Nov 25 2015

Fish Culture Development training course – Africa – 2015 (Graduation)

Africa Graduation (04) Africa Graduation (03)

 

 

It was a real pleasure to attend the graduation ceremony of the Fish Culture Development training course which took place on 29 October, 2015 in the premise of the Egyptian International Centre for Agriculture (EICA).  Accepting the kind invitation of Eng. Yehia Sayed Mohammed (EICA Director General) gave me the opportunity to share EICA colleagues this important event and share friends who participated in the course their graduation and say goodbye. It has been also a pleasure to meet with JICA staff headed by Mr. Nakasone Shiro, Senior Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency. Thanks to all.

The course participants are: Domwa Mathieu (Cameroon), Mouori Mbani epse Elingui Talia Gladis (Gabon), Sangangoumou Firmin Nicaise (Gabon), Saeed Mogtari (Ghana), Xedagbui Kwaku Francis (Ghana), Symon Ngwira (Malawi), Emmanuel Hahirwabasenga (Rwanda), Eric Ndayisaba (Rwanda), Gamal Hamid (Sudan), Mai Ahmed (Sudan), Lucka Paschal (Tanzania), Erick Kiiza (Tanzania), Apetse Sena Kodzo (Togo), Zanou Dossou (Togo), and Joseph Wandira (Uganda).

Note: Please note that my contribution to the EICA courses is just teaching and supervising group projects. In other words, I am not the one to be asked about participation in EICA courses. If you wish to may wish to visit EICA website: http://eicaeg.org/home.html

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=13007

Nov 25 2015

Indus dolphin in Pakistan (Distribution – adaptation – threats)

Credit: Muhammad Hafeez-ur-Rehman (Pakistan)

Indus dolphin in Pakistan (distribution - adaptation and threats)

 

 

 

 

 

Indus river dolphins (Platanista gangetica minor) are one of only four river dolphin species and subspecies in the world that spend all of their lives in freshwater. They are believed to have originated in the ancient Tethys Sea (Pakistan). When the sea dried up approximately 50 million years ago, the dolphins were forced to adapt to its only remaining habitat—rivers.

According to a survey on Indus River dolphins carried out in 2001, only about 1,100 exist  in the lower parts of the Indus River in Pakistan. Numbers declined dramatically after the construction of an irrigation system. Most dolphins are confined to a 750 mile stretch of the river and divided into isolated populations by six barrages. They have adapted to life in the muddy river and are functionally blind. They rely on echolocation to navigate, communicate and hunt prey including prawns, catfish and carp.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=12993

Nov 21 2015

Cage farming of grouper in Khanh Hoa, (Vietnam)

Photo credit: Han Huong (Vietnam)

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

Cage culture of grouper in Vietnam

 

 

 

Cage culture of grouper (Epinephelus sp.) in Vietnam has witnessed a rapid expansion throughout the 1990s in a number of provinces including Khanh Hoa in the south central of Vietnam whereas fixed and floating cages have been used. Grouper is a valuable species especially in Asian markets. The importance of grouper culture resulted from the increasing demand as well as the depleting wild fish populations.

Typically, cages range in volume between 10-30 cubic meters, constructed with synthetic netting stretched over bamboo frames, hanging from wooden stakes driven into the seabed or floating rafts anchored in the seabed. It is common to see families –who usually own and operate cages- group their cages into clusters for management and security purposes.

Almost all seed supplied to the cages come from the wild whereas seed are harvested by local fishermen who might supply it directly to cage farmers or carry out some nursing to reach the 10-15 cm which is the preferred size to be stocked in cages. In regard to feeding, only whole locally caught fresh trash fish are used for feeding grouper.

The significant development of grouper culture in Vietnam has caused a pressure on wild caught fry and fingerlings of grouper. Similarly, the trash fish which seems abundant at the present time may not remain that abundant in the future. Therefore, future development of grouper farming will certainly require investment in hatcheries and nurseries to supply seed. In addition, there is a need to explore cost-effective alternatives to trash fish for feed.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=12989

Nov 07 2015

Integrated aquaculture and mango seedlings in Uganda

Photo credit: Oberu Charles (Uganda)

Description: Oberu Charles and Abdel Rahman El Gamal – Founder of the website)

Integrated aquaculture and mango in Uganda

 

 

 

The photo was taken in Wakiso District (Uganda). The fish pond shown the photo is a typical pond where Nile tilapia and African catfish are the major farmed species. The mango seedlings in this given farm are grown near a fish pond whereas the farmer is fetching water from the pond to water the mango seedlings.

In connection with that, there are several programs sponsored by quite a few organizations supported food security and livelihood sustainability in the Wakiso District whereas food security and malnutrition are issues of concern and so mango seedlings –along with other crops- have been supplied to beneficiaries through these programs as a good source of vitamins and minerals. Even in schools, a tree planting project which focused on mango was first started in 2007 has the goal of preserving the environment as well as creating an income for local people.

However, in such integrated system, the use of chemicals –if occurs- in the mangos plots could possibly contaminate the fish pond.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=12982

Nov 05 2015

Fish Culture Development training course – Africa (2015)

Fish Culture Development (Africa) Last week of training

 

 

 

 

The inserted picture was taken during the last week of October 2015 (the last week of Fish Culture Development training course and few days before the graduation). This time, the picture was taken in front of the main entrance of the Egyptian International Center for Agriculture – EICA. The course participants hosted in the picture are: Domwa Mathieu (Cameroon), Mouori MBANI epse ELINGUI Talia Gladis (Gabon), Sangangoumou Firmin Nicaise (Gabon), Saeed Mogtari (Ghana), XEDAGBUI KWAKU FRANCIS (Ghana), Symon Ngwira (Malawi), EMMANUEL HAHIRWABASENGA (Rwanda), Eric NDAYISABA (Rwanda), Gamal Hamid (Sudan), Mai Ahmed (Sudan), Lucka Paschal (Tanzania), Erick Kiiza (Tanzania), Apetse Sena Kodzo (Togo), Zanou Dossou (Togo), and Joseph Wandira (Uganda). Dr. Abdel Rahman El Gamal stands between Eng. Yehia Sayed Mohammed (EICA Director General) and Eng. Taghreed Mohamed (Course Coordinator). Eng. Mohamed Saied, a course specialist appears in the very last left of the front row.

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=12975

Nov 04 2015

Trout farming in Cundinamarca, Colombia

Credit for the photo and key information: Karen Sachica Cepeda (Colombia)

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

Trout culture in Colombia

 

 

 

This photo was taken in a tank trout farm located in Cundinamarca Department, Colombia.

The rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss was introduced into Colombia in 1939 for the purpose of the stocking in natural water bodies and support sport fishing.  Afterwards, the local preference to trout encouraged the establishment of trout farming at different levels.

Colombia’s trout farming is distributed among several of the country’s departments. However, because of temperature requirement, it is based in areas 1,900- 3,200 m above sea level with annual temperatures of 10- 17° C. Cundinamarca is one of the main Colombian departments where the culture of trout is being practiced.

The eyed ova of rainbow trout used in fish farms are mainly are imported from the United States; in 2005, estimated eyed egg imports reached 28 million.

Typically, the production cycle lasts 10-12 months, during which high quality feed is used ending by production which could range from 20-50 kg/m3. However, in some advanced operations, much higher production of larger average size fish has been attained during reduced growing season. Commercial trout operations can export their products to the U.S. and Germany.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=12967

Nov 01 2015

Watching fish harvest in a fish pond in Campo Viera (Argentine)

Photo credit: Herman Hennig (Argentine)

Description: Herman Henning and Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the website)

Watching fish harvest in Argentine

 

 

 

 

This photo shows a Fish harvest in a fish pond during which neighbors go to witness the harvest process and buy their needs of fish. The considerable large crowd indicates that there was an announcement within the community about this event. Nothing could guarantee the freshness of the fish more than watching the harvest. This photo was taken in a fish farm owned by Alfredo Hennig and located in Campo Viera, Misiones Province, in northeastern Argentine.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=12965

Oct 29 2015

Intensive pond culture of African catfish in Cameroon – Video

Video credit: Domwa Mathieu (Cameroon)
Review: Domwa Mathieu and Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the video channel)

Intensive pond culture of African catfish in Cameroon

 

 

 

The video was filmed in a private fish farm located in Lagdo, Nord region (Garoua). The farm which has 23 earthen ponds contributes to the promotion plan for the culture of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in the Nord region. In return, the farm receives governmental support for two years in a form of production inputs including fingerlings as well as technical assistance.

The ongoing activity on the farm started this year (2015) with the stocking of catfish fingerlings of about 10-g as average size at a stocking density of 6 fingerlings/m2. The fingerlings have been produced and delivered to the farm by a governmental hatchery.

The active feeding by farmed catfish is shown in the video whereas feed of international brand is used; the starting feed is of 40% protein and grow-out feed is of 35% protein. By the end of the 5-month growing season, the expected harvest size is about one kilogram. It may worth mentioning that the market price of catfish in the north of Cameroon is much lower than that in the south.

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=12961

Oct 28 2015

Planning of aquaculture projects – 2015 lecture

Planning of aquaculture projects 2015 (for jpg cover)

This lecture has been delivered in two training course hosted during 2015 by the Egyptian International Centre for Agriculture (EICA).  The first course hosts African participants while the second course hosts participants from Africa, Asia and Latin America. This lecture serves as a platform for the group projects through which course participants form 3-4 groups based on set criteria and work on their own during their spare time and develop aquaculture project proposals to be implanted in given locations and countries having in consideration the key factors that need to be considered in the planning process starting with the rationality of projects and then moves to chosen species and systems based on sets of elements such as physical factors, consumer preference, human resources and others. Group projects address the technical, social and economic issues.  This component of the training course is supervised by Dr. Abdel Rahman El Gamal.

If you wish to visit some of the group projects you are welcome to visit the website: www.fishconsult.org  where you find on the main menu “Aquaculture projects” which take you to more than 40 documents which have been developed in either in English, French or Spanish.

http://fishconsult.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Planning-of-aquaculture-projects-2015.pdf

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=12956

Oct 25 2015

Transporting of administering of fish feed in a cage farm in Ghana

Credit: Patrick Appenteng (Ghana)

Adminstering feed in a cage farm in Ghana Transporting feed to a cage farm in Ghana

 

 

 

 

The inserted photos belong to a cage farm in the Asuogyaman District, Ghana. The cage farmer uses a motorized local planked canoe of about 10m in length to cart feed to the farm. The farmer is the one sitting on his feed. The unfortunate thing is that such farmers may lose their expensive feed should the canoe capsize; otherwise, the feed could also become wet by the splashing of the lake water or through leakages in the canoe. As could be seen from the splashing of the water, the canoe is moving by a mechanical means (motorized) and not by manual propelling. The second photo shows the feeder of the above mentioned farm, feeding the fishes with some of the transported feed. The feed is a well-known brand of floating pellets.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://fishconsult.org/?p=12953

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