WorldFish Digital Repository
WorldFish research is regarded as international public goods, and we are committed to the widespread dissemination of all our information products. One of the organizational objectives of WorldFish is to make all of its products open. This is in line with both the Center’s Research Data Management and Open Access Policy and the CGIAR Open Access and Data Management Policy. Opening our research, including publications, data and tools, ensures that more people can read and apply our research findings, thereby increasing the efficiency, reach and impact of our work.
This repository is built on the DSpace platform, and we hope this will make accessing our material easier.
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The AABS work package two (WP2) executed the socioeconomic and environmental baseline survey
study in Nigeria with the main objective of documenting the coastal aquaculture farmers in Nigeria
socioeconomic. This baseline study provides a snapshot of the community's social, economic,
environmental, and cultural characteristics, which serves as a reference point to measure changes and
impacts resulting from IMTA implementation.
In this study we identified key socioeconomic and environmental indicators. These indicators include
income levels, education, health, gender dynamics, cultural practices, land ownership, livelihoods,
infrastructure and service. Establishing a robust socioeconomic and environmental baseline helps in
designing context-specific interventions, predicting potential challenges, and identifying key
interventions that could promote the adoption and growth of IMTA in Nigeria.
West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, known as the "Rice Bowl of India “produces nearly half of
the state’s rice, making it a key region for India’s food security. Alongside rice, it also hosts the
country’s most commercially productive freshwater aquaculture, primarily focused on Indian major
carps like Rohu and Catla. Under the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming
(APCNF) program, efforts were initiated to transition from rice monoculture (RM) to a more integrated
and ecologically beneficial model Integrated Rice-Fish Farming (IRFF). This involves co-cultivation of
rice and fish using natural farming practices, with a focus on local rice varieties and species like Rohu,
Catla, and Mola.
In June 2024 Simply Solar conducted an assessment visit to stakeholders and installations in coastal fisheries in Kenya. Aim was the identification and review of existing technologies in the fish industry: for processing (thermal processing) and cooling at the project locations. This review shall help understand what is already available at the project's sites and the technological gaps that can be quickly filled with existing options.
The objectives of the survey in this report are to verify the fish production on average in SSA farmers ponds and to analyse consumed, shared, and sold fishes in SSA farmers and study how many SSA have sold their harvested fishes for income generation purposes.
This study comprehensively assesses purse seine fisheries in Abu Qir Bay, a key fishing ground on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. The study utilized semi-structured interviews, field observations, and gear analysis to document vessel specifications, fishing operations, and catch composition for night-light and daylight purse seine fisheries. Of the nine vessels examined in the present study, five were consistent with their official designation as purse seiners, while the remaining four were recorded under alternative classifications, including longliners and trawlers. These inconsistencies suggest that economic considerations can influence fishers’ decisions regarding gear selection and operational strategies. Night-light nets measured 275–330 m in length and 91–110 m in depth, whereas daylight nets were larger (366–403 m in length) but shallower (54–70 m in depth). The main body of both net types had an 8.5 mm mesh length, which is far below sustainable recommendations. Small pelagic fishes, particularly Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardinella aurita, dominated the catch across all seasons, with night-light operations peaking in summer and daylight fishing more active in spring and autumn. While technological advancements have improved vessel efficiency and catch per unit effort, they have also intensified fishing pressure. Overfishing, overcapacity, and the use of small mesh sizes may present challenges to long-term sustainability. The results suggest opportunities to strengthen existing regulatory frameworks and to prioritize the design and enforcement of targeted management interventions. This paper recommends adopting a legal minimum mesh size of 25.7 mm and promoting an ecosystem-based management framework to help address overfishing, enhance stock productivity, and support the long-term sustainability of purse seine fisheries in Abu Qir Bay.
This study explores whether addressing gender constraints in aquaculture can enhance women’s empowerment and climate-adaptive capacities. The study uses a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design and draws on primary data collected in October 2022 in Northern and Luapula provinces, climate change hotspots where gender equality and climate-adaptive capacities are acutely challenged. It examines the extent to which gender-intentional and gender-responsive aquaculture interventions by WorldFish in Zambia that address some of these constraints—such as women’s limited agency and limited access to technology, information and knowledge—are associated with women’s empowerment, better food and nutrition outcomes and enhanced climate-adaptive capacities. The research additionally compares project-level Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI) measures between treatment and control groups.
Efforts to promote women’s participation, benefits, and empowerment in aquaculture entrepreneurship face persistent challenges rooted in patriarchal norms, policy frameworks, and local contexts. This article investigates how women’s entrepreneurship, supported by targeted programs, can help address these entrenched barriers. To do so, we employ the multi-level perspective (MLP) framework, which examines women’s entrepreneurial “niches” in relation to the dominant “regime” of local policies, public action, and gender norms. Our central aim is to understand how supporting women’s entrepreneurship can drive systemic change within aquaculture. Using a governance framework, we analyze strategies applied in two pilot interventions in Bangladesh, seeking to identify the limitations of current governance approaches and to propose strategies for establishing a more gender-equitable aquaculture regime. Our analysis reveals that existing strategic frameworks often fail to capture the agentic actions women take prior to program implementation and do not sufficiently address the influence of social and gender norms. Based on our findings, we recommend integrating gender transformative approaches and agentic strategies into governance frameworks, with the goal of challenging the prevailing regime and fostering greater gender equality in aquaculture. This approach recognizes women’s proactive roles and the importance of reshaping governance to support systemic gender equity.
As part of the project’s inception in Solomon Islands, the purpose of this scoping report is to provide background information on the aquaculture sector in the country and adapt the project’s objectives and activities to this context. The objective of the report is to provide a general description of existing aquaculture activities, such as species, the farming systems and distribution of aquaculture activities, along with their history, evolution and trajectory, where known. A key focus is to understand what people are currently doing and what has been attempted in the past—not focusing solely on aspirational statements in policy documents, about the potential of aquaculture. This scoping review will provide a basis to inform the NbA research project.
This study presents a literature-based review of Malaysia’s fishery and aquaculture sectors, examining their historical development, production trends, contributions, and challenges. Unlike existing studies that focus primarily on production trends or environmental concerns, this paper provides a policy-oriented perspective, linking production challenges to governance, economic constraints, and gaps in small-scale aquaculture and private-sector involvement. The study show that in 2022, Malaysia’s total fishery production reached 1.89 million metric tons, with aquaculture contributing 30%. While capture fisheries have stagnated due to overfishing and environmental pressures, aquaculture has expanded, playing a crucial role in post-Covid-19 recovery. However, sustainability remains a challenge due to climate change, water pollution, rising production costs, and regulatory barriers. To address these issues, the study recommends promoting sustainable fishing and aquaculture practices, enhancing research and development (R&D), streamlining regulatory frameworks, improving disease management, and expanding economic support and market access. These measures are essential to strengthening Malaysia’s aquaculture sector and ensuring long-term food security and economic resilience.
The Asia–Africa BlueTech Superhighway Technical Evaluation and Interim Recommendation Report provides a comprehensive assessment of various climate-smart technologies aimed at reducing aquatic food loss and waste in East African fisheries. Authored by Christoph Müller, Heike Hoedt, and Aditya Parmar, the report focuses on solar-powered solutions for drying, cooling, cooking, and ice production, all designed to enhance sustainability, reduce operational costs, and improve fish preservation.
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