AQUACULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN TROPICAL ASIA - A REEVALUATION

Differences between inland and coastal aquacultural production systems in Asia are discussed in terms of market orientation, resource allocation and property rights, and scale of operations. The production of shrimp grown in costal brackish water ponds has featured prominently in aquacultural development programmes in Asia. Emphasis placed on capital-intensive shrimp production for export, however, has distracted attention from the potential of inland freshwater aquaculture to generate employment opportunities for rural people and food production for domestic consumers. The paper concludes with a discussion of an alternative policy direction for promoting aquacultural development on a socially sound basis, recognizing the need to balance equity and human nutrition with profitability and foreign exchange earnings.