MEDRAP is based upon two key activities which are essential to attain the proposed objectives and indivisible: personnel training and setting-up of pilot projects.
The pilot projects were selected in agreement with the participating countries and were to be progressively set up in accordance with the means of the governments and the assistance given by the project. Four projects were developed and supported by MEDRAP; five others have been identified and preparatory studies have started.
The choice of the first projects was made according to three criteria:
- the possibility of their inclusion in the regional network of pilot projects;
- the setting-up on the local level of the necessary financial resources for their implementation;
- the presence of a counterpart team already linked with the project.
In 1982/83, four projects satisfied these criteria:
- the National Centre for the Development and Extension of Aquaculture in Monastir (Tunisia);
- the Aquaculture Unit of Mellah and Oubeira Lakes and El Kala (Algeria);
- the marine farm of Limski Kanal (Yugoslavia);
- the marine pilot station of Paphos (Cyprus).
These four projects therefore received priority with regard to the training of counterpart teams and the provision of specialized equipment and consultancy services.
The objectives of CNDVA which was created with TCP and MEDRAP assistance, are:
At the national level:
- to test the various technologies applicable in Tunisia for commercial production of fish;
- to serve as a national centre for training and extension services in connexion with the national research centres, the fishing school of Monastir, etc.
At the regional level:
- to serve, on a medium-term basis, as a training centre for techniques that may be used in all the countries south and east of the Mediterranean: polyculture of mullets and dorades, intensive aquaculture in cages and ponds, fry production of marine fish;
- to adapt the techniques developed in the countries in the north to the particular conditions (temperature, salinity, etc.) of the countries in the south.
The overall investment granted by the Tunisian Government was D 910 000 (US$ 35 million), of which D 200 000 were used for a marine fish hatchery. The management of the centre will be entrusted to staff from the Office National des pêches (ONP) and INSTOP, in order to constitute a first team of 5–6 senior officers.
The centre will have at its disposal: a building, including a laboratory, meeting room, food preparation room, etc., a hatchery for marine fish, ten ponds of 0.25 and 0.5 ha, 11 ponds of the raceway type, floating cages and an improved fish trap (bordigue). The building and the floating cages were installed at the beginning of 1983, while the ponds and the fish trap were to be ready at the beginning of 1984, and the hatchery at the end of 1984.
The project assisted in designing the installations, making a preliminary study of the site and training the senior officers of ONP and INSTOP. The assistance will continue through courses planned for 1984 and 1985, and it is hoped that the centre will become fully operational in June 1985.
The Aquaculture Unit of El Kala which was created in 1981 as part of ENAPECHE, and which became autonomous at the beginning of 1983, has the following objectives:
At the national level:
- to develop Mellah (800 ha) and Oubeira (200 ha) Lakes in east Algeria;
- to train an Algerian aquaculture team capable of guiding future development:
- to act as a field station for research teams from universities, CROP and CERP.
At the regional level:
- to improve techniquēs for the extensive exploitation of lagoons through the development of appropriate fish traps and fishing gears;
- to study the affinities between such exploitation and more intensive installations.
The construction of the management building was started in 1982/83, and bids were called for a feasibility study for a marine fish hatchery.
The contribution of the project included consultancy services to assist in setting up the Unit and to train the counterpart team in shellfish farming, environmental control, fry collection and cage construction. Algeria thus received the greatest number of project consultants (six in 1982).
The El Kala team was reinforced in 1983 (5 aquaculturists) and will participate according to the specialization of each of these aquaculturists in the various training sessions anticipated for 1984–1986. The final development of the activities with regard to the lakes should not, however, be completed before 1986–87, because of the importance of infrastructure organization and training problems to be solved.
The Limski Kanal farm is a unit belonging to a Yugoslav fishing cooperative (MIRNA) based at Rovinj; this project started in 1980 with the following objectives:
At the national level:
- producing several hundreds of tons of fish and shellfish by the use of mixed equipment (rafts and cages which help to keep investments at a low level and make the best use of food, manpower, energy, etc.);
- accommodating, thanks to local facilities, the personnel in training or research, thus directly linked to production.
At the regional level
- proposing to the various countries with the same characteristics (deep and protected coast), mixed production techniques for off-bottom culture;
- receiving personnel from other Mediterranean countries and providing training.
The Limski farm is presently equipped with the first series of rafts/cages and is starting construction of the whole hatchery. The 1983 production is about 1 500 t of shellfish and a few tons of seabass.
Up to now, MEDRAP was concerned mainly with training and the supply of specific equipment. Proposals for closer cooperation in the training of aquaculturists from the other Mediterranean countries and technical assistance (availability of consultants) are under discussion.
The pilot station of Paphos was set up since 1980 by the Department of Fisheries with the following objectives:
At the national level:
- to train personnel in marine aquaculture techniques;
- to finalize techniques of intensive breeding of marine fish for which there is a ready demand in the eastern Mediterranean;
- to dispose of a field unite for the demonstration and the extension of these techniques to private companies.
At the regional level
- to finalize techniques of intensive breeding appropriate to the eastern Mediterranean, in particular to countries with a ready demand for marine fish and limited site potential (Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Malta);
- to be able, for short periods, to provide assistance to the countries of the area as a result of the experience gained in this field.
The station is presently equipped with combined facilities of floating cages and a field hatchery. The MEDRAP contribution was concerned mainly with the training of the station supervisor and with the supply of specialized equipment for the hatchery.
In 1982–83, the project coordinator, assisted by consultants, recruited by the MEDRAP project, funded by FAO/TCP projects (Syria, Morocco), started studies and identification of new pilot-projects in Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Turkey and Greece:
| - Morocco: | intensive shellfish culture of flat oysters in the Nador lagoon (11 500 ha), using rafts |
| - Egypt: | polyculture af mullets, sea breams and tilapias in brackishwater ponds at the Raswa farm (400 ha), near Port Said |
| - Syria: | pilot-station of Lattakia, for intensive culture of marine fish in raceways |
| - Turkey: | progressive improvement of the management of Izmir lagoons (modernization of fish-traps, rearing of fingerlings and restocking) |
| - Greece: | construction of National Aquaculture Centre, devoted to the development of integrated aquaculture (intensive + semi-intensive + lagoon aquaculture). |
All these pilot-projects are of should be implemented on a commercial basis; with the exception of the Lattakia station first outlines of programmes and work plans have been drawn up and will be defined in 1984.
The establishing of the first four pilot-stations, which should be followed by those being set up, made it possible to confirm the validity of the options chosen for the development of the regional project, to use a network of pilot projects instead of only one regional centre.
This solution makes it possible:
- to limit to the maximum the basic permanent team which has to organize and contribute to the training of personnel without having to manage central installations and thus with a minimum of administrative duties;
- to adapt the finalization of techniques and training to the various geographical sub-regions of the Mediterranean;
- to ascertain the continuation of personnel training and its utilization in the field, as a result of the presence of the pilot-projects in each country.
The progressive development, during the next two or three years, of these projects and their firm and permanent link after the end of the regional project (in particular due to the planned data network) is therefore an objective which is inseparable from the training objective during the period 1983–86.
During 1982, various types of training were carried out: training sessions, study tours and training in the field.
This training session was programmed to take into account the priority given to techniques of fry production and to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the French Government and the marine station of Sète to provide the project with installations senior staff and complementary financing. The programme included theoretical training, practical training on hatcheries, and visits to various other public, private or cooperative hatcheries.
The training session included 11 participants from six countries as well as the same number of French participants for a period of three weeks. The training officers were French, Italian and Yugoslav scientists and technicians, some of whom were top international experts in their field. The training provided resulted in the development or the improvement of reproduction techniques of marine species, in particular in Tunisia, Yugoslavia and Cyprus.
In the field of lagoon management, Italy is the one Mediterranean country which has not only many years of past experience but has also launched numerous modernization programmes in recent years. From the priority given by the project to the management of the lagoon environment (about 1 million ha in the Mediterranean) a first study tour was organized for senior staff of the counterpart projects, to selected Italian production centres in order to analyse the various techniques in use: fishing and breeding in ponds, combination of species, integration of intensive aquaculture systems, etc.
The study tour regrouped 13 participants as well as specialists from FAO Headquarters and the MEDRAP project; a detailed report of this study tour was edited in 1983.
The conclusions were that an important part of Italian technology could be transferred to the countries in the south and east of the Mediterranean and in particular those dealing with one type of extensive or semi-intensive aquaculture. In the end, during the visit to one of the most important production centres in the south of Italy, the interest was such that it appeared most attractive to direct Italian assistance to the MEDRAP project in setting up a training centre within this production unit. Talks were held in this respect in order to set up 6–9 month technical training sessions.
During this period, five different training schemes in the field took place after a few months of consultancy; the counterpart teams in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco were the beneficiaries of this training, as follows:
- hydrobiological study, control and follow-up of the lagoon environment in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco;
- fry collection techniques in Algeria and Tunisia;
- construction of breeding cages (nets and structures) in Tunisia and Algeria;
- shellfish farming techniques in Algeria and Morocco;
- feed manufacture in Tunisia.
These training sessions lasted from 15 days to one month and were carried out at the same time as technical studies which were lead by participating experts.
This type of training which was carried out as far as possible by the same experts responsible for the group training sessions, can be adapted to national or long-term training sessions.
The preparatory period in the regional project made it possible to test the various types of training contemplated for the main period, to ascertain their potential, to attain the training objectives established and to become better acquainted with the problems arising from the organization of these activities, in particular the necessary time limits and the personnel and equipment to be provided.
This type of decentralized and specialized training is much more difficult to organize and guide than the ordinary long-term training in a single, regional centre, but it offers considerable advantages: great adaptability, adjustment to the field, and greater efficiency due to the intensity of the proposed activities. The budgets presented for the period 1934–1986 do not allow for planning of long-term basic training, which will be carried out by other means.
Since the basic personnel and the number of consultant months were limited during this period, the project coordinator, with the cooperation of participating countries' authorities, tried to obtain FAO support through its Technical Cooperation Programme; this support was realized in 1982 and 1983 through three TCP projects in Tunisia, Syria and Morocco.
The MEDRAP project helped the governments to submit their requests, to prepare the project documents (revised by the FAO technical division and UNDP/FAO/ADCP), assist and participate in TCP assignments and continue subsequent assistance (pilot projects and training). In total, FAO brought to the project more than 20 months of consultants, permitting, in addition an improved preparation of the setting-up of pilot projects and definition of training priorities.
The project coordinator also took part in the first national meeting in Greece which was intended to determine a development programme; the setting-up of the programme and the choice of pilot activities are still under discussion.
During the preparatory phase, the project was able to supply the field activities with specific equipment; in addition, the project headquarters was equipped with communications equipment, typing and processing systems, some training equipment and one vehicle.
Equipment provided to the pilot-projects consisted of: measuring kits (oxymeter, thermometer, multiparameter kits, limnigraphs, etc.) for control and monitoring of water quality in the Lagoons, ponds and hatcheries:
- hatchery equipment: aerators, pumps, weighing scales, etc.
- fish-culture equipment to be tested: different types of feeders, graders, nets, etc.
The total value of equipment provided to Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Yugoslavia and Cyprus was about US$ 70 000.
It appeared that this possibility of providing essential equipment should be reinforced not only to collect data but also to avoid the risks of failure of pilot-projects, by permanent monitoring of rearing conditions, detection of problems and immediate action.
The regional project should also develop regional collaboration through meetings, workshops, visits and exchange of information. Such activities have also been initiated during the preparatory phase.
The project participated in several meetings and workshops organized in the region: GFCM meetings in Palma de Majorca (1980) and Rome (1982), presenting reports on the MEDRAP situation.
- Workshop on lagoon management in Rome (1983), presenting reports on lagoon aquaculture.
- Workshop on Mediterranean shellfish culture in France (1983), presenting a report on present shellfish production, problems and new developments in the region.
Short visits of engineers and biologists of a pilot-project to another project of the area are always of more benefit than written documentation for the analysis of certain technical problems and their solution. The project therefore organized a few missions of this kind with a duration of about one week: Tunisian mission to the hatcheries in the south of France (January 1982), Algerian mission to Bizerta and Ghar El Melh (April 1982), Moroccan Mission to Bizerta and Monastir (March 1983). This type of exchange not only results in solving technical problems or visualizing the production centres but also in implementing contacts between the various pilot-projects.
The first Advisory Committee Meeting of the project was held in Tunisia in October 1983. This meeting not only reviewed the activities carried out during the preparatory phase or proposed for the main phase, but also provided an occasion to exchange information on aquaculture development and problems in the participating countries.
Meetings, workshops and visits have been very useful for participating institutions and should be developed. The lack of time and personnel made it impossible to develop other types of dissemination of information (technical papers, bulletins, etc.) essential in a regional project; solutions should be found to this problem during the main phase.
