Subsistence fish farming in Africa: a technical manual

[Pages:294]ACF INTERNATIONAL

Subsistence fish farming in Africa: a technical manual

Yves FERMON

In collaboration with:

Aimara

Cover photos:

? Top right: Tilapia zillii - ? Anton Lamboj ? Top left: Pond built by ACF in DRC, 2008 - ? Fran?ois Charrier ? Bottom: Beneficiaries in front of the pond they have built. Liberia, ASUR, 2006 - ? Yves Fermon

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Subsistence fishfarming in Africa

OBJECTIVES OF THE MANUAL

? The objective of this manual is to explain how to build facilities that produce animal protein -- fish -- using minimal natural resources and minimal external supplies. These fish are being produced for the purpose of subsistence.

? It is possible to produce edible fish in a short time and at a low cost in order to to compensate for a lack of animal protein available in a community and to do so sustainably. However, facilities must be adapted to the environmental context.

This manual is a guide for: ? Program managers and their technical teams;

? Managers at headquarters who are monitoring program success.

This manual covers:

? The different stages of starting of a ?fish farming? program As soon as teams arrive on the ground, they must evaluate the resources available, the needs

of the population, and existing supplies. This assessment is followed by the technical work of installing fish ponds. When this is done, the next stage is to manage and monitor the ponds and the production of fish.

? Constraints on field workers The determination of whether fish farming is appropriate in a particular location and if so, of

which type, will depend upon many environmental variables. These include available resources, geomorphology, climate and local hydrology. But they also include social and cultural factors, such as beliefs and taboos, land issues and laws. The success of different methods will vary depending on the region of intervention as well as the concerns of ethnic and social groups.

WHY ANOTHER HANDBOOK?

Several organizations have published fish farming manuals for Africa. The first books described systems in place during the colonial period, with the aim of producing fish for food self-sufficiency. However, after many trials, the majority of these methods proved to be unsustainable over the long term, for a variety of reasons. Studies undertaken by various national or international research agencies, such as the World Fish Center (formerly ICLARM), CIRAD, IRD (ex ORSTOM), Universities of Louvain and Li?ge, etc. have investigated these failures, proposed solutions, and contributed technical, social, and biological information. However, the following generalizations hold for most existing literature: 9 Most handbooks are concerned with the production of fish for sale, implying:

? A substantial investment in time and commercialisation of the enterprise. These systems are technologically advanced and require training of technicians on the reproduction, nutrition or health of fish, so that they can put into place systems to produce food to feed the fish. Such an enterprise requires external inputs that may present a barrier for small producers.

? Substantial financial investment in land, pond building, hiring of workers and qualified technicians, etc.

9 These handbooks did not take account of local biodiversity. Indeed, farmers were encouraged to move or introduce many species into new areas, causing significant ecological damage.

Subsistence fishfarming in Africa

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9 Although the documents present supposedly universal solutions, they fail to adequately take into account the great variation in geomorphology, hydrology and climate across Africa that necessarily dictates what kind of fish farming implementation is possible.

9 Few existing manuals take into account socio-ethnological factors such as differences in education, beliefs and culture that will influence acceptance of fish farming installations.

9 Most of these guides are designed for development projects that have a long timeline.

LIMITS OF THIS HANDBOOK

This handbook is primarily a guide to steps and procedures for workers to follow. However, these steps and procedures must be adapted to function in the context in which the project will be implemented. Considerations include:

9 Social, cultural and political perspectives ? Culture and belief

Food taboos exist to varying degrees in all cultures. Beliefs about food, the basic element of subsistence, often include distinctions between allowed and forbidden, pure and impure. These distinctions may be fundamental to health, morality, or symbolic systems in a particular culture.

? Local law Every country has enacted laws concerning wildlife protection and movement of species from one region to another. These laws can be enacted at the regional level and at all administrative levels, down to the village itself. They may also be related to land issues. 9 Environmental perspectives:

? Biodiversity and available resources There are over 3200 identified fish species in inland Africa, belonging to 94 families. However, not all of them can be exploited. Distribution of species is not uniform across the continent and some species exist only in limited areas. For example, the majority of species in the African Great Lakes are endemic to them. Field workers should have extensive knowledge of the local fish fauna, not just traditionally exploited species that are often be exotic to the area of implementation. They should also understand the ecological risks of fish farming.

? Geomorphology, climate and hydrology The diversity of wildlife across the continent is a result of historical and geological events that occurred over millions of years. In that time, there have been major hydrological changes. On a smaller time scale, climate variations are crucial for the viability of fish. The availability of water, and the different uses to which it is put (drinking, domestic use, agriculture, etc.) limits viability and can be a source of conflict. The type of terrain and the nature of the soil in the region will present technical challenges to establishing ponds.

STEPS

This first manual is intended for internal use within the Action Against Hunger network, so distribution will be limited. If interest warrants, a manual with corrections and revisions may be published at a later time for wider distribution. For space considerations, only the most important sources of information used in preparing this manual are listed.

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Subsistence fishfarming in Africa

ACRONYMS

ACF/AAH: Action Contre la Faim / Action Against Hunger

AIMARA: Association of specialists working for the development and application of knowledge about fish and man-nature relationships

APDRA-F: Association of Pisciculture and Rural Development

ASUR:

Association for Agronomy and Applied Sciences for Vulnerable Populations

CIRAD: Center for International Cooperation in Agronomic Research for Development

CNRS: National Center for Scientific Research (France)

FAO:

Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations

IRD:

Institute for Development Research (France)

MNHN: National Museum of Natural History (Paris)

UNO:

United Nations Organization

NGO: GIS: BDC: IBI:

Non-Governmental Organization Geographic Information System Biological Diversity Convention Index of Biological Integrity

DRC:

Democratic Republic of Congo (ex-Za?re)

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Aimara

Association of specialists working for the development and the application of knowledge about fish and Man-Nature relationships

The management of water and aquatic environments represents one of the major challenges for the future.

Fish are a source of good quality protein for human consumption and also a source of considerable income for developing as well as developed countries.

However, population growth, urban development, dam installations, industrialization, climate change, and deforestation have irreversible consequences on inland waterways and the biodiversity -- including our own species -- that depend on them.

? Goals

Research 9 To improve ichthyological knowledge -- systematic, physiological, ecological, ethologi-

cal -- on freshwater, brackish and marine species. 9 To highlight knowledge and practices relating to fishing and management of biodiversity

and their modes of transmission.

Diffusion of knowledge 9 To disseminate the results of these studies to local populations, the general public and

the scientific community by publications, exhibitions, and via the media and Internet.

Sustainable management of environment and resources 9 To foster sensitivity to the social, cultural, culinary, economic and patrimonial values of

local communities with the aim of effective conservation and management of biodiversity; 9 To collaborate with the local actors in the durable management of their aquatic resources.

? Scope of activities

? Studies of the characteristics of environments and human impacts.

? Studies of the biology, biogeography, ecology and behavior of species.

? Studies of anthropological and socio-economic factors in man's relation to the Biosphere.

? Ecosystem modeling, statistical analysis.

? Development of databases. ? Consulting and faunistic inventories.

Association A?MARA 50 avenue de La Dhuys 93170 Bagnolet - FRANCE association.aimara@

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Subsistence fishfarming in Africa

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

? ACF Devrig VELLY - Senior Food Security Advisor, ACF C?dric BERNARD - Food Security Advisor in DRC, ACF Fran?ois CHARRIER - Food Security Advisor in DRC, ACF, Rereader

? Aimara Fran?ois MEUNIER - Emeritas Professor at MNHN, President of AIMARA, Rereader Patrice PRUVOST - Secretary of AIMARA H?l?ne PAG?ZY - Researcher, CNRS

? Other collaborators Roland BILLARD - Emeritas Professor at MNHN, Rereader Didier PAUGY - Research Director at IRD Thierry OBERDORFF - Research Director at IRD J?rome LAZARD - Research Director at IRD Alain BARBET - Agronomist Anton LAMBOJ - Researcher, University of Vienna, Austria. Mickael NEGRINI - Fish farming technician Kirk WINEMILLER - Researcher, Texas A&M University, USA ?tienne BEZAULT - Researcher, EAWAG, Switzerland Fabien NANEIX - Teacher John P. SULLIVAN - Ichthyologist, Cornell University, USA

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CONTENTS

Part I - INTRODUCTION AND THEORETICAL ASPECTS

1

Chapter 01 - FISH FARMING: AIMS AND ISSUES

3

I. WHY FARM FISH?

3

II. PRESSURE ON RESOURCES

6

II.1. Habitat modification

6

II.2. Water pollution

7

II.3. Impact on fisheries

8

II.4. Introductions

9

III. INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS

10

IV. OBJECTIVES OF FISH FARMING

12

Chapter 02 - TYPES OF FISH FARMING

15

I. TYPES OF FISH FARMING

15

II. SOME HISTORY

17

III. SUBSISTENCE FISH FARMING: GOALS AND PRINCIPLES

17

IV. POLYCULTURE VS MONOCULTURE

18

Chapter 03 - BIOGEOGRAPHY AND FISH SPECIES

21

I. GEOGRAPHY

21

II. SPECIES

21

II.1. Cichlidae

22

II.2. Siluriformes or catfish

23

II.3. Cyprinidae

23

II.4. Other families and species

23

SUMMARY - PART 01

25

Part II - PRACTICAL ASPECTS

27

Chapter 04 - THE INITIAL PRE-PROJECT ASSESSMENT

33

I. THE ECOSYSTEM

33

II. THE ASSESSMENT

36

III. PRINCIPLES

36

IV. BIOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

38

V. SOCIO-ETHNOLOGY

40

V.1. Socio-economic and cultural characteristics

40

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