farming, a Review of Techniques, Status of Oyster Culture in Selected Asian Countries, and Status of Mollusc Culture in Selected Asian Countries have been prepared and distributed. A beginning has been made in the collection and compilation of production and economic statistics on some seafarming species in the Project area, from 1980–1986. Three audio-visual slide sets on seafarming culture systems were also prepared for the training courses. The Project activities in the region are reported regularly in the NACA Newsletter.
37. The Meeting also realized the need for other types of information which will provide more specific guidelines to governments and private investors in developing seafarming projects. The need was felt for farm level data on specific production systems that can readily give planners and developers a clear idea of the investment requirements of and expected outputs from various production systems and scales of operation. In this connection, a new area for information development and exchange was recommended: the collection of farm performance data for selected seafarming production systems. It was strongly felt that there is need to organise a regional workshop to familiarize and train national staff who will be involved in the activity on the methodology of data collection and analysis. It was also recommended that similar workshops on the national level be conducted, where necessary, to train personnel on the techniques of data collection and analysis, as well as to organize country survey teams for such activity.
