Apr 23 2017

Pacu and rice rotary farming in Argentine – Video

Video credit: Herman Hennig (Argentina)

Review: Herman Hennig and Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the website and video channel)

Pacu and rice rotary farming in Argentine

This video was filmed in a farm located in La Leonesa, Chaco, in the north of Argentina. The farm provides an example of rotary farming between rice and fish whereas Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) is the fish species cultured on this farm.

The area used for such innovative activity is about 210 hectares whereas the area of each pond such as the one shown in this video is more than 25 hectares with a water depth of about 1.3 meters.

The farm adapts extensive farming systems in which the stocking density of pacu is of about 2,000 fish per hectare, without water renewal and with a mixed diet of natural plants and feeds. One can notice the tractor pulling a feed blower that is used to expel the fish feed into the pond. The target production is 7,500 kg of rice/hectar and between 2,000 and 3,000 kg of pacu/hectar.

It may worth noting that rotating farming between wheat and soybean is a common practice in Argentine, and so the current rotation between rice and pacu is an alternative activity.

In the present rotation model, pacu production allowed rice farmers to sow pre-germinated rice seeds in a 3-centimeters depth of water, providing more advantages over conventional planting. As the soil contains a much mud and nutrients (generated by fish excreta), and hence the rotovation is not necessary and so the use of herbicides, providing greater farming sustainability compared to traditional model of rice production.

In this given project, the rice cropped in the fall and subsequently the pacu specimens are stocked and grow till harvesting before planting rice and so on.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13968

Apr 22 2017

Trade of dried fish in India

Photo credit: ICSF

Review: Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the website)

 

Trade of dried fish in India

 

The inserted picture shows women selling dried fish in a typical dried fish market in India. The following is a brief review on fish drying in India.

According to a recent study (2016), only 6% of fish catch in India is used as dry fish. However, dried fish marketing plays an important role in the economy of particular Indian regions (e.g. West Bengal) as well as in whole India especially dried fishes have demand both in domestic market as well as internationally including (Bangladesh and Nepal) whereas Indian dry fish export contributes by about 8% of all form of fish exports. Fish drying is usually seen as the least expensive means of fish preservation.

Fish drying and dried fish marketing is important in employment generation of coastal poor people who are involved in the production chain (fishing and drying) especially those of small-scale operations who can make little profit that helps improving their livelihoods. Traditional fish drying processors usually adopt sun-drying and so depend on the climatic conditions as advanced fish drying chambers are often unavailable.

As listed in a recent survey on fish drying in India, there is 19 species which were used for the production of dry fish, out of which 16 are finfishes and 3 species were shrimp species. These are namely:

Savalai hairtail (Lepturacanthus savala), Drums or croakers (Panna microdon), Smelt-whitings (Sillago sihama), Sulphur goatfish (Upeneus sulphureus), Japanese threadfin bream (Nemipterus japonicas), Indo-Pacific king mackerel (Scomberomorus guttatus), Spotted sickle fish (Drepane punctate), Tardoore (Opisthopterus tardoore), Gold spotted grenadier anchovy (Coilia dussumieri), Ganges river sprat (Corica soborna), Gangetic hairfin anchovy (Satipinna phasa), Dorab wolf-herring (Chirocentrus dorab), Warrior catfish (Arius sp), Gold spot mullet (Liza Persia), Bombay-duck (Harpadon nehereus) and Tongue sole (Cynoglossus sp). Three shrimp species may be dried; Green tiger prawn (Penaeus semisulcatus), Greasy back shrimp (Metapenaeus toluensis) and Speckled shrimp (Metapenaeus monoceros).

Reference: Pijush Payra, Riyanka Maity, Swaraj Maity and Basudev Mandal, 2016. Production and marketing of dry fish through the traditional practices in West Bengal coast: Problems and prospect. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 2016; 4(6): 118-123.     

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13965

Apr 22 2017

Behind the pictures: Barefoot in a fish pond (Egypt – 1980)

 

Barefoot in the mud (02) Barefoot in the mud (01) Barefoot in the mud (03)

 

 

Back to an earlier post in which I thanked Mr. Perdo Padlan, my first teacher in aquaculture. The inserted pictures were taken during the first 6-month training course led by Mr. Padlan, managed by myself and conducted on Zawya fish farm, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt.

The black and white pictures show how we were barefoot in a fish pond. That was not easy to convince the trainees to step into the pond barefoot. Before that day, Mr. Padlan shared with me his views in regard to the practical training on organic fertilization emphasizing the importance of carrying it by the trainees themselves. I should admit I had during that time enough uncertainty about accepting that from trainees’ side as this was something new to them as well as to me. I recall reaching the pond where there were no pond workers and the task of the day was presented.  Mr. Padlan and I decided not to embarrass anyone any one. Instead, Mr. Padlan took off his shoes and so I did and we both stepped in the muddy bottom and in few minutes everyone joined and performed the training task. I remember how the reactions expressed by the trainees changed from surprise then cautiously accepting and then actively involved in this unique experience to everyone.  

Twenty or thirty years later or in other societies with different cultures, going into a fish pond is a common practice and does not need any post, but this was not the case in this case bearing in mind that aquaculture was just starting in Egypt and having in consideration the seniority of most of the course participants.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13962

Apr 22 2017

Climate change in Colombia – in Spanish

A permission from the report owners has been granted to publish the report on this website

cover-climate-change-colombia

http://fishconsult.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Climate-change-in-Colombia.pdf

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13726

Apr 18 2017

Mussel culture in Algeria

Photo credit: Naim Belakri (Algeria)

Review:  Naim Belakri and Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the website)

Mussel culture in Algeria

 

Historically, the possibility of oyster (Crassostrea gigas) and mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) culture in Algeria was considered decades ago.

The inserted photos were taken in a commercial aquaculture company which was established in 2013 at the place named “Oued el Maa” located in Kristel. The chosen place has been found optimum for the mussel culture.

The national Algerian plan “Aquapêche 2020” was devoting a significant part to the further development of aquaculture, in particular marine farming.  In 2014, the Algerian mussel production was around 31 tons, mainly produced by five farms in the central and western regions of the country.

Two mussel species are cultured in Algeria: namely, African mussel/brown mussel (Perna perna) and Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis). The mussel spats required for culture are collected from the sea. In regard to marketing, the local market absorbs the produced mussel at least in the present.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13956

Apr 09 2017

Country report – Mauritius (2014)

A permission from the report owner has been granted to publish the report on this website

cover-country-report-mauritius-2014

http://fishconsult.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Country-report-Mauritius-2014.pdf

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Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13746

Apr 01 2017

Display of smoked-dried fish in Chad

Photos’ credit: Photos credit: Aliadoumadji Rimadoum (Chad)

Review: Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the website)

Display of smoked-dried fish in Chad Display of smoked-dried fish in Chad (02)

 

The inserted pictures show the display of smoked/sun-dried fish in Chad in which fish are split in halves, gutted and hanged vertically.  

According to published surveys on the state of fish processing, about 20% of fish caught in Chad are dried. Also, nearly 60 percent of all cured fish in Chad, smoked or sun-dried, is exported to neighbor countries especially Nigeria. Almost all of the smoked and dried fish originated either from the Logone, from the Chari River near Sarh, or from Lakes Fitri, Iro, and Lake Chad.

In general, drying takes about three to six days depending on the weather and also the required moisture levels. For example, a hard-dried product takes up to three days of hot smoking, but will enjoy loner shelf-life which would allow for long-distance trading.

 

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13950

Mar 31 2017

Integrating fisheries management and wetland conservation in Cambodia (Video)

Video ownership: World Fish Center

Cambodia (02) Cambodia (01)

The Ramsar site in Stung Treng province, Cambodia is home to more than 10,000 people from 21 villages as well as significant numbers of seasonal fishers who came to the area following the annual fish migrations. Despite richness of the biodiversity in the area, there is widespread poverty and food insecurity. Over exploitation of natural resources, the use of destructive fishing methods and upstream development of hydropower dams have reduced biodiversity and impacted the livelihoods of the people living in the area. This video shares lessons from a community-led fisheries management initiative at the Stung Treng Ramsar Wetland conservation area.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13948

Mar 31 2017

Enhancing food security and improving income of farmers in Bangladesh and Nepal (Video)

Video ownership: World Fish Center

Bangladesh and Nepal

 

In Bangladesh and Nepal, where the rates of undernutrition and poverty are high, the Agriculture and Nutrition Extension Project is working with small-scale farmers to increase nutrition and food security through the production of micronutrient-rich small fish and orange sweet potato.

Within the first year these men and women were able to substantially improve their income and it is anticipated that their standard of living will continue to improve.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13942

Mar 30 2017

Aquaculture is changing lives in Bangladesh – Video

Video ownership: World Fish Center

Aquaculture changing lives in Bangladesh

 

 

 

The USAID-funded Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition (AIN) project aims to improve household income and nutrition and create employment opportunities through investments in aquaculture, including fish production. The project is providing training and supporting rural household farmers including poor men and women, hatchery and nursery owners and commercial farmers in southern Bangladesh. The project has provided new aquaculture technologies to more than 129,000 fish farmers. Since 2012, the AIN project has benefited more than 600,000 households in Bangladesh.

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13940

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