As part of the Philippines' plan to accelerate the country's rate of aquaculture development, a study team was sent to neighboring Southeast Asian countries to observe advances for improving and developing aquaculture in the Philippines. The 3-man team, of which the author was a member, toured Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and Taiwan. This article is a brief account of observations from the trip and interviews with authorities from selected fisheries agencies, with emphasis on freshwater aquaculture.