I. INTRODUCTION
During the period under review, RLCT continued to provide administrative services needed to facilitate the activities of NACA, organized the meetings of NACA projects, training courses, study programmes, etc.
II. PROGRESS OF ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
1. Contributions by the Government of Thailand
In order to support NACA activities, the Government of Thailand has remitted to UNDP the amount of Baht 260,200 (US$10,000) as its contribution and also provided office space for the NACA Headquarters as well as the use of the facilities at Pichit Freshwater Fisheries Station for the investigation of water hyacinth utilization as feed for phytophagous and omnivorous fish species. The Government of Thailand also facilitated the installation of the Telex machine at the NACA Headquarters in September 1987.
2. National Staff
To promote closer cooperation between the NACA Headquarters and RLCT, the Department of Fisheries designated Mrs. Sumalee Yuktanonda as the Coordinator for RLCT; and Mrs. Santana Duangsawasdi as the Counterpart Technical Coordination Officer since July 1987.
National staff of the Department of Fisheries have continued to participate in the research, information and training activities of NACA through the Lead Centre in Thailand.
3. Staff Activities
3.1 Dr. Thiraphan Bukaswan, Senior Advisor; Dr. Kitjar Jaiyen, NIFI Director and concurrently Director of RLCT; and Dr. Mali Boonyaratpalin attended the First NACA Provisional Governing Council held in Indonesia on 25–28 November 1986.
3.2 Dr. Kitjar Jaiyen, RLCT Director, attended the Lead Centre Directors' Meeting held at FAO/RAPA, Bangkok on 14–16 January 1987.
3.3 At the request of NACA, Dr. Upatam Pawaputanon, Chief of the Nong Kai Fishery Station, Freshwater Fishery Division, travelled to the Philippines on 27 October-1 November 1986 to give lectures to the participants attending the Sixth Training Course for Senior Aquaculturists.
3.4 As selected by NACA/RLCT, Mr. Yongyuth Unakornsawat and Mr. Yanyong Tantapakul, senior fishery biologists from the Freshwater Fishery Division, participated in the Training Course on Composite Carp Culture in India on 1 September to 15 November 1986.
3.5 Mr. Kriengkrai Sahasanond, fishery biologist, Freshwater Fishery Division; and Mr. Boonsong Sricharoentham, fishery biologist, National Inland Fisheries Institute, participated in the Seventh Training Course on Integrated Fish Farming at Wuxi, People's Republic of China held on 16 April-14 August 1987.
3.6 Mr. Pratchai Veerasit, fishery officer, National Inland Fisheries Institute, and Mr. Thammanun Sriwauth, fishery biologist, Freshwater Fishery Division, participated in the Training Course on Mass Seed Production of Chinese Carps held at Wuxi and Gunagdong on 18 April to 29 May 1987.
3.7 Two senior fishery biologists from the Department of Fisheries, Mr. Somsak Luanpreeda and Mr. Pholphoj Kittisuman, participated in the Regional Training Course for Senior Aquaculturists which was organized at RLCP, Iloilo, in cooperation with the University of the Philippines in the Visayas in March 1986-March 1987.
4. Research Activities
During the period of the report, NIFI which had been designated as the host institute of NACA/RLCT, undertook the following research activities with financial support from the Royal Thai Government and with NACA assisting with certain inputs in terms of chemicals, necessary equipment and spare parts:
A. Fish Hormone Studies
1) Experiment on induced spawning by using crude HCG produced from urine of pregnant women. Urine was collected from pregnant women during 2–3 months of gestation at Rajavidhi Hospital. The crude hormone was prepared by precipitation of urine with acetone and lyophilized by freeze-drying method. The amount of HCG was measured by Double Antibody Quantitative HCG Radioimmunoassay. The hormone was kept in the vials with 5,000 IU per vial. The total amount of 156 vials or 750,000 IU were produced during December 1986-July 1987. The cost of hormone per vial was 7.12 baht. The hormone could be used effectively for induced spawning all types of catfish such as Clarias macrocephalus and Clarias batrachus.
2) Comparison of the efficiency of fresh and acetone-preserved pituitary gland for induced spawning of Puntius gonionotus. The Chinese carp's pituitary gland was used in the trials. The efficiency of the hormone was decreased with the time of preservation. So the dose (amount) of acetone-preserved pituitary gland is greater than that of the fresh pituitary gland for induced spawning.
B. Sex Differentiation of Macrobrachium
Investigations on sex differentiation of Macrobrachium indicated that it starts 70 days after hatching especially in fast-growing prawn. However, it usually takes 100–120 days. Further work is in progress to deviate the sex. Results are being analyzed.
C. Fish Nutrition Studies
1) Experiment on nursery of Puntius goninotus with water hyacinth. The minced water hyacinth and ricebran were used as diet in different rations - 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100. The 8-day Puntius were fed on the experimental diet until size 2.5–3.0 cm in the 800 sq.m. earthen pond. Results showed that survival rates of Puntius in each experimental diet were 83.5 per cent, 37.75 per cent, 94.25 per cent, 74.25 per cent and 66.5 per cent respectively. The survival rate of the second experimental diet as 75 per cent water hyacinth and 25 per cent rice-bran was low because there were crimbing fish (Anabas testudineus) in the pond. However, the experiment indicated that the water hyacinth can be used as the diet for nursing fish.
2) Experiment on the substitution of soybean meal for fish meal in giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) feeds. Soybean meal was used to replace 25 per cent, 50 per cent, 75 per cent and 100 per cent fish meal protein in the basal diet. The levels of fish oil, soybean oil, dicalcium phosphate, -starch and - cellulose were adjusted to maintain the lipid, mineral and energy content as constant as possible in the experimental feeds. Macro-brachium size 0.04–0.05 g were fed on the experimental diets for 6 weeks. The experimental indicated that there was an increase in growth in the test animal and feed efficiency increased as the soybean level in the diet increased up to 75 per cent in replacing of the fish meal protein. The results suggested that the optimal amount of soybean on Macrobrachium feed is 29 per cent or slightly higher, and soybean meal is a superior replacement for fish meal.
3) Study on four different diets - sinking pellet, floating pellet, moist pellet NIFI No. 12 and trash fish-rice bran 8:2 for Clarias fingerling. The approximate protein value of sinking pellet, floating pellet, moist pellet and trash fish-rice bran were 49.47 per cent, 33.90 per cent, 42.18 per cent and 41.83 per cent, respectively. However, the moist pellet appeared to be the best feed for Clarias fingerling.
D. Fish Disease Studies
Experiment on luminescent disease in giant freshwater prawn larvae. Vibrio harvegi, the luminiscent bacteria, was isolated from the infected Macrobrachium post-larvae. Various medicines were tested. It was sensitive to Chloramphenicol, Erythromycin, Gentamycin, Novabiocin, Trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, and resistant to Ampicillin and Penicillin.
Conducted research on water quality in relation to disease problems in catfish ponds at Pathumthani. The results are being analyzed.
Disease survey project has been initiated for imported fish in order to prevent the spread of disease from other countries.
Researchers on disease of fish such as snakehead, catfish, seabass and grouper have been intensified.
Coordinated the NACA regional research programme on fish ulcerative syndrome and the environment, which is being conducted in 11 countries in the region.
E. Toxic and sublethal effects of formalin on freshwater fishes
Toxicity of formalin to three freshwater fish species was determined by using static bioassay. The 96-hour LC50 of formalin on Thai barb (Puntius gonionotus Bleeker), common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linn.) and snakehead fish (Channa striatus Fowler) were 67–80, 106–128, and 147–166 ppm, respectively. Toxicity of formalin was most obvious in the first 24-hour exposure. Water pH and hardness had no effect on toxicity. There were significant differences in weight gained among control common carp fry and fish treated with 25, 50 and 75 ppm formalin for 8 weeks. Fish exposed to 75 ppm formalin had the lowest growth rates throughout the 8-week period. However, no histological changes were observed in gills, liver, kidney, spleen, digestive tract and muscle of common carp fry exposed to formalin during the 8-week period.
No histological changes were found in common carp and snakehead fry which survived the acute toxicity test, but hyperplasia of gill lamellae and fatty degeneration in the liver were observed in Thai barb.
F. Trichogaster farming
Analysis of fish field data is in progress. Cost and benefit of traditional and improved methods of farming was published, while the report on cost and methods of preservation is under publication. Due to the Thai Government policy, the present area of Trichogaster farming has become an industrial area. Therefore, a new site for this type of fish farming is being located/investigated.
G. Paddy-cum-prawn farming
Preliminary studies show that paddy fields, if properly prepared and the trenches retain water for about three months, can be utilized for nursery ponds for PL1 and raising area for PL60.
H. Socio-economic studies on ricefield fish culture at Tung Kula Rongchai, Northeast Thailand
The project area was composed of Roi-et, Surin and Maha Sarakhan province. There were 56 fish farmers-cooperators. Data were collected from 37 fishermen or 66.07 per cent on the first survey. Results are being analyzed. The study on the income and socio-economic status of the rice-fish farmers in Northeast Thailand is in progress. Preliminary observations indicated that the farmers allocate more labour and other inputs into rice cultivation before considering the fish component.
5. Training Activities
Short-Term Training Programme
The First NACA Training Course on Aquaculture Economics and Socio-Economics was organized by RLCT in cooperation with Kasetsart University on 7 May – 5 June 1987. Altogether 22 participants from India, Nepal, DPR Korea, Indonesia, People's Republic of China, Malaysia, Philippines, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Republic of Korea and Thailand attended this course.
In preparation for the initiation of the regional research programme on the relationship between ulcerative syndrome in fish and the environment, a one-month regional training course on environment monitoring and ulcerative syndrome in fish was organized at the National Inland Fisheries Institute on 3–30 November 1987. Eighteen participants from 11 countries participating in the regional research programme attended the course (Bangladesh, Burma, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand).
Regional Training Course for Senior Aquaculturists
Participants who attended the Sixth Regional Training Course for Senior Aquaculturists received training from RLCT on 26 July to 15 August 1986. The areas of training were as follows.
induced spawning of catfish (Clarias and Pangasius) and Puntius
cage culture of Pangasius and sand goby
study tour on pond culture activities of snakehead and Macrobrachium rosenbergii
Secondment of Junior Scientists for One-Year In-Service Training
In order to fulfill NACA's objective in the implementation of the programme for the secondment of junior scientists from the region to receive in-service training in research methods and approaches required for aquaculture technology improvement and development, the Regional Lead Centre in Thailand selected two candidates to receive in-service training in the field of fish nutrition and one candidate for fish disease. Both two programmes are scheduled to commence in April and October 1988, respectively.
6. Information Activities
About 400 data sheets of AQUIS have been filled and stored. The SEAFIS database using MINISIS now has 3,000 records.
