Rev. sci. tech. Off. int. Epiz., 2008, 27 (1), 89-102 Perspectives on aquatic animal disease contingency planning in the Asia-Pacific region C.V. Mohan (1) , S. Chinabut (2) & S. Kanchanakhan (3) (1) Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), Suraswadi Building, Department of Fisheries, P.O. Box 1040, Kasetsart Post Office, Bangkok 10903, Thailand (2) Special Adviser, Department of Fisheries, Kasetsart University Campus, Bangkok 10903, Thailand (3) Aquatic Animal Health Research Institute, Department of Fisheries, Kasetsart University Campus, Bangkok 10903, Thailand Summary The movement of live aquatic animals is one of the principal reasons for the rising number of disease emergencies in Asia and the Pacific. Contingency planning is crucial in the effective management of such emergencies. Within Asia, the Asia Regional Technical Guidelines on Health Management and the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals provide the basic framework for national and regional efforts to reduce the risk of introducing disease across borders. However, in following these guidelines, the progress made by countries on contingency planning has, to date, been rather limited. In this paper, the authors broadly examine the implementation of health management programmes, highlight some regional initiatives that support contingency planning and describe the present status of contingency planning in the Asia- Pacific region. Keywords Aquatic animal health – Asia – Asia Regional Technical Guidelines – Contingency planning – Disease emergency – Emerging disease – National strategy – Pacific – Transboundary disease. Introduction The Asian region leads the world in aquaculture, contributing over 85% of global aquaculture production by volume (6). Ensuring the sustainability of the sector and safeguarding the interests of small-scale farmers are crucial objectives for national governments in the region. Aquaculture is expanding, intensifying and diversifying at a phenomenal pace, but this comes at great cost. The environmental, social and financial sustainability of the sector is increasingly becoming the focus of attention. The aquaculture sector must actively respond to these concerns. It needs to increase overall efficiency to comply with global trade requirements, such as food safety, traceability and certification, and – at the same time – remain competitive and profitable. This is not easy, especially for the millions of small-scale farmers involved in aquaculture all over Asia. Aquatic animal health is one of the major hurdles facing the sector. The devastating impact of such diseases as epizootic ulcerative syndrome and koi herpesvirus (KHV) in fish; white spot disease (WSD) and Taura syndrome (TS) in shrimp; and abalone viral mortality in molluscs has been well demonstrated. Countries must develop and implement effective national aquatic animal health strategies if they wish to address health issues effectively and support the development of sustainable aquaculture. Such national strategies must be simple, practical and able