African Experience in Commercial Aquaculture
56. In a Seminar that was held during the Session, the Committee assisted to presentations on the African Experience in Sustainable Commercial Aquaculture and Community Involvement in Inland Fisheries Management. In commercial aquaculture, Mr Charles Maguswi (Zambia) gave an overview of the experience in his country; Mr Peter Lintini (Zambia) presented the Edenvale Fish Farm Limited’s experience; Mr Patrick Blow (Zimbabwe) gave a presentation on the Lake Harvest farm and Mr Brighton Mulonga (Zambia) shared the experience of Tiger Animal Feeds. Ms Ana Maria Menezes (Mozambique) described the experience of Mozambique in commercial shrimp farming, and Mr Benoît Hillion presented the VDS experience.
57. Mr Maguswi covered the history of commercial aquaculture in Zambia by underlining that the sector gained momentum in the 1980’s when aquaculture development received government recognition in the 1977-1983 national development plan. In its quest to increase fish production and improve consumption, the government proposed to develop aquaculture by encouraging aquaculture systems with potential for becoming economically viable including raceways, recirculating tanks, arena hatcheries and integrated with poultry and/or animal husbandry. Aquaculture ventures would contribute significantly to food security and poverty alleviation through the production of fish as food as well as through employment and income generation. He also discussed production aspects such as species raised (Oreochromis audersoni, O. macrochir, Tilapia rendalli and catfish cross of Heterobranchus longifilis and Clarias gariepinus, Oreochromis niloticus and Cyprinus carpio) and marketing and emphasized the importance of markets in boosting the development of the sector.
58. Further resuscitation and expansion of commercial aquaculture development in Zambia were limited by, among others, the non-availability of an enabling policy framework, the lack of basic technical skills for the work force for the private sectors, insufficiently equipped extension services in terms of information for effective backstopping, inadequate quality fish seed and distribution mechanisms, insufficient quantity of fish feed due in part to the lack of incentives for its production. In addition, difficult access to investment capital/credit, inadequate information on successful aquaculture investments and economic advantages accruing from aquaculture, limited access to land acquisition and market information, limited infrastructure to support ancillary industries and institutional arrangements (multi as opposed to a single windows approach in obtaining investment permits) were hampering investment.
59. In his presentation, Mr Lintini informed delegates that the Edenvale Fish Farm Limited was a-yet-to start high tech tilapia and cray fish farm whose objective was to make profit while contributing to alleviation of poverty and malnutrition and enhancing social welfare of local communities by creating 400 full time primary employments and an unknown number of jobs in down and upstream industries including processing and marketing, transportation and feed milling industries. The farm would also contribute to foreign exchange earnings through export of 80 percent of its expected annual output of 100 tonnes of tilapia and 20 tonnes of crayfish and income generation. Initiation of the farm was hampered mainly by difficult access to initial capital investment, insufficient equity and the high input costs.
60. The Presenter on Lake Harvest, Mr Blow, provided an overview of the history of the establishment and the management (feed production and feeding, species raised, fry and fingerling production techniques, harvesting techniques) of the cage culture operation, production, processing and marketing of tilapia, the main species grown by the Company. It was reported that the farm was established in early 1997 following a pilot project and detailed Environmental Impact Assessment. Lake Harvest grows Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) using ponds and net pens in Lake Kariba, northern Zimbabwe. Current production level is 2 500 tonnes per annum (tpa) of whole fish and this is expected to grow to 5 000 tpa by 2005.
61. Lake Harvest processes its fish from live and exports fresh and frozen fillets, mainly to Europe. Gaining acceptance of Tilapia in Europe has been challenging as Tilapia has suffered for many years from a poor quality reputation in the European market. Perceptions of buyers have now changed for the better in many EU countries, largely as a result of Lake Harvest’s efforts; Lake Harvest tilapia can now be found in many supermarket chains across northern Europe and Spain. The Company also sells its products in Zimbabwe and regionally (mainly whole frozen fish). It manages the transport logistics to market and has a sales and marketing subsidiary in Luxembourg that trades its branded Tilapia to distributors and direct to supermarkets. The majority of factory by-products are sold from a factory gate shop, mostly for human consumption. Lake Harvest had recently diversified into crocodile farming and was investigating the possibility of catfish farming. Some of the enabling policies were good environmental conditions, perceived demand and government fiscal incentives. Further development was hampered by the world stiff competition as a result of the Lake Harvest’s high production costs due essentially to high feed costs and the small size of the farm (economies of scale not yet reached).
62. After a background on Tiger Animal Feeds as a feed milling company for various animals of which fish and whose objective was to make profits by providing good quality and affordable feeds to farmers and granting them steady supply, the Representative of Tiger Animal Feeds, Mr Mulonga, covered the aspects of investment in terms of size and sources, the company size and ownership, production technologies, the types, quality and quantity of products as well as the demand and markets for different feeds produced. The Company’s economic and social impacts, the effect on the environment, the main enabling factors, the main challenges and the prospects for future development were also discussed.
63. In presenting commercial aquaculture in Mozambique, Ms Menezes pointed out that the sector consisted of a three-farm shrimp industry where mostly Penaeus monodon was grown by using semi-intensive techniques and with an estimated annual production of 215 tonnes of shrimp which was expected to increase to about 3,500 tonnes from 2006, bringing about 35 million US dollars into Mozambique's economy. The industry creates an estimated 200 permanent jobs and 350 seasonal jobs; by 2006, these were expected to exceed 1200 and 4800, respectively, particularly during the construction, harvest and processing phases. Women were reported to account for more than 35 percent of the work force, especially in processing plants.
64. Key factors for the establishment and development of the industry were strong demand for shrimp in international markets, the results of on-farm trials by a UNDP/FAO/Mozambique project which demonstrated technical feasibility of shrimp farming, suitable physical and environmental conditions and sound government policies which opened doors to foreign investment. The main challenges to the industry include a high initial capital investment, infrastructures which were either inadequate or lacking, high cost of feed as it was based on imports and limited access to credit for expansion. Implementation of the “Aquaculture and environmental regulations” and the "Code of Conduct " for a responsible shrimp farming appears to be the best preventative measure of potential disease outbreaks which could seriously challenge the industry.
65. Mr Hillion informed the Committee that his company, VDS bvba, which specialised in animal nutrition and was active in a number of tropical and sub-tropical countries with the Headquarters in Belgium, was established (1966) as a Belgian family venture. He indicated that shrimp feeds were produced in collaboration with partners located in the Seychelles, Iran and Portugal (Sorgal, Porto), but VDS was responsible for feed formulation, production, selection of ingredients and quality control. The Committee was further informed that the Company also provided technical assistance from the design and construction of feed processing plants to the selection and installation of feed making machines. VDS types of shrimp feeds ranging from those adapted to extensive, semi-intensive and intensive/fast growth systems to those formulated for specific shrimp species and different salinity conditions were also discussed. The Presenter indicated that main destination of feed produced (about 11,000 tonnes in 2002) was Madagascar (90 percent of the production), Seychelles and Mozambique; secondary destinations include countries such as Iran, Oman, Sri Lanka and India.
66. During the discussions that followed the presentations, the Committee commended FAO for bringing the private sector to share its experience within a CIFA Session and requested that more of this kind of interactions be encouraged for future sessions. A number of delegates shared experiences on the steps that were taken by their governments to foster the development of commercial aquaculture. It was further noted that:
the main engines of commercial aquaculture development are markets, good flow of domestic and foreign investment and sound enabling government policies;
existing commercial aquaculture enterprises (farms and allied industries) such as those presented at this Session were innovative commercial activities that offered important training opportunities.
67. The Committee identified the following strategies which could help promote the sector:
initiate/extend intensive hands-on training by using existing commercial farms and allied enterprises such as feed and seed sectors;
establish working relationships with existing commercial farms and allied industries so as to learn from their experiences and to promote/extend commercial aquaculture elsewhere;
establish national policy frameworks, strategies and plans for aquaculture development, including commercial aquaculture. These policies and strategies would include such arrangements as measures to attract foreign and domestic investors, fiscal and other incentives, and to identify and/or develop markets for aquaculture products;
encourage the private commercial aquaculture (and allied industries) to invest in research;
create awareness among funding institutions of the economic potential of commercial aquaculture;
create awareness among consumers on the non-harmful effects of genetically improved products such as sex-reversed tilapia.
68. In response to the request made by a number of delegates for FAO to revive the African Regional Aquaculture Centre (ARAC), Port Harcourt, Nigeria into a centre of excellence for training and research in aquaculture, the Secretariat informed the Committee that five regional aquaculture centres were established by UNDP/FAO in the late 1970s. ARAC was one of such centres to serve Sub-Saharan Africa. It was anticipated that these centres would eventually be transformed into intergovernmental bodies. Some of these centres had met this objective. This was the case of the centre in Asia, which is now the Network for Aquaculture Centres in Asia (NACA) and the centre for the Mediterranean. The Committee was encouraged to explore other possibilities for reviving ARAC.
Community Involvement in Fisheries Management
69. The Committee discussed the issue of involvement of community and stakeholders in fisheries management. It was noted by the Committee that fisheries management in many African countries was constrained by several factors:
Inadequate information on social and economic realities;
Insufficient data and statistics on exploited resources;
Inadequate funding for Monitoring Control and Surveillance;
Inadequate human resources to conduct fishery development and management activities;
Limited institutional capacity;
Inadequate public awareness on the legislation and restrictions;
Illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUU).
70. The Committee was informed that these constraints complicated fisheries management and lead to conflicts of interest among fishers and stakeholders. The Committee noted that many conflicts were to a large extent due to limited consultation between management and the fishing communities and lack of participation. The Committee agreed that formulation of policies and legislation should involve different stakeholders in a participatory management process. The Committee emphasized the importance of sustainable management of capture fisheries and recommend that Fisheries Authorities enhance linkages with local communities and strengthen the co-management processes.
71. Fisheries Co-management on Lake Kariba: The riparian countries of Lake Kariba (Zambia and Zimbabwe) reported to the Committee about the results of a technical consultation on the Development and Management of Fisheries on Lake Kariba. The Committee noted that around Lake Kariba, Management was constrained by: inadequate funding for research and management, inadequate human resources, poor monitoring, control and surveillance, inadequate institutional capacity, absence of credit assistance to fishers, inadequate extension and fishery information delivery services, and weak linkages between fishery researchers, managers and stakeholders.
72. The Committee noted the need for FAO to continue to provide technical assistance for the management and development of Lake Kariba. The Committee recommended that the riparian countries should continue to support the following activities for the benefit of Lake Kariba.
Support the operationalization of the Joint Fisheries Technical Committee (JFTC) and Joint Fisheries Management Committee (JFMC);
Strengthen the unified Data Collection and Storage System;
Strengthen Routine monitoring;
Enhance institutional research capacity;
Develop relevant research programmes to address outstanding management issues;
Disseminate results for public utilization.
73. Lake Victoria Transboundary Fisheries Management: The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization, LVFO and the development partner IUCN informed the Committee about the on-going transboundary fisheries management on Lake Victoria. The Committee noted that on lake Victoria, LVFO provided a unique mechanism for managers, researchers and stakeholders to collaborate and participate in resolving transboundary fisheries issues including cross-border fishing and fish trade. The Committee further noted that there was a need for continued support for fisheries programs by donors and technical assistance by FAO.
74. Community Based Fisheries Management in Malawi: The Committee was informed about the involvement of Community in fisheries Management on the shared Lakes: Malawi, Malombe, Chiuta and Chilwa. It was noted that in the past government controlled fishing but government involvement was becoming more and more expensive. This had necessitated the involvement of communities in controlling fishing activities. The new Fisheries Conservation and Management Act allowed local communities to participate in management through local fisheries management authorities. GTZ and other donors supported the participatory community management scheme. The Committee noted the request by the delegate from the Republic of Malawi for assistance from FAO to organize a technical consultation between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania on the fisheries of Lake Malawi. It was also noted that the Technical Consultation should include co-management and control of water hyacinth on the agenda.
75. Fisheries Co-management in Burkina Faso: The delegate from Burkina Faso informed the Committee that the country had a long history of community involvement in fisheries dating to the mid 1990s. The co-management initiative had become necessary owing to the high cost of fishery management. The co-management committees that existed in the country were made up of representatives of the government and stakeholders. The committee noted that co-management in Burkina Faso was practiced at Bagré Dam (25,000 ha) and Kompienga Dam (20,000 ha) and that new impetus had been given to this initiative by the SLFP. The Committee was requested to include the topic of co-management as the topic of the seminar for the Thirteenth Session of CIFA. This request was supported by a number of countries.
76. Co-management of Fisheries in Mali: The Committee was informed that in Mali co-management in fisheries was initiated in 1991. It noted that Lake Selingué, which was shared by nine Councils, provided a good example of co-management in fisheries and that Lake Selingué would be the national site of the SFLP pilot project on co-management in inland fisheries. The Committee further noted that in Mali the process of co-management had been facilitated by a national workshop of interested stakeholders held in January 2002.
77. Fisheries Co-management in Cameroon: The Committee was informed that in Cameroon the Mapé, Mayo and Lagdo dams/reservoirs were characterized by a number of conflicts caused by different fishing methods and practices. These conflicts could be reduced through the adoption of appropriate co-management approaches. The process for establishing community-based fisheries management initiative in Mapé reservoir was described.
78. Fisheries Co-management in Côte d’Ivoire: The Committee was informed that in Côte d’Ivoire there are two processes of co-management on riverine and dams fisheries. It was noted that through co-management the local communities had introduced closed season and complied with this measure. The Committee was also informed that it was the local communities that monitored the use of different fishing gears and the movement of fishers. It was noted that since its inception co-management had improved the management of fisheries in Côte d’Ivoire, particularly for Lakes Kossou and Ayame.
79. Fisheries Co-management in Nigeria: The Committee was informed that community-based fisheries management had been successfully established on Lake Kainji in Nigeria. Before its introduction on the Lake fisheries statistical data collection was not easy because of lack of human resources. After the establishment of the co-management system, there is improved fisheries statistical data collection and compilation. Compliance to fisheries regulations and the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries has also improved.
