In Asia, the role of women in fish farming, especially in small fish farms, has long been predominant. Women take part in actual production in most types of aquaculture - brackishwater or freshwater fish ponds, fish pens or fish cages - whether on an extensive, semi-intensive, or intensive level on a small, medium, or large scale, and in various stages of fish farm development (planning, construction and actual operation), and from seed production to grow-out/rearing, harvesting, and post-harvest handling.

China, Thailand, and the Philippines, with their high literacy rates and their comparatively liberal value systems, boast of large pools of trained and skilled women fish farmers, technicians, extension workers, and professionals who are directly or indirectly involved in various capacities in fish production through aquaculture. In contrast, in countries in South Asia (e.g., Bangladesh and India) where 90% of rural women are functionally illiterate and where prevailing social and cultural values limit their access to training opportunities and development assistance, women are necessarily confined to such domestic-based or auxiliary tasks as feed preparation, fish feeding, and even pond construction.  

With increasing emphasis placed on aquaculture as an alternative source of fish protein and employment for the masses of Asia, the present role of women can be greatly expanded - both in terms of increased recruitment into the industry and of greater participation within the sector. With the support of local and national governments, and assistance from multilateral aid agencies and international organizations, the problems of rural communities in general, and of rural women in particular, can be more adequately and directly addressed by means of well-planned projects which put emphasis on manpower development at the grassroots level.