Annex VI

REPORT OF THE COORDINATOR
for the Fourth Advisory Committee Meeting and Tripartite Review of
the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia
Bhubaneswar, State of Orissa, India
3–6 December 1984

I. INTRODUCTION

In order to reduce cost and time, it has been decided to combine the two reports of the Project Coordinator into one which will respond to the purposes of both the Advisory Committee (ADCOM) and the Tripartite Review (TPR) meetings.

For easy reference, the background information, objectives and financial/implementation history of the project (RAS/76/003) appeared in the TPR Terms of Reference are also presented in this report.

II. BACKGROUND OF PROJECT

The UNDP/FAO regional project for the “Establishment of a Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia” (RAS/76/003) was proposed in response to recommendations of the 1975 Regional Workshop on Aquaculture Planning in Asia (Bangkok) and the 1976 FAO Technical Conference on Aquacualture held in Kyoto, in which the need to set up regional aquaculture centres to share the responsibilities of conducting research, training core personnel and establishing information system was highlighted. Collaboration among countries within the region was perceived as an effective way of expanding aquaculture development, while the sharing of responsibilities would allow optimal use of existing capabilities and facilities with minimal duplication of efforts.

The Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia (NACA) is designed to operate within the framework of Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC). It is part of the global network of regional aquaculture centres and is coordinated through the UNDP/FAO Aquaculture Development and Coordination Programme (ADCP).

The project is intended to serve the Asia-Pacific region. Eleven participating governments from the region are represented in its Advisory Committee (ADCOM), along with UNDP, FAO and other collaborating/donor agencies. These governments are: Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong region, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

1. Objectives

The long-range objectives of the project (as set forth in the project document) are to enable expanded development of viable aquaculture through the improvement of existing technologies and the development of new techniques and practices in the region, and the development of necessary technical expertise for implementing production projects.

The immediate objectives are to establish four regional lead centres, which form the initial nucleus of the Asian Aquaculture Network for:

• conducting interdisciplinary research on selected aquafarming systems for adaptation or improvement of existing technologies and for the development of new technologies;

• training of core personnel needed for aquaculture development; and

• eatablishing and maintaining a regional information system for the provision of appropriate data and information for development planning, research and training.

Research activities are to be shared by the four regional lead centres in China (RLCC), India (RLCI), the Philippines (RLCP) and Thailand (RLCT), and are to be focused on filling knowledge gaps of farming systems and on intensifying or improving the efficiency of the technologies involved The Centre in the Philippines is, in addition, to be the headquarters for a one-year senior level multidisciplinary training course in aquaculture, while the Centre in China is to provide training at a senior technician level in integrated fish farming.

Assistance is to be provided for setting up national aquaculture centres for linkage with the regional centres, thereby establishing the envisaged Asian Network of interlinked aquaculture centres. The national centres are expected to undertake testing of technologies developed at the regional lead centres and to refer back for solution, if necessary, to the lead centres concerned, problems faced in their application. The national centres are also expected to organize training of technicians and extension workers at the national level.

All the lead centres, and eventually the national centres, linked to them, will participate in the collection of data and information on aquaculture and process them in a uniform manner for storage and retrieval. The lead centres are expected to undertake the dissemination of information of significance in their respective areas, including retrieval of information in response to individual requests.

The project will also provide ad hoc assistance for undertaking feasibility studies, formulation of projects and their implementation within the availability of its resources.

2. Financial and Implementation History

Project implementation in the field commenced with the appoinment of the Project Coordinator in August 1980 and the Senior Aquaculturist (Training) in September 1980. The original duration of the project, based on the project document approved on 7 June 1979, was scheduled for 32 months, to December 1981, and was allocated $1,191,820 of UNDP funding. The original document foresaw the establishment of three centres, in India, the Philippines and Thailand. The establishment of another centre, the Regional Lead Centre in China, was included in the project revision “B” approved on 13 June 1980, with a UNDP input of $1,996,388. Subsequently, the project was extended for two years to December 1983, with the UNDP input increased by $1,212,721 under project revision code “D”. The current project revision “H” covers a further year to December 1984 and the total UNDP contribution to date is $3,661,975, of which $3,444,169 had been expanded or committed as of June 1984.

Sixteen months after the project started field operations it held its first Advisory Committee (ADCOM) and Tripartite Review (TPR) meetings at the Regional Lead Centre in the Philippines, Tigbauan, Iloilo on 3–4 December 1981 and 5 December 1981 respectively. Subsequent meetings were held annually, each time at a different lead centres. The second ADCOM/TPR meeting was held in Bangkok, Thailand on 14–16 December 1982, and the third and latest meeting on 26–29 October 1983, In Wuxi, People's Republic of China.

III. PROGRESS OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

The progress reports for the periods 1 July - 31 December 1983 and 1 January - 30 June 1984 have been sent to participating governments. This report is an updated one, summarising the progress of project activities and achievements. Further details as contained in Appendices 1–4 will be reported by the Director of lead centres.

Since the last ADCOM/TPR meetings held in Wuxi, China on 26–29 October 1983, much effort has been directed at generating fellowship support for the two NACA training courses, as well as implementing the recommendations of the ADCOM/TPR, including those of the Working Group on the establishment of a self-supporting mechanism. Preparatory work for the 4th ADCOM/TPR meetings, Seminar on Research Management and the UNDP evaluation of the project has also been carried out. Continuing effort has been made in implementing the three major activities (research, training and information) and other related activities of the Network. While the progress made in these activities is summarised below, the outcome of the 3rd ADCOM/TPR meetings, the Working Group deliberation and the UNDP evaluation of the project will be reported under a separate heading on the future funding of the Network.

1. Project Staff

With the departure of Mr. G. Spiller, the Associate Expert (Catfish culture research) in January 1984 on the expiry of his contract, the project now has three international staff, one in Thailand and two in the Philippine

2. Facilities Development

Construction of facilities continues in the new centres in China and India. While the work is in the final stages of completion in the India Centre, the construction of the 4-storeyed research and training building of the China Centre is making rapid progress. It is expected to be completed by the end of this year and in use by mid 1985. Meanwhile, work on the 2.4-ha experimental integrated fish farm is almost completed, and studies on fish-cum-pig farming will soon be initiated in some of the ponds.

3. Research Activity

The progress and results of research conducted at each lead centre will be reported by the respective Centre Directors. Generally, the centres in China, India and the Philippines are accelerating the implementation of research. The fish disease epidemic in Thailand and the severe flooding in 1983, coupled with shortage of operating funds and manpower, have hampered the research activities of the Thai Centre; concerted efforts through interdisciplinary research approach are, however, being directed at resolving the disease problem which is reportedly affecting the whole region. This aspect of research is, therefore, of regional significance.

All the centres are preparing technical reports and technology packages on some aspects of aquaculture systems of importance to the region for dissemination and testing under local conditions. These include the following:

• Characteristics of integrated fish farming in China

• Mulberry cultivation, sericulture and fish farming - a man-made ecosystem

• Integrated management of fish-cum-duck farming - its economic efficiency and revenue

• Present status, characteristics and prospect of freshwater fish farming in China

• Practices of composite fish culture in undrainable ponds

• An improved traditional shrimp culture technique for increasing pond yield

• A prototype warmwater shrimp hatchery

• An improved system for the artisanal practice of siamese gourami culture in disused ricefield

• Macrobrachium culture technology in Thailand

4. Training Activity

The first three months of the year have always been a crucial period for the two NACA training courses when all arrangements have to be finalised. This year has been more crucial because of the small budget provision of $50,000. This amount is being used to meet the training operating cost and the fellowship needs of deserving candidates with no financial support from anywhere. The majority of the fellowship grants is derived from other sources. Governments have also assisted in seeking financial support for their own nationals. Despite the uncertainty of project extension beyond 1983 which somewhat hampered earlier initiatives and delayed commitments, negotiations with different funding sources initiated in 1983 have achieved encouraging results in 1984. However, the problem of matching fellowship with nomination has to be resolved; organizational requirements of both donors and recipients have to be met. The problem has been particularly compounded by late submissions and last minute changes in nominations, including withdrawals and replacements. While the latter may be unavoidable in certain cases, the problem is mentioned here in an attempt to seek the understanding of some nominating governments to facilitate the work of project staff by initiating early action in processing their nominees.

Despite funding constraint and other problems, the project has been able to implement the two NACA group training courses in 1984 with fellowship grants amounting to $368,000 generated from nine funding sources, including an amount of $21,000 from the project budget to support two candidates. This has been largely due to the efforts of governments in seeking funding support through bilateral and multilateral funding agencies, of which IDRC is the largest sponsor in 1984. The TCDC allocation of $55,000 from the China IPF have been used to meet the fellowship needs of deserving candidates with no financial support to attend the RLCC training course in integrated fish farming.

The SEAFDEC's Aquaculture Department (host institution of RLCP) administers the fellowship funds from sources other than UNDP for the 4th one-year training course organized by RLCP. Due to various problems related to foreign currency exchange in the Philippines, SEAFDEC/AQD operates the fellowship account through a Citibank account in New York. It will submit statements of expenditure to the respective funding agencies at the conclusion of the course.

While the 4th one-year training course for senior aquaculturists is on-going with 21 participants from 11 countries, including one from Panama, the 4th four-month training course in integrated fish farming has been completed in August 1984, with 18 participants from eight countries (one participant from Egypt) being awarded with the Certificate of Proficiency. This is the first time that trainees from outside the region have been accepted to participate in the NACA training course.

The 3rd one-year training course has also been completed in March 1984 with 21 participants from 11 countries graduating with Diploma in Aquaculture; nineteen of them will also be awarded the degree of Master in Aquaculture by UPV.

Since the implementation of the training activity in 1981, the total cost of fellowships has been $1,282,300, of which the project contributed $436,000 plus the administrative and operational costs of organizing and running the two types of training courses. The details are illustrated in Table 1. To date, 125 participants from 19 countries have graduated: 68 from the 4-month training course and 57 from the one-year course. Another 21 from the latter course will possibly graduate in March 1985. The number of participants by country and by year is detailed in Table 2.

Monitoring of post-training performance of graduates from the two courses has been maintained through questionnaires. Feedbacks have been encouraging with most of them well-placed in their respective national aquaculture development programmes, in planning and administration, research, training and extension. Most have indicated greater confidence in their work performance, with many being promoted or placed in more responsible positions.

Invitation for nomination of candidates to the 5th RLCP and RLCC training courses scheduled to commence in March 1985 and April 1985 respectively, has been extended to the governments in the region along with indication of possible sources of fellowship support.

In collaboration with IDRC, a joint survey on future training needs has been initiated. Preliminary survey by questionnaires has been completed, while consultations with national authorities through visits to concerned countries and institutions will be conducted during December 1984 - January 1985. Travel cost of the Senior Aquaculturist (Training) will be provided by IDRC. The outcome of the survey will provide guidelines for the planning of additional training programmes to meet the future manpower requirements for aquaculture development in the region.

Teaching materials on aquafarming systems and techniques are continually being prepared and updated. These materials include video tapes, training manuals and lecture notes.

5. Information Activity

All the centres are collecting and processing aquaculture numerical information for the AQUIS database. To date, a total of about 1000 data units have been stored. Abstracts of bibliographic information from local publications are also being collected for expanding the ASFA database. A programme for retrieving bibliographic information from the ASFA database using the MINISIS has been developed by ADCP. The total number of bibliographic references in the ASFA is over 13,000. Each centre has a copy of the AQUIS and ASFA master tapes, from which information can be retrieved upon request.

A checklist of available information along with computer printout of cross reference tables and selected data units have been sent to participating governments explaining the ways in which such information could be used for development planning, research and training. Participating governments and national aquaculture institutions have also been requested to assist in the collection of information. Hong Kong and Singapore have responsed to the request.

In the China Centre, some teething problems were encountered with the operation of the computer. Action has been taken to resolve them. Meanwhile, a coordinating programme has been set up for the collection of numerical data through field surveys. The licensing agreement on the use of MINISIS has been signed between the Centre and IDRC in March 1984. Training of the Centre's staff on the MINISIS database management system was conducted in October this year. About 114 bibliographic references of technical papers in Chinese with English abstracts have been collected.

Construction of the air-conditioned computer room at RLCI is in progress. About one hundred data units have been collected. In RLCP, a programme has been drawn up in June for the collection of aquaculture data from various sources in the Philippines, including the solicitation of assistance from farmers.

Ms. Ratsame-Arporn Pipitsombut and Mr. Efren Abancio of the centres in Thailand and the Philippines respectively underwent a week's course on introduction to computer management system in Singapore in June. Ms. Pipitsombut has subsequently resigned but the Thai Centre is making an effort to recruit another programmer. The ADCP System Analyst visited the centres in China, Thailand and the Philippines in October/November 1984 and assisted in the computerised information programmes.

The fifth issue of the NACA newsletter has been published and distributed in July.

6. Establishment of National Aquaculture Centres

Project documents for establishing national aquaculture centres in Thailand and the Philippines have been prepared and revised in consultation with the respective technical departments. An FAO/TCP proposal for establishing the national centre in the Philippines has been approved in principle. Meanwhile ad hoc assistance and site feasibility studies have been conducted. Bangladesh has earmarked its fish culture station at Mymensingh for linkage with lead centres in 1986.

Due to time and manpower constraints it has not been possible to visit Indonesia and Nepal to discuss further details on the establishment of their respective national aquaculture centres.

7. TCDC Activities

The NACA project is designed to operate within the framework of TCDC. Since its inception, it continues to assist in implementing TCDC activities in aquaculture research, training and information. These technical cooperative activities have been firmly established in the one-year training course for senior aquaculturists. More than 100 regional scientists/aquaculturists belonging to 13 or more agencies are involved in implementing this training course in an honorary capacity.

Through the NACA-formulated TCDC project CPR/82/002, China has made available $185,000 from its UNDP country IPF to support 21 trainees from the region to undergo training in integrated fish farming in 1983 and 1984. The Chineses Government has also made available $5,000 as token contribution to the NACA core programme, setting the first example of establishing regional self-reliance in aquaculture development.

NACA has also recently formulated a project proposal similar to that of China for strengthening the India Lead Centre's ability to implement its TCDC activities. Response from the government authorities to the proposal of utilizing India's TCDC funding allocation is encouraging and positive. Further contributions from participating governments for TCDC activities, as indicated to the UNDP evaluation mission recently, will be announced later at this meeting.

TCDC Programmes for the research and information components of NACA have been initiated recently, including amongst others, the secondment of young scientist to participate as members of interdisciplinary research teams of lead centres.

8. Relation with Other Organisations/Agencies

The very concept in establishing NACA is based on optimising the utilization of existing resources and minimizing duplication of effort in the development of aquaculture in the region. Collaboration with other agencies and organizations in achieving common goals is one of the basic NACA approaches in putting the concept into action. NACA therefore welcomes and assists the initiative taken by participating governments to involve bilateral and multilateral agencies/organizations in expanding national aquaculture development. Through the network arrangement such involvements would have a multilying effect on the overall benefit to the region as a whole.

Initiatives taken in collaborating with other organizations and agencies have been encouraging, as reflected by the increasing number of fellowships provided for the two training courses (Table 1). In addition to SEAFDEC which is the host organization of the Lead Centre in the Philippines, IDRC is expected to increase its collaboration with NACA in research, training and information activities. Besides some fellowship grants to government nominees to attend the NACA training courses it has also contributed $10,000 to the China Centre for research related to integrated fish farming. While the collaborative programme for the joint survey of future aquaculture manpower needs in the region is being implemented, the proposal for the production of aquaculture video tapes and the programme for secondment of young scientists are presently being considered.

9. Seminar on Research Management

In view of the need to strengthen the management and implementation of research in the regional aquaculture centres, a seminar on research management organized by ADCP was held on 23–31 August 1984 at the Interregional Aquaculture Centre in Szarvas, Hungary. A meeting of directors of all the ADCP centres was also held to review the work progress of each centre and to consider ways and means of improving contacts and exchange of experiences amongst the centres.

10. Other Activities

Preparation for the Fourth ADCOM Meeting and TPR to be held in Bhubaneswar, India on 3–5 December and 6 December 1984 respectively is in the final stages. Decision on the future funding and continued operation of the Network will be made at the meetings.

All the lead centres have also made much preparation for the October-November visits of the UNDP evaluation mission. The details of the evaluation will be reported by the mission team leader at the next ADCOM/TPR meetings.

IV. MAJOR PROBLEMS

Shortage of funds and manpower has continued to remain as the major problem in project implementation during the period. Apart from the aftermath problems resulting from floods and disease outbreak in Thailand, the root causes of all other operational problems, including that of personnel, are directly linked to financial and manpower constraints, which are further compounded by the uncertainty of project extension and the manner in which it has been extended in the past since it started its field operation in late 1980.

Shortage of project staff in RLCT and the NACA Head Office is acute. Recruitment of U.N. Volunteers and local administrative personnel cannot be effected due to the uncertainty of the project's future which is also a determining factor in negotiations with national and international agencies on collaboration in project activities.

V. FUTURE ACTIVITIES

With the establishment of the four regional lead centres which form the Network nucleus and the beginning of the implementation of all its three major activities of research, training and information, the project is now in a phase of consolidation and setting into a steady pace of permanent activities. Assuming the Network will continue to operate with adequate funding and manpower support from participating governments, UNDP and other funding agencies under a cost-sharing arrangement the activities which will receive high priority during the next few years are as follows:

1. Continuation and expansion of the three major activities of research, training and information, including:

   • planning, organization and implementation of prioritised training courses to meet the short and long-term manpower requirements of participating countries

   • transfer of technologies developed at lead centres through short-term training and subsequent testing at national aquaculture centres

   • coordination of technical assistance in the implementation of research activities of regional importance, and the dissemination of technical information through centralised publications and video tapes production

   • dissemination of computerise numerical and bibliographic information needed for aquaculture planning, research and training

2. Establishment of national aquaculture centres for linkage with lead centres, and strengthening network activities.

3. Implementation of TCDC activities through free exchange of aquaculturists/scientists and expertise, and the secondment of young scientists to work as members of research teams of lead centre centres for in-service training will be intensified.

4. Provision of ad hoc assistance for undertaking feasibility studies, formulation of projects and their implementation, and generating funding support for project activities.

VI. FUTURE FUNDING OF THE NETWORK

The question of future funding of the Network has occupied much of the Advisory Committee's deliberations since its first meeting in December 1981. It was brought into sharp focus during the 3rd ADCOM/TPR meetings. The assessment of project performance and the recommendations of the meetings, including the follow up actions on the subject, are summarised below.

1. Third ADCOM Meeting

In reviewing the progress of project implementation during the 3rd ADCOM Meeting held in Wuxi, China on 26–28 October 1984, the Advisory Committee expressed satisfaction and appreciation of the overall performance and achievements of NACA. It stressed that the project's approach to aquaculture development through networking arrangement is relatively new in the region while the activities are such that a longer time frame is required to yield results with long-term benefits.

On the question of sharing the operating cost of NACA among participating governments, some governments announced through their respective representatives their contributions and pledges of funding support. The representative from Bangladesh informed the Meeting that his government would favourably consider contribution from the country IPF. The representative from China announced his government's decision to contribute $55,000 for the training activity at the Wuxi Centre plus a token sum of $5,000 for the NACA core activities. The representatives of Indonesia and Sri Lanka indicated that their respective governments were considering contributions. Thailand reconfirmed its commitment to its in-kind contribution towards the cost of operation of the Thailand Lead Centre.

In appreciating the catalytic role of UNDP funding and recognising the need to continue NACA activities after the termination of UNDP assistance, the Committee recommended that:

1. A self-supporting mechanism be established as soon as possible to enable the continued operation of NACA.

2. Governments should be invited to the 4th meeting to indicate in concrete terms how the project be progressively funded in order to attract funding support from donor agencies.

3. All possible funding support for training activities by donor agencies should be mobilised.

4. Assistance be provided in formulating projects for seeking bilateral or multilateral assistance, where needed, for the establishment of national aquaculture centres.

2. Third TPR Meeting

W.R. Prattley, Regional Representative of UNDP in Thailand also expressed UNDP's satisfaction over the project performance. While citing NACA as a typical example of a TCDC project he stressed the importance of implementing more forcefully the principle of TCDC by participating governments. He drew attention to the “Institutional Framework” of the project document and urged the Advisory Committee to address the question of developing a self supporting mechanism for the continued operation of NACA as a network, including support of the core programme by participating governments, after the termination of UNDP funding.

In reviewing the progress of implementing the various project activities and deliberating on the question of future funding of the network, the Review Team recommended that:

• efforts by the participating governments be intersified at the policy level to fund a suitable mechanism to ensure continued operation of the Network as a network after termination of UNDP support, especially as regards the core programme;

• The Advisory Committee should address the question of developing a self-supporting mechanism as a matter of urgency, and set up a small working group to structure ideas for such a mechanism for consideration by the participating governments;

• young scientists from participating countries be seconded to lead centres for in-service training through participation in the NACA research programmes as members of research teams;

• inview of the need to provide an adequate time-frame for the full achievement of the project objectives, UNDP and the governments in the region should consider at the next Meeting of Aid Coordinators the possibility of continued assistance through the remainder of the present cycle at a yearly level sufficient to sustain the programme in its present form;

• FAO should continue to pursue its efforts to attract additional funding and to convene the proposed donors meeting in 1984.

3. Working Group Meeting

Following the TPR meeting, the Advisory Committee set up a working group which met on 4 and 6 November 1983 in China to address the question of establishing a suitable self-supporting mechanism. The Working Group, comprising representatives of participating governments, FAO, SEAFDEC, IDRC, University of the Philippines in the Visayas and the NACA Secretariat proposed that an independent governing body, named the Research and Development Council of NACA, be formed with representation from the participating countries. The establishment of such a council would institutionalize and strengthen NACA. This would also assist NACA in its effort to generate funding support from participating governments and donor agencies for implementing all its activities, including the core activities.

The governing council would be a policy-making body and would meet annually to review progress made and determine future work programmes. The Council would also receive technical guidance from a Technical Advisory Committee to be formed with technical personnel drawn from FAO, other international and regional organizations and donor agencies. The work of the Council would be facilitated by a Secretariat to be headed by a secretary-general and supported by a small multidisciplinary team of experts.

The Working Group also agreed that participating governments should contribute progressively to the NACA budget, including the core programme, while requesting UNDP to continue to fund the project until the end of 1986, or until such time as the self-supporting mechanism is established with full funding support from participating governments and other donors. However, no decision was arrived at regarding the formula of apportionment of government contributions to the core programme.

In accordance to the steps to be taken as recommended at the TPR, the representatives of participating governments agreed to take up the matter with their respective governments soon after returning to their countries. UNDP would be informed of the ideas put forward for consideration from a policy viewpoint in consultation with FAO, and subsequent follow-up action with participating governments. As an interim measure, government representatives of the working group also agreed to take urgent action to impress upon their respective government representatives attending the second meeting of Aid Coordinators (MAC-2) in Bangkok on 1–2 May 1984 the need to extend the project through the end of the UNDP programme cycle (1982–86).

4. Follow-up Actions

The reports of the above three meetings held in China have been circulated to all government representatives along with requests to initiate action along the lines mentioned above. Some government representatives have responded positively, as was also reflected in the MAC-2 in which support for regional projects engaged in networking activities and supervised by inter-governmental bodies was endorsed.

In April 1984, the Regional Representative of UNDP in Thailand reminded the participating governments of the need for urgent decisions concerning the establishment of self-supporting mechanism. Subsequently, the Project Coordinator has requested the government representatives who attended the various ADCOM meetings to convey government decisions on the matter to the next ADCOM Meeting scheduled for 3–6 December 1984 in Bhubaneswar, India.

As a follow-up of the Working Group's recommendation that UNDP should continue to fund the project apace with the participating governments abilities to assume the financial responsibility, UNDP and FAO agreed to conduct an in-depth evaluation of the project before a decision on its extension is finalized. The three-man evaluation mission, accompanied by the Project Coordinator visited four lead centres and Hong Kong during the period 18 October - 9 November 1984. A questionnaire was also sent to all participating governments to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the project's performance. The mission held extensive discussions with both the technical authorities concerned and aid coordination offices in India, Thailand, China and the Philippines, and brief discussions with government officials in the Hong Kong region. While it was impressed by the project performance and achievements, the evaluation mission was especially much encouraged by the governments' affirmation of their intention to assume the responsibility of funding NACA progressively. This affirmation was made in the form of contribution commitments and pledges by most participating governments either directly to the mission or in response to a questionnaire.

The report of the evaluation mission will be presented later at this Meeting under the agenda item in which the future funding of NACA and the establishment of a self-supporting mechanism will discussed.

Table 1. Funding sources, number and estimated values (US$) of fellowships for the NACA training courses

Table 2. NACA training courses - number of participants by country and by year

Appendix 1

PROGRESS REPORT OF THE
NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF RLCC
(Mr. Shan Jian)

I. INTRODUCTION

The Regional Lead Centre in China, which is the Asian-Pacific Regional Research and Training Centre for Integrated Fish Farming located in Wuxi, has achieved further progress since the last Advisory Committee Meeting. Concerted effort has been directed at the development of facilities and the implementation of its three major activities of research, training and information. With the installation of HP 3000 computer in the last quarter of 1983, the implementation of the information activity has finally been initiated. The progress of these activities is summarised in this report.

II. DEVELOPMENT OF FACILITIES

Since the Centre started its operation in June 1981, research and training activities have been conducted in temporary facilities located in the library building of 2000m² in total floor area. With the finalization of the architectural plans and other administrative formalities, the construction of the proposed 4-storeyed building for research and training started in earnest in October 1983, at the time of the third ADCOM Meeting. The building, with a floor area of 4500m², is expected to be completed by the end of this year and put into use during the first half of next year.

After some adjustment, the linguistic equipment has been installed. The language laboratory is now being used for training of staff in the English Language.

A few years ago, the Centre purchased some land next to Taihu Lake. In 1984, China's Academy of Fisheries Science approved the setting up of an experimental integrated fish farm and provided funds for its construction. Ten ponds of various sizes and a pig pen have been constructed These are being utilized for fish-cum-pig farming. More ponds are being built and are expected to be completed by the end of the year. An irrigation system and a building housing the wet laboratory and office for farm management will be built soon. The farm will be used as the experimental base of the Centre.

Construction of some small ponds in the Centre's campus has also started. These ponds will be used for research on fish feeds and other aspects of integrated fish farming.

III. RESEARCH ACTIVITY

The Centre continues to conduct research on the following topics initiated in previous years :

1. Studies on the relationship between size and depth of manured ponds and fish yield

2. Comparative studies on the performance of different manures in relation to fish production

3. Modelling of integrated fish farming systems as practised in China

Although preliminary results have been achieved, these are not conclusive as yet. The Centre has also initiated a comparative study on the effects of fermented and unfermented (fresh) livestock manure on fish production. The progress and results of these studies are briefly described in this report.

1. Studies on the relationship between size and depth of manured pond and fish yield

Under this research topic, only the relationship between pond depth and fish yield is being investigated. The experiment, initiated on 10 April 1984, is conducted in Taihu Fish Farm, Ma-shan, Wuxi. It is still in progress. The research team comprises Mr. Zhang Laifa, Mrs Zhu Yun, Mr. Yang Yijin, Mr. Zhou Xiaoxin and Mr. Yu Yongshen.

Four ponds, each of 3 mu* in size, are used for the experiment, with two ponds of depth 1.5 m and a pond each at depths of 2 m and 2.5 m respectively. Six species of fish were stocked at the same rate and size in each pond. Cow manure and supplementary feed of ryegrass and sudan grass are also applied at the same rate in each pond. Various environmental parameters of pond water are monitored and analysed. Samples for delta carbon (δ C) are prepared for subsequent analysis. Two scientists are deployed to the farm where a simple laboratory has been set up for routine samplings.

Although the experiment is ongoing, preliminary results indicate that while the size of Crucian carp is bigger in shallower pond than in deeper pond, no significant difference is observed in the other species. However, the fish tend to surface and gasp for air more often in shallow ponds during summer when temperature is high.

The table below illustrates the stocking size and density of the six fish species and their average weight after four months of growth.

* 1 mu = 667 m²

2 Comparative studies on the performance of different livestock manures in relation to fish production

The experiment which is in progress, is conducted in cooperation with a fish farm in Saguang, Hai-en County, Jiangsu Province, as well as in the Centre's experimental farm. Eight ponds are used for the experiment, six ponds in Saguang and two ponds in the Centre's farm. These ponds are individually treated with one of the three animal manures tested - either pig, cow or chicken manure - and stocked with fingerlings of silver carp, bighead carp, crucian carp and common carp at a ratio of 4.5:1:3:15. The fish were stocked in the Saguang ponds on 3 April 1984 and in the Centre's ponds on 7 April 1984.

As in the other experiment, the physico-chemical and biological parameters of pond water are sampled monthly. Samples of fish flesh, suspended solids and pond sediments have also been prepared for subsequent δ C analysis.

Samples of fish were measured in mid June and the calculated net weight increment is tabulated below along with details of pond size, manure treatment and initial stocking weight.

3. Comparative study on the effects of fermented and fresh livestock manures on fish production

In recent years, competitive demand for livestock manure for the production of fish and biogas has generated much interest among scientists. In order to fully utilize the ‘natural resource’ and recycle farm wastes, a comparative study on the effects of fresh manure and residues/effluent from biogas production plant on fish yield has been conducted.

Two 0.8 mu ponds are used for the experiment. The pond which was initially dressed with 1000 kg of residues from a biogas digester is designated as the experimental pond, while the other which received 500 kg of fresh pig manure is the control pond. During the course of the experiment, biogas effluent is added to the experimental pond and fresh manure to the control pond, at a ratio of 2:1. Grass is also provided to the two ponds as supplementary feed for the grass carp and Wuchang fish.

Fish fingerlings were stocked in the two ponds at the same rate of 105 kg/mu on 3 March 1984 (Table 1). Monthly water samples are collected for analysis of the physico-chemical and biological parameters. Monthly analysis is also made on the composition of biogas effluent and fresh manure (total suspended solids, organic carbon, total N,P,K). Bacteria samples are also collected and observation is made on the occurrence of fish disease.

Although the experiment is ongoing, the preliminary results obtained for phytoplankton (Table 2), zooplankton (Table 3) and bacteria (Table 4) show interesting trends which are summarised as follows:

• The gradual decline of phytoplankton biomass in the experimental pond and its gradual increase in the control pond may indicate that the biogas effluent is a quick and effective fertilizer while the fresh manure is a slower but also an effective fertilizer.

• The decrease in zooplankton biomass is more rapid and sharp in the experimental pond than in the control pond, exhibiting similar trend as the fluctuation of the phytoplankton biomass; rotifers form the main bulk of the zooplankton population.

• The total bacteria count is higher in the control pond than in the experimental pond.

In addition, the 47 silver carp sampled from each of the two ponds in late July showed no significant difference in toal weight, about 24.3 kg from the experimental pond and 23.8 kg from the control pond. The experiment is scheduled to terminate at the end of the year.

Table 1 : Stocking number and stocking size of seven fish species

Table 2 : Phytoplankton biomass in the experimental and control ponds

Table 3 : Zooplankton biomass in the experimental and control ponds

Table 4 : Bacteral biomass (ind/ml) sampled on 12 June 1984

4. Modelling of integrated fish farming systems

Based on the experience of earlier surveys of some practices of integrated fish farming in China during the past two years, it has been decided to organize a nation-wide survey this year. It is intended to reflect systematically the Chinese systems and portray the optimum models of integrated fish farming as practised in different regions of the country.

A coordinated nation-wide investigation group involving the collaboration of fisheries research institutes and their substations has been established through a joint meeting held in February 1984. Based on the special characteristics of pond fish culture, four regions in China have been identified as target areas for survey and data collection. These regions and the cooperative institutions responsible for the investigation are :

1. Pearl River Delta - Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute;

2. Changjian River (middle and upstreams) - Shaxi substation of the Changjiang Fisheries Research Institute (CFRI);

3. Changjiang River (lower reaches covering Jiang Xi and An Hui Provinces) - RLCC, CFRI and local substations;

4. Northern Region - Department of Fishery Economics of the China's Academy of Fisheries Science

After the meeting in which work programmes have been assigned, the responsible institutions commenced to set up their respective investigation teams for the specific and assigned tasks. RLCC has also invited the fishery units of Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Jiaxing to participate in the collaborative project.

The survey methods of the different regions are not identical. In one region, one or several countries focus on data collection; while in another region, investigations may be concentrated on typical farming style, or on farm or pond production. The progress made todate has been encouraging. The Department of Fishery Economics has initiated the work since April. The Pearl River Research Institute has been collecting information on the art and economics of pond fish farming mainly in Shun De County, and on the integrated farming practices of fish/mulberry/ sugarcane. It is now studying the ecological aspects of fish farming in the Pearl River Delta. RLCC and the cooperative fishery units have conducted investigation on the modelling aspects, primarily studying the art and economics of typical farms in Suzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai and Changzhou.

In analysing some of the data collected, it appears that a culture system with grass carp and Wuchang fish as the main species has the best economic effect, while the rotatory method of harvesting and stocking within a limited period is considered as the most significant technique.

IV. TRAINING ACTIVITY

The Centre has recently concluded the fourth training course in integrated fish farming held during 16 April – 15 August 1984. There were 18 participants from eight countries, namely Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. They were relatively younger, and better both in technical knowledge and in the English language. Most of them possess B.Sc. degrees, with one having a Ph.D. The list of participants appears in Table 5.

Although training has been routinised, the course contents were enriched and updated. Much effort has been made in the preparation of the course, with emphasis being placed on practical work combined with theory. With the experience gained from the past courses and feedbacks from the trainees, the teaching quality has also been improved, thereby enabling the participants to have a better understanding of the basic theory of the Chinese integrated fish farming systems. This is essential to the trainees in the performance of practical work, and during field trips and study tours. The main topics of lectures given were :

• Biology of major Chinese carps

• Techniques on induced breeding of carps

• Feed and fertilizer

• Culture of fry, fingerlings and table fish

• Prevention and control of common fish diseases

• Animal farming and crop production

• Site selection and design of an integrated fish farm

• System of integrated fish farming and its economics

In addition to lectures, practical classes were organized, including fish dissection, and observation and identification of dominant plankton species and fish pathogens. The use of video tapes as instructional materials has been effective in broadening the knowledge of the trainees in the research and development of Chinese freshwater fisheries. The video tapes shown to the participants were :

• Pond fish culture

• Artificial propagation of major Chinese carps

• Fish farming with grass paste

• Fish farming with pelleted feed

• Fish disease prevention and control with Chinese herbs

• The carp hybrid - He Yuan carp

• Tilapia culture

• A survey of Chinese freshwater fisheries

• Fish farmers' miracle

The trainees participated in study-tours to 6 cities (Shanghai, Guangdong, Suzhou, Foshan, Wuxi, Changzhou) and 9 counties (Yixing, Wujiang, Liyang, Xinhui, Shunde, Nanhai, Nanhui, Qinpu, Wuxian), where they investigated the typical integrated fish farms in different agro-climatic regions and observed cage culture and running water culture activities, including other fishery activities in reservoirs, lakes and rivers. They also visited fishery colleges, research institutes and a fish processing factory. These study activities facilitated the participants to be more aware of the advances made in different fields of fisheries research and development in China.

For example, during a study tour to Guangdong Province, where the agro-climatic conditions are similar to South and Southeast Asia, investigations were concentrated on the farming systems of fish-cum-sugarcane and fish-cum-mulberry, as well as on the multi-propagation of Chinese carps, fingerling culture using grass paste as feeds, and the marketing and export of freshwater fish. In Hongjiang Fish Seed Farm, Xinhui County, the trainees were greatly inspired by their success in the induced spawning of silver carp and mud carp which had spawned earlier in Spring. It was mid Summer (early August), and despite the high water temperature of 32 C, six pairs of silver carp and 20 pairs of mud carp were induced to spawn, suggesting that year round propagation of the Chinese carp is possible in the Tropics. Another area which the trainees were impressed is the use of grass paste as feed for fish fry and fingerlings, especially since the grass paste are made from aquatic weeds such as water hyacinth, which is the scourge of waterways and water bodies in their countries. Their reports on the plan to develop integrated fish farming upon their return reflected well on their understanding not only of the technology involved but also the climatic and socio-cultural conditions of their countries.

On the whole, the participants performed very well. They were diligent and enthusiastic in their work, as demonstrated in farm surveys, designing of an integrated farm, netting and selection of brooders, induced breeding, studying of embryonic development and larval rearing. They also exhibited a warm spirit of mutual cooperation and friendship, not only among themselves but also with the Centre's staff and farmers. In appreciating the assistance rendered by the Yixing Fish Farm for their training in induced breeding, the participants presented the farm staff a wall clock as a token of their gratitude.

As in previous training courses, the training organized a seminar in which exchange of information and experiences in aquaculture and fisheries development in their respective countries was made. The trainees were also given a lecture on the functions of the HP 3000 computer and the NACA information activity; guidance on its operation was provided.

At the end of the training course, two examinations were set, in which the trainees achieved satisfactory results. Graduation certificates were presented at the closing ceremony held on 12 August 1984. All participants departed on 16–17 August.

In the meantime, based on experience gained in conducting the four training courses, the Centre staff is revising the two-volume training manual “Integrated Fish Farming (1981)”. A new manual is being complied, and the Chinese Version is expected to be completed in October. It will be translated into English, in time for the next training course scheduled to commence in April 1985.

Table 5. List of participants of the 4th Training Course in Integrated Fish Farming, Wuxi, China