The role of probiotics in aquaculture in Nigeria - a review

Aquaculture is beset by many problems especially diseases caused by bacteria as the major deteriorating factors. The use of vaccines and antimicrobial agents have been centered on disease control, but are associated with problems The development of antibiotic resistance among the microorganisms have become a global concern as a result of indiscriminate use of antibiotics. Several alternative suggestions for disease prevention have been on probiotics for its efficacy, low cost, less side effects and accessible to farmers. Probiotics is gaining a high priority in the developed countries with the aim of replacing conventional drugs. The principal bacterial groups tested as probiotic bacteria in culture of shrimps, crabs, oysters, fish and humans are Vibrio, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Bifidobacteria and several Lactobacilli. Experiments have mainly been conducted with fish larvae, adult fish, crustaceans and animals where significant reduction in mortalities has been obtained. The purpose of this review is to create awareness of the role of probiotics in disease control in aquaculture as alternative to antibiotics.

Environmental friendly aquaculture key to sustainable fish farming development in Nigeria

Aquaculture production in Nigeria has increased tremendously in recent times; along with this increase is the rise in the level of waste outputs from aquaculture practices. The discharge of waste from aquaculture operations on continuous basis leads to eutrophication and destruction of natural ecosystem in receiving water body. Controlled wastes production strategies is necessary to maintain sustainable aquaculture growth into the future, as long-term sustainability of fish culture systems depends on their ability to reduce their waste outputs. The release of solid wastes is mainly a function of the digestibility of various dietary components while the release of dissolved wastes is mainly a function of the metabolism of nutrients by the fish. This paper critically reviews the impacts of aquaculture wastes on the environment and the strategies to mitigate the effect of these impacts. Future trends and research needs on aquaculture induced effluents are outlined. As the amount of nutrient discharge is typically site and operation specific, effective farm management has been identified as the most important factor to avoid effluent pollution.

Review of aquaculture and fish consumption in Bangladesh

Fish play a crucial role in the Bangladeshi diet, providing more than 60% of animal source food, representing a crucial source of micro-nutrients, and possessing an extremely strong cultural attachment. Fish (including shrimp and prawn) is the second most valuable agricultural crop, and its production contributes to the livelihoods and employment of millions. The culture and consumption of fish therefore has important implications for national food and nutrition security, poverty and growth. This review examines the current state of knowledge on the aquaculture sector and fish consumption in Bangladesh, based on extensive analysis of secondary sources (including unpublished data unavailable elsewhere), consultation with various experts and specially conducted surveys.

Aquaculture, fisheries, poverty and food security

Fisheries and aquaculture play important roles in providing food and income in many developing countries, either as a stand-alone activity or in association with crop agriculture and livestock rearing. The aim of this paper is to identify how these contributions of fisheries and aquaculture to poverty reduction and food security can be enhanced while also addressing the need for a sustainability transition in over-exploited and over-capitalized capture fisheries, and for improved environmental performance and distributive justice in a rapidly growing aquaculture sector. The focus of the paper is on the poverty and food security concerns of developing countries, with an emphasis on the least developed. The emphasis is on food security rather than poverty reduction policies and strategies, although the two are of course related. The food security agenda is very much to the fore at present; fish prices rose along with other food prices in 2007-8 and as fish provide important nutritional benefits to the poor, food security has become a primary concern for sector policy.

Remote Sensing and Field Assessment of Tsunami Effects on Coastal Pond Aquaculture in Northern Sumatra

An attempt was made to conduct spatial assessment of the pattern and extent of damage to coastal aquaculture ponds along the east coast of Aceh province in Sumatra, Indonesia, resulting from the tsunami event of 26 December 2004. High-resolution satellite imagery, i.e., SPOT-5 multispectral scenes covering the 700 km stretch of the coast, acquired before and after the tsunami, were digitally enhanced and visually interpreted to delineate pockets of aquaculture ponds that were discerned to be damaged and relatively intact. Field checks were conducted at 87 sites in the four eastern coastal districts. The results indicate that SPOT-5 multispectral imagery was minimally sufficient to detect areas of damaged and relatively intact aquaculture ponds, but the 10-m spatial resolution poses limitations to evaluating the extent of pond damage. Nevertheless, the 60 km swath of the imagery makes it reasonably affordable for large-area assessment to identify pockets of severe damage for targeting more detailed assessments. The image maps produced from a mosaic of the SPOT-5 scenes can also serve as base maps for spatial planning in the challenging task of reconstruction and rehabilitation of the disrupted livelihoods of the coastal communities.

Stimulating investment in pearl farming in Solomon Islands: Final report

The overall objective of the project is the reduction of poverty in rural areas of Solomon Islands through creation of livelihoods based on sustainable aquaculture. This fits within the over-arching goals of the WorldFish Center in the Pacific to reduce poverty and hunger in rural communities, and with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) to stimulate rural development and to develop aquaculture. It has been recognised that the nature of the pearl farming industry means that a high chance of success requires a long term investment from an established pearl farming organisation. This project has been specifically designed to compile the elements of a pre-feasibility study to provide offshore pearl companies with sufficient information to investigate the potential for long-term investment in pearl farming in Solomon Islands. This report also includes the following 6 appendices: Appendix I) Past research and development on black-lip pearl oysters in Solomon Islands; Appendix II) Suitability of habitats in the Solomon Islands and other regions of the Pacific for growth of black-lip and silver-lip pearl oysters; Appendix III) Water temperature and cyclone frequency in the Solomon Islands and other key regions of the Pacific: implications for pearl farming; Appendix IV) Abundance, size structure and quality of silver-lip pearl oysters in Solomon Islands; Appendix V) Solomon Islands: the investment climate for pearl farming; Appendix VI) Pearl farming policy and management guidelines.

Impacts of climate change and variability on fish value chains in Uganda

This study examines the vulnerability of fish pr oduction in Uganda, particularly as it r elates to the predicted impacts from climate change, using the concept of the value chain. The value chain approach has been recommended as a useful tool to study specific challenges facing a sector resulting from various drivers of change, including climate. Critically, such analyses can reveal context-specific response strategies to enhance a sector (Jacinto and Pomer oy 2010). The specific purpose of the study was to identify curr ent and potential impacts of climate change and corresponding adaptation strategies in fish value chains. The study builds upon information fr om earlier value chain analyses on fisheries and aquaculture production in Uganda to provide a more in-depth understanding of issues facing the fish industry, in particular, those to be incorporated in the CGIAR Resear ch Program Livestock and Fish.

Feasibility of adopting aquaculture without detriment to existing farming practices: a case of Bangladesh farming systems

Integrating agriculture aquaculture that would draw inputs from on farm sources is viewed as a viable option to improve the productivity, income and resource use efficiency of existing farms in Bangladesh. To assess the existing resource availability, use pattern and efficiency before introducing new aquaculture technology within the existing farm systems, a survey of 330 pond operating farm households was conducted in six selected unions from two thanas (subdistricts) of Bangladesh.