1. In Asia as a whole fish provide 30% of the animal protein in a typical diet, but in some countries it is even higher: 58% in Indonesia and 75% in Cambodia. The proportion of protein provided by fish is higher for lower income groups, who can mainly afford to eat only the lowest-priced fish species. ASIA

2. Fishing and related industries provide either the main or a supplementary source of employment, livelihood and income for many of the region’s poor. ASIA

3. Recent work at the WorldFish Center has shown that the demand for fish will grow substantially in this region and projections suggest that if production can match demand, then total fish consumption in the region will rise from around 41.5 million tonnes in 2005 to 52.3 million tonnes by 2015. ASIA

4. Aquaculture development will be key to meeting that target. Rehabilitating and sustaining coastal fisheries is also crucial for small-scale fisher folk and their families across the region. WorldFish is helping on both of these goals. ASIA

5. We are also strongly engaged in helping with the region’s recovery from the 2004 tsunami, and in addressing the challenges posed by climate change that are poised to have major impact on coastal areas across this region. ASIA

6. Nearly 40% of the world’s poorest people live in South Asia. Our work focuses primarily on Bangladesh. The overwhelming importance of fisheries and aquatic resources there provides a powerful entry point for addressing poverty, food insecurity and vulnerability to environmental shocks (floods, droughts, climate change). SOUTH ASIA

7. Our development of innovative fisheries co-management approaches in Bangladesh has been hailed as “an eminently replicable model for contemporary rural development.” Lessons learned on developing aquaculture in seasonal floodplains, integrating aquaculture with agriculture, and disseminating improved fish seed have also yielded benefits far beyond the country. SOUTH ASIA

8. Working with the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI), WorldFish introduced a faster-growing genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) strain and sponsored additional genetic research with BFRI to develop faster-growing silver barb. SOUTH ASIA

9. Research into decentralized fish seed production is being scaled up to help thousands of fish farmers produce large, high- quality fingerlings and supply them to thousands more of their neighbors. This project will see lessons learned in Bangladesh over the past 2 decades applied in Nepal and the Indian state of West Bengal. SOUTH ASIA

10. With the International Rice Research Institute, BFRI and Vietnamese Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2, WorldFish developed new models for high-yielding brackish-water polyculture in rotation with saline-tolerant deepwater rice, substantially benefitting disadvantaged farmers in the highly dynamic deltaic plains. SOUTH ASIA

11. The Greater Mekong Basin is a rich ecosystem that supports the lives and livelihoods of millions of poor in Southeast Asia. Encompassing the nations of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, it is coming under enormous intensification pressures for multiple uses that threaten to undermine its productivity and resilience. MEKONG REGION

12. There is limited information on the impact of development decisions on the sustainability of this ecosystem. Social, economic and ecological tradeoffs in uses of water and wetlands are analyzed to improve water productivity that better reflects local needs and priorities. MEKONG REGION