The hydrology of a small fish pond at the University of Agriculture, Makurdi Experimental Fish Farm

The monthly and seasonal water requirements of a small fish pond (0.068ha; maximum capacity of 613.83m super(3)) at the University of Agriculture, Makurdi Fish Farm (Benue, Nigeria) were determined during the period of February to August 1996. The sources of water for the pond were rainfall, (103.4cm), run-off (6.3cm) and regulated inflow (95.0cm). The water loss for the period were Evapotranspiration, (106.74cm), Seepage (71.64cm) and regulated discharge (25.00cm). Evapotranspiration was identified as the main source of water loss while rainfall was the major source of water gain. The mean monthly water deficit was 24.56~c11.43cm while the mean monthly surplus was 9.84~c8.05cm. The quantity of water required to maintain the optimal water level in the pond was 474.00m super(3). Preliminary water budget of the study area showed that rainfed aquaculture can be effectively carried out at Makurdi during the months of June to October with supplementary inflows during the dry season months

An appraisal of the current status of the fisheries of Eleiyele Reservoir by its fisheries cooperatives

In a study undertaken to evaluate the status of the fisheries of Eleiyele Reservoir (Nigeria) between 1995 and 1997, thermal stratification was observed to breakdown between December and March. Of the physico-chemical variables, transparency was positively correlated (p<0.05) with primary productivity, conductivity and dissolved oxygen concentration. Primary productivity ranged between 0.38mgC/m super(2)/d and 3.OmgC/ m super(2)/d, being lowest in April. BOD values ranged between 1.3mg-2.2mgO/l indicative of clean unpolluted water. Nine fish species belonging to the families Cichlidae, Centropomidae and Mochokidae were identified. Cichlids were the most abundant with Hemichromis species being predominant. Fishing was only carried out in the reservoir during the dry season months of November to April. Fish landing data for the reservoir, obtained from the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural resources, Oyo State, in conjunction with comparative data from the Cooperative fishermen was low. It demonstrated a decreasing trend from January to April and during the period between 1985 and 1996, when compared with data collected in 1985 and 1986 from a previous similar study. Reasons for the low fish yield from the reservoir are discussed and compared with other Nigerian reservoirs

Impact of Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative and Rural Development Bank (NACRDB) loan to artisanal fishermen in Lake Kainji

This study was conducted to assess the impact of Nigerian Agricultural, Co-operative and Rural Development Bank Loan on beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries fishermen in Lake Kainji. A total of fifty fishermen (25 beneficiaries and 25 non-beneficiaries) were randomly selected from five fishing villages along the lake basin. Data collected were scored and the percentages of the parameters were calculated appropriately. The types of loans disbursed to beneficiaries revealed that 52% was cash and 48% was in kind. The credit package ranged between N5, 000 to N150, 000 only. Only 48% of the loans granted were paid while the rest remained unpaid. The results obtained from the membership of fishermen Cooperative showed that 64% of beneficiaries were members while 36% were non-members. Also 36% of non-beneficiaries were members while 64% were not. The Common fishing gears used by the two categories of fishermen include gillnets longline, castnet and driftnets. Sixty percent of beneficiaries and 8% of non-beneficiaries fishermen were using canoe with outboard engines while the rest used canoes with paddles. Beneficiaries earned a higher income (N1, 000 to N9, 000) daily than non-beneficiaries (N1, 000 to N6, 000) daily from sales of fish caught. Major contrainsts to increased catch and income identified include inadequate capital, non- availability of fishing inputs, stealing of fishing gears, lack of access to credit facilities and menace of stump and water hyacinth in the lake. Lastly, recommendation were made for the bank management, government and other lending institutions on how to improve the livelihood of the Artisanal fishermen by increasing the loan usually granted

Optimizing the benefits from Nigerian small and medium size reservoirs through cooperative management approach

The paper traces the different management practices adopted for Nigerian inland water bodies from the Colonial era to independence. It observes that the full potentials of these waters have never been realized over the years due to the absence of an effective management. The replacement of the traditional fisheries management by the centralized top-down approach by government after independence has not helped matters. Lately, the cooperative/community-based management approach has taken the centre stage worldwide. This has been identified to offer the most viable and equitable option towards the attainment of an optimum utilization of the fisheries resource. The entire community sensing security of tenure and enjoying some of the benefits from access control will actively take responsibility and enforcement. The paper drew experiences from some water bodies in Bangladesh, Philippines, Benin Republic and Malawi showing sound management strategy that, if adopted for our small and medium size reservoirs and other water bodies, would help optimize on an sustainable manner the benefits from those water bodies

The role of fishermen cooperative societies in the development of fisheries resources on Kainji Lake basin, Nigeria

Field survey was conducted to evaluate the role of fishermen cooperative in the development of fisheries resources in Kainji Lake. The study was conducted with aid of questionnaires administered in five fishing villages namely Monnai, Yuna, Kaya, Malale and Tunga Danbaba. Ten questionnaires were administered in each fishing village majority of the fishermen interviewed are between the ages of 20-40 years. The results of the educational background revealed that 60% of the respondents were knowledgeable only on Quranic education. Majority of the respondents (86%) was members of fishermen cooperative societies. Only 32% of the respondents indicated to have benefited for loan and credit facilities. Sixty-nine (69) percent of fishermen realized income of between N1, 000-N2, and 000 daily. The major problem facing fishermen cooperative includes lack of capital, lack of access to loan and credit facilities, shortage of adequately trained and well-motivated fisheries extension workers, inadequate fishing inputs and high charge of fishing license fees by Kainji Lake fisheries Management and Conservation Unit (KLFMCU). Recommendation was made on how to improve fishermen cooperative for the development of the lake fisheries resources

Integrated resources management, integrated agriculture-aquaculture and the African farmer

Despite the expenditure of huge amounts of money and human effort, the Green Revolution has largely failed to benefit the vast majority of the rural poor in Africa: those smallholding farmers who sell little, if any, of what they grow and rely almost entirely upon natural soil fertility, rainfall and traditional broodstock and seed varieties. New approaches on food production and income generation in the rural areas must be found if this sector of agricultural community is to be assisted. Integrated resources management (IRM) in general, and integrated agriculture-aquaculture (IAA) in particular, may offer some solutions in cases where the classical methods of improving farm output have failed and/or been unsustainable.

Applying systems ecology to the analysis of integrated agriculture-aquaculture farms

The article suggests a preliminary list of properties as a point of departure for quantifying various ecological facets of the integrated agriculture-aquaculture farms.

Impact of development and dissemination of Integrated Aquaculture-Agriculture (IAA) Technologies in Malawi

Malawi is a small but densely populated country in Southern Africa. Fish is an important part of the nutrition of Malawians, providing essential protein and micronutrients. However, per capita fish consumption has halved over the ten-year period between 1988 to 1998 due to over-fishing in the lakes and doubling of the population since the 1970s, accompanied by an increase in the price of fish. This has worsened access to food insecurity, especially in rural areas, in a country where an estimated 66 per cent of the population consume less than the minimum daily calorie requirement. This paper presents an ex-post impact assessment of the development and dissemination of smallscale integrated aquaculture-agriculture technologies by The WorldFish Center and its national and international partners over more than 15 years in Malawi. The impact study measures the effects of these outputs on the degree of integrated aquaculture-agriculture (IAA) technology adoption and diffusion, the effects on farm income and health of household members, and the welfare effects of increased fish supply on the Malawian economy.

Aquaculture vis-a-vis agriculture

The effect of aquaculture, especially shrimp farming, on agriculture has caused heated debate among aquaculturists, agriculturists, and non-governmental organizations. As data on the negative impact of shrimp farming on adjacent rice fields are not available, a study was undertaken in rice fields skirting three shrimp farms: a semi-intensive farm; an extensive farm; and a semi-intensive farm with a buffer zone. The buffer zone was found to be helpful in preventing salinization of the adjacent agricultural fields and the Electrical Conductivity (EC) values (less than 1) reported were found to be harmless to the rice crop. Thus, aquaculture and agriculture can coexist in coastal areas if there are buffer zones in between.

Integration of aquaculture and agriculture: a route to sustainable farming systems

The integration of agriculture and aquaculture as a means of intensifying resource use and improving the productivity of many current farming practices in Southeast Asian and African countries is discussed. A brief account is given of work undertaken by ICLARM in Malawi and India regarding the improved use of marginal lands to integrate crops, vegetables, trees, livestock and fish, outlining also the various problems involved in the extension of such integrated fish farming systems.

Perspectives from agriculture: advances in livestock breeding - implications for aquaculture genetics

In this paper we present livestock breeding developments that could be taken into consideration in the genetic improvement of farmed aquaculture species, especially in freshwater fish. Firstly, the current breeding objective in aquatic species has focused almost exclusively on the improvement of body weight at harvest or on growth related traits. This is unlikely to be sufficient to meet the future needs of the aquaculture industry. To meet future demands breeding programs will most likely have to include additional traits, such as fitness related ones (survival, disease resistance), feed efficiency, or flesh quality, rather than only growth performance. In order to select for a multi-trait breeding objective, genetic variation in traits of interest and the genetic relationships among them need to be estimated. In addition, economic values for these traits will be required. Generally, there is a paucity of data on variable and fixed production costs in aquaculture, and this could be a major constraint in the further expansion of the breeding objectives. Secondly, genetic evaluation systems using the restricted maximum likelihood method (REML) and best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) in a framework of mixed model methodology could be widely adopted to replace the more commonly used method of mass selection based on phenotypic performance. The BLUP method increases the accuracy of selection and also allows the management of inbreeding and estimation of genetic trends. BLUP is an improvement over the classic selection index approach, which was used in the success story of the genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) in the Philippines, with genetic gains from 10 to 20 per cent per generation of selection. In parallel with BLUP, optimal genetic contribution theory can be applied to maximize genetic gain while constraining inbreeding in the long run in selection programs. Thirdly, by using advanced statistical methods, genetic selection can be carried out not only at the nucleus level but also in lower tiers of the pyramid breeding structure. Large scale across population genetic evaluation through genetic connectedness using cryopreserved sperm enables the comparison and ranking of genetic merit of all animals across populations, countries or years, and thus the genetically superior brood stock can be identified and widely used and exchanged to increase the rate of genetic progress in the population as a whole. It is concluded that sound genetic programs need to be established for aquaculture species. In addition to being very effective, fully pedigreed breeding programs would also enable the exploration of possibilities of integrating molecular markers (e.g., genetic tagging using DNA fingerprinting, marker (gene) assisted selection) and reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilization using cryopreserved spermatozoa.

Government-Industry Cooperative Fisheries Research in the North Pacific under the MSFCMA

The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) has a long and successful history of conducting research in cooperation with the fishing industry. Many of the AFSC’s annual resource assessment surveys are carried out aboard chartered commercial vessels and the skill and experience of captains and crew are integral to the success of this work. Fishing companies have been contracted to provide vessels and expertise for many different types of research, including testing and evaluation of survey and commercial fishing gear and development of improved methods for estimating commercial catch quantity and composition. AFSC scientists have also participated in a number of industry-initiated research projects including development of selective fishing gears for bycatch reduction and evaluating and improving observer catch composition sampling. In this paper, we describe the legal and regulatory provisions for these types of cooperative work and present examples to illustrate the process and identify the requirements for successful cooperative research.

NMFS Cooperative SharkTagging Program, 1962-93: An Atlas of SharkTag and Recapture Data

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program (CSTP) is part of continuing research directed to the study of the biology of large Atlantic sharks. The CSTP was initiated in 1962 at the Sandy Hook Laboratory in New Jersey under the Department of Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). During the late 1950's and early 1960's, sharks were considered a liability to the economy of resort communities, of little or no commercial value, and a detriment to fishermen in areas where sharks might damage expensive fishing gear or reduce catches of more commercially valuable species.

A Cooperative Management Solution to a Fishery Commons

A common property resource with open access, such as a fishery, will be used to excess when faced with sufficient demand. This will lead to an excessive amount of effort on the part of the fishery, resulting in a depletion of the stock. This paper discusses the development of a property rights regime for the Atlantic calico scallop, Argopecten gibbus, fishery of Florida. The management solution of the Calico Scallop Conservation Association (CSCA) provides an example of the assignment of property rights to a common property resource without resorting to governmental intervention. In this particular fishery, self-regulation limited early harvesting which would be uneconomic; there may be other fisheries in which self-regulation could be economically efficient and biologically appropriate. While this solution may not be applicable to all common property resources, for those cases which may be similar; the example of the CSCA provides valuable information that may be helpful in establishing a more efficient use of the resource. Some types of government facilitation may also be useful.