4.1 Manpower training in aquaculture technologies
4.2 Manpower training in management
4.3 Aquaculture research in the region
4.4 Management of credit
4.5 Associations of professionals in the region
4.6 Information for professionals
4.7 Technical assistance projects in the sub-sector
4.8 Capital assistance projects in the sub-sector
Every country in the region has its own national university. There are 48 universities in the region, of which 28 have courses in science. Only eight have courses in marine science, zoology or fisheries. These are:
|
Country |
University |
Course |
|
Bahrain |
Arabian Gulf University |
Applied Sciences |
|
Iran |
Shehidra Rajiai |
Marine Science |
|
Iraq |
University of Basrah |
Marine Science |
|
Jordan |
University of Jordan |
Marine Science |
|
Kuwait |
University of Kuwait |
Zoology |
|
Oman |
Sultan Qaboos University |
Fisheries |
|
Qatar |
University of Qatar |
Marine Science |
|
Saudi Arabia |
King Abdul Aziz University |
Marine Science |
Aquaculture is part of the course curriculum in the universities in Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, and there are possibilities of post-graduate studies on aquaculture projects in these three countries.
Most of the national scientists working in the aquaculture sector in the region have graduate B.Sc. or M.Sc. level education from universities in Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia; and some with Ph.D. degrees from foreign universities in Egypt, India, UK, USA, or USSR.
There is general training in management and business administration available from most national universities in the region but there is no specific training related to aquaculture. In some cases foreign management teams are brought in by governments to instruct in business administration in the fisheries sector including some such as a team from the UK to Saudi Arabia, or as individual consultants. In other cases, technicians or researchers are promoted to positions of management on merit.
There is strong governmental emphasis on aquaculture research in Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. The majority of research is directed towards developing culture techniques for high value marine fish and shrimp species.
The Ras Hayan Aquaculture Research Centre in Bahrain, established in 1984, is located on a coastal area adjacent to a small lagoon. The facility has a small freshwater and marine fish hatchery, ponds, tanks, and cages. Research is presently underway on the development of culture techniques for rabbitfish (Siganus cramin), tilapia (Oreochromis aurea), and mullet (Velamugil seheli).
In Iran the Shilat Organization, directed by the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, operates four aquaculture research stations. Two of these specialize in coldwater culture of trout and salmon, and two in warmwater culture of carps, rutilus, and sturgeon. Bandar Anzali Research Centre has 85 staff, of which 30-35 are scientists. They conduct research on fish breeding, fish pathology, parasitology, and fish nutrition. The station has laboratories, and an experimental hatchery and farm. In addition, freshwater fisheries, fish biology, water quality, and fish-cum-rice culture are being investigated.
The Sad-e-Sangar Fish Farm and Research Station has 150 staff, of whom 60-70 are specialists. This station concentrates its research efforts on fish breeding and produces approximately five million fry per annum, consisting primarily of sturgeon, rutilus, and the common and Chinese carps.
The Bandar Abbas Research Laboratory specializes in warmwater fisheries and is conducting research on fisheries biology. It is also interested in conducting research in shrimp culture. Bushehr Research Centre is a smaller Centre with only eight scientists and four technicians. The Shilat Organization is presently constructing two new research centres, one in Torkaman and the other near Ahvaz.
In Iraq the State Fisheries Department is carrying out research and field studies on aquaculture. It has carried out research on fish feeds and fish diseases, and undertaken feasibility studies for fish farms based on non-indigenous fish.
The largest research station in the region for marine species is the Mariculture and Fisheries Department of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. The staff consists of approximately 25 international and national scientists, and 15 laboratory assistants. The Mariculture Section is concentrating its research efforts on the culture of grouper (Epinephalus tauvina) and bream (Acanthopagrus latos). The Department has good laboratory facilities for fish pathology, fish nutrition, and water quality analysis. The Department has pilot-scale production facilities for cages (sheltered and open sea type), fish tanks, tidal fish ponds, and a marine fry hatchery with livefood production. Construction of further facilities is presently underway.
The Fish Farming Centre based in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia was established in 1982 and is presently undertaking coastal fry surveys, training, extension, and research programmes. The present facilities consist of a freshwater hatchery, marine fish tanks, fish pens and enclosures, and cages. The species presently cultured are tilapia (Oreochromis spilurus), rabbitfish (Siganus rivulatus). mullet (Velamugil and Liza spp.), and milkfish (Chanos chanos). Construction of a marine fish hatchery, fish ponds, and a tilapia culture system is presently underway.
The Faculty of Marine Science at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah has an aquaculture research facility. The Faculty is presently conducting research on marine tilapia production in tanks and is proposing to conduct trials on the production of shrimp (P. monodon) in plastic lined earth ponds. The Faculty also operates a large aquarium with local reef fish for display purposes.
Saudi Aquaculture and Fish Farming Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Fisheries Company, is operating a small research farm at Al-Lith near Jizan for the culture of shrimp in ponds. Presently marine shrimps (P. monodon, P. semisulcatus, and P. indicus) are being produced at pilot-scale levels.
The Umm Al-Quwain Mariculture Centre in the UAE was established in 1983 using technology from Japan for research into marine fish and shrimp rearing, and culture. Research presently underway is concentrating on the rearing of grouper (E. tauvina), rabbitfish (Siganus oramin), and shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus). National and Japanese researchers are presently conducting research trials in the marine fish and shrimp hatchery, fish tanks, and fish ponds.
There is interest at the Marine Fisheries Research Station in PDRY to carry out research on marine shrimp culture, and in general aquaculture technology at the government marine science centre in Aqaba in Jordan.
The management of credit for aquaculture is primarily organized through the respective national fisheries departments or through national agricultural development banks.
In Iran the Fisheries Department is encouraging the development of aquaculture by extending credit to farmers for capital expenditure and making available land and water resources, and supplying fingerlings.
In Iraq provision is made by the Fisheries Commission to reserve and lease tracts of land to fish farmers at little cost.
In Saudi Arabia the Agricultural Bank will make short-term loans for up to 50% of the capital cost of the investment at no interest. The applicant must prepare a feasibility study which is first cleared technically by the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, and then analysed by the Agricultural Bank before funds are made available. Although theoretically this credit facility is available to all new fish farm developments, limits are being set on the amount of credit available.
There are no specific aquaculture associations for professionals which cover the whole region. In Iraq there is the Federation of Arabic Scientific Research which was set up by Arab Governments to promote interests in all fields of scientific research, and to promote and plan joint research programmes. All countries in the region are members of this Federation except Oman and YAR. This Organization meets on a yearly basis and publishes the Journal of Arab Scientific Research. The Arab League Education, Science and Cultural Organization (ALESCO) has organized the training and education of Jordanian students in Marine Science.
Many professionals in the region are members of the World Aquaculture Society. This society is based in the USA and disseminates scientific research information and arranges annual conferences. An affiliate of WAS is the European Aquaculture Society, based in Belgium; this society has members from the region and also arranges conferences in which the development of aquaculture in the Middle East is often discussed, for example in Amsterdam in 1987. Membership is individual or commercial, and materials can also be obtained through library membership.
Some professionals have joined the recently-formed Asian Fisheries Society, which is based in the Philippines.
A few scientific publications which include aquaculture research are produced by research centres in the region. One is produced by KISR in Kuwait called the Kuwait Bulletin of Marine Science which contains many scientific papers on aquaculture relevant to the region. KISR also publishes a number of technical reports on aquaculture topics. In Saudi Arabia there is the Bulletin of the Marine Research Centre in Jeddah.
There are no known interregional publications except for the INFOFISH International (Marketing Digest), a two-monthly magazine published in association with INFOSAMAK (see 1.6) which occasionally contains articles of interest to the professionals.
There are libraries which specialize in fisheries and aquaculture subjects in the region. The largest facility is based at KISR in Kuwait, with smaller libraries based at the national research stations in Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, and at the Technical Information Centre at INFOSAMAK in Bahrain.
Professionals have access to a considerable volume of information about aquaculture because of their proximity to the Mediterranean and European regions, and also to Asia and North America. This is usually through library membership, individual membership, or personal subscription.
The European Aquaculture Society (EAS) based in Belgium publishes a regular Newsletter for members which also contains the contents of some abstracts of the more important aquaculture journals. It also publishes special volumes on aquaculture technology available at reduced rates to members. The EAS is an affiliate of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) which is based in the USA, and members have reciprocal benefits. The WAS produces the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society which is free to members.
The other specialist journals on aquaculture are obtained on subscription. These are Aquaculture (Netherlands), Aquaculture and Fisheries Management (UK), Aquaculture Engineering (UK), Bamidgeh/Journal of Aquaculture (Israel), Bulletin Français de la Pêche et de la Pisciculture (France), Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (Canada), Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (FRG), Journal of Fish Biology (UK), Journal of Fish Diseases (UK), Progressive Fish Culturist (USA), Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (USA), etc.
The largest resource of information for scientists and technical professionals in the sector is FAO in Rome, Italy. FAO produces a series of publications many of which are specific to aquaculture. These are FAO Fisheries Reports, FAO Fisheries Technical papers, and FAO Fisheries Synopses. Many FAO-executed projects, such as ADCP, produce their own technical and non-technical documents. All titles are categorized and lists are regularly produced. Some documents are free and others are sold at cost.
FAO maintains a database in which aquaculture information can be found. ASFA is an international bibliographic database providing comprehensive coverage of publications on the science, technology, and management of marine and freshwater environments. The database can be searched via terminals and personal computers to retrieval systems in Europe and North America; the database is also available on compact disc. Aquaculture Abstracts from ASFA are available in printed form through subscription.
The FAO Fisheries Departmental Library is probably the largest repository of books on fisheries and related topics dealing with the region, many of which are on aquaculture subjects. It also maintains a large serial collection on all subjects related to fish and fisheries received from fisheries institutes, government departments, and commercial publishers throughout the world. It also has special collections of documents on a country basis, and subject files.
There are a number of technical assistance projects which are (or have been) directed towards research and high-level training. Most of the FAO-executed regional projects for fisheries development have given some indirect technical assistance to aquaculture, for example, for improvement and development of fish markets, etc., but there have been few technical assistance projects specifically for the improvement of national infrastructure in aquaculture (see Table 8).
In most cases technical assistance is now being given under bilateral agreements between the governments in the region and the development agencies of foreign governments. In some cases this assistance is free and in other cases it is charged. Technical assistance projects have been arranged between both Hungary and USSR and Iran for fish fry propagation; between both UK and Taiwan (Province of China), and Saudi Arabia for fish fry propagation and fry surveys, and between Japan and UAE for inland fish and shrimp propagation.
In Iran, through the Technical Cooperation Programme of FAO, there has been a project for the training of technicians in cold-water fish production which was held from December 1987 to March 1988. Also, 18 aquaculture staff from the Fisheries Department in Iran are being trained in integrated farming and carp production in Wuxi, China, through a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
In Saudi Arabia technical assistance is being provided through an FAO-executed Trust Fund project for research and development in tilapia culture trials and fry resource surveys. The Governments of Saudi Arabia and Taiwan (Province of China) have a bilateral agreement for scientific cooperation between the two countries and two Taiwanese technicians are working at the freshwater hatchery of the National Centre of Science and Technology near Riyadh, and a shrimp culture specialist at the Fish Farming Centre near Jeddah.
In UAE the Government has an agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and technical assistance has been given for the design and operation of the Umm Al-Quwain Mariculture Centre. Presently two Japanese specialists are working at the Centre and other activities are planned.
In Iraq there is a specialist from Hungary working on aquaculture research and project formulation under a short-term TCDC arrangement through FAO. In Bahrain, through the TCP programme of FAO, technical assistance is being provided for the design of additional facilities and improvements to the Ras Hayan Aquaculture Research Station.
In PDRY research on shrimp production instigated by Japan through the private sector continues at the small experimental station which was constructed on Labor Island, Aden. Trials were conducted on the culture of marine shrimp.
Funds remaining from the project "Sub-regional Fisheries Training Centre" for Kuwait, which ended in 1983, have been available for conducting fellowships and training. Each member country was allocated 36 man-months of fellowships. Students under this programme have been trained in fish biology, fish toxicology, fish production, fish disease, aquaculture, etc.
Aquaculture research programmes at KISR, Kuwait, are presently being sponsored by Bubian, a private commercial company interested in starting an aquaculture venture in the country. Contract research is being carried out on grouper and bream.
Most projects dealing with capital construction of research facilities are funded nationally or through interregional funding. There are a number of interregional development organizations which finance projects in the region and which, in some cases, are contributing to fisheries and aquaculture projects.
The Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) provides interest-free loans for equity participation in small- to medium-sized agro-industrial projects in the region, including technical assistance. The IDB encourages development and social progress of member countries in accordance with Islamic Sharia Law. 18% of the fund is used for financing agriculture and fisheries projects.
The Arab Fisheries Company (AFC), headquartered in Saudi Arabia, and funded by Arab countries, is expected to be involved in providing capital to aquaculture projects in the Arab countries. The AFC will participate in the development of two tilapia farms, one in Saudi Arabia and one in Jordan.
The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) based in Kuwait provides capital and technical assistance to projects in Arab countries, or in joint Arab projects, for the development of infrastructure for inter-country projects and particularly training programmes. The Fund finances economic projects of an investment type to governments, public, or private organizations. 52% of its total funding budget is used in the agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture sectors; for example, in Jordan over US$ 5 million have been loaned for a river basin development project.
The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development is an agency which assists Arab countries in the implementation of development programmes by arranging grants and loans, capital participation, and providing technical assistance. This Fund is considering assistance to small-scale fisheries projects and may assist aquaculture ventures.
The Arab League and the Government of Iraq funded the construction of a training centre in Zaafarania, but as yet it has not been used.
