Aquaculture
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12348/2
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- Background: Tilapia aquaculture faces significant threats posed by four prominentpathogens: tilapia lake virus (TiLV), infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV), Francisella orientalis, and Streptococcus agalactiae. Currently, employed molecular diagnostic methods for these pathogens rely on multiple singleplex polymerase chain reactions (PCR), which are time-consuming and expensive. Methods: In this study, we present an approach utilizing a multiplex PCR (mPCR) assay, coupled with rapid Nanopore sequencing, enabling the one-tube simultaneous detection and one-reaction Nanopore sequencing-based validation of four pathogens. Results: Our one-tube multiplex assay exhibits a detection limit of 1,000 copies per reaction for TiLV, ISKNV, and S. agalactiae, while for F. orientalis, the detection limit is 10,000 copies per reaction. This sensitivity is sufficient for diagnosing infections and co-infections in clinical samples from sick fish, enabling rapid confirmation of the presence of pathogens. Integrating multiplex PCR and Nanopore sequencing provides an alternative approach platform for fast and precise diagnostics of major tilapia pathogens in clinically sick animals, adding to the available toolbox for disease diagnostics.
- Training video about induced breeding of Mola Carplet (Amblypharyngodon mola).
- Training video about induced breeding of Swamp Barb (Puntius chola)
- In a collaborative effort between GIZ and WorldFish, an enlightening inter-state exposure cum knowledge exchange visit took place on 9th and 10th May at a small indigenous fish farm and hatchery in the Darrang district of Assam. Aimed at fostering expertise in induced breeding and mass seed production of small indigenous fish species, this initiative marks a significant stride towards sustainable aquaculture practices and nutritional security in the region.
- This report evaluates the impacts and outcomes of the mass seed production technology for nutrient-rich Small Indigenous Fish Species (SIS) implemented under the project “Taking Nutrition-Sensitive Carp-SIS Polyculture Technology to Scale,” supported by WorldFish and GIZ. The study focuses on Odisha and Assam, two states with diverse aquatic ecosystems and strong potential for scaling SIS aquaculture to improve livelihoods, nutrition, and sustainability.
- WorldFish has long championed nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquatic food production systems, particularly through the promotion of Small Indigenous Fish Species (SIS) of fish. This effort received global acclaim when Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted of WorldFish was awarded the 2021 food prize. Since then, there has been a renewed focus on SIS aquaculture, with Carp-SIS polyculture emerging as a powerful means to promote nutrition-sensitive approaches.
- This is a bangla popular article on induced breeding and culture of nutrient-dense small fish mola.
- ECOFISH II (2019-2024), a USAID-funded project led by WorldFish in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries (DOF), aimed to enhance the resilience of Bangladesh’s coastal fisheries and communities. Building on the ECOFISHBD, the project supported 72,000 women, youth, and fishers from 15,010 coastal artisanal fishing households, with a focus on those impacted by the Rohingya crisis. ECOFISH II improved ecosystem health by engaging 140 local youth as blue guards (BGs) to combat ghost gears and plastics. It also advanced scientific research on fish larvae, salinity impacts on fish diversity, seasonal water quality, biodiversity, and the role of phytoplankton in hilsa nutrition. The project assessed various aspects of marine conservation, including MPA suitability, tourism impacts on ghost crabs, small-scale fisheries in Nijhum Dwip, riverine catfish hotspots, and non-conventional fishery products. Catch data from 10 fish landing centers and 40 citizen scientists revealed a 330% increase in small hilsa landings and stable marine fish catch, while the price of larger hilsa doubled. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) data highlighted fluctuations in species such as Bombay duck, hilsa, and thryssa anchovy. ECOFISH II expanded co-management from hilsa to broader marine fisheries by forming 369 Fisheries Conservation Groups, involving 15,010 small-scale fishers, and piloting a fish landing center-based co-management model at 10 landing centers along the Bay of Bengal coast. It also trained 1,508 boat skippers and built national capacity through EAFM training for 48 professionals and 322 committee members, laying the groundwork for sustainable fisheries governance. The project contributed to the development of more than eight key policies, including a revised Hilsa Fisheries Management Action Plan (HFMAP), MPA delineation, the Nijhum Dwip management plan, blue economy guidelines, and low-extractive mariculture strategies, all essential for advancing coastal and marine fisheries management in Bangladesh. Small-scale fishers are highly impacted by conservation measures, so balancing their needs requires just, equitable, and inclusive strategies. ECOFISH II addressed this by supporting the fishing households through diversified livelihoods, women’s empowerment, and improved access to technology and markets. It helped establish Community Savings Groups (CSGs) and Women Income and Nutrition Groups (WING), empowering 6,575 women and raising BDT 10.6 million in savings. The project also promoted safe dried fish production and climate-resilient horticulture, leading to improved nutrition and dietary diversity. The project also changed nutrition behavior through targeted training and BLS sessions. As a result, 77% of households adopted year-round vegetable cultivation, increasing household income by 78.5% and enhancing dietary diversity for 90% of households. The project also developed nutritious fish and seaweed powders, which generated strong consumer interest. Additionally, it tested various fish-based technologies, such as low-trophic mariculture, dried fish, crab fattening, and seaweed farming, offering new opportunities for technology adoption and market linkages.
- The fisheries sector makes substantial contribution towards the country’s economy, creates job opportunities, and delivers essential protein to the population. Despite its contributions, the small-scale fish farmers live in poverty facing multiple challenges such as food insecurity, financial constraints and climate-related risks. In response, The Enhanced Coastal Fisheries in Bangladesh II (ECOFISH II) project, a 5-year initiative (December 2019 – November 2024) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was jointly implemented by WorldFish and the Department of Fisheries (DoF). The overarching goal of ECOFISH II was improved social and ecological resilience and livelihood of coastal fisheries communities in the Zone of Resilience (ZOR), Meghna River Ecosystem (MRE) and Marine Protected Area (MPA) to secure equitable food, nutrition and income benefits through sustainable fishing practices and biodiversity conservation for fisheries communities. The endline survey evaluated the ECOFISH II project's impact on coastal fisheries' resilience and community benefits in ZOR, MRE and MPA. It provided a comprehensive analysis of the project's achievements and outputs over the implementation period, compared to baseline study benchmarks.
- The survey has two main objectives: to verify whether SSA farmers from the project areas are using better management practices (BMPs) in their aquaculture systems and to promote BMPs among SSA farmers and check for any difficulties in applying them. The respondents were selected among the year 3 (FY 2022) and 4 (FY 2023) farmers who received fish fingerlings.
- 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.
- WorldFish Nigeria, an international research organization (country office in Nigeria) dedicated to improving fisheries and aquaculture, has been actively engaged in Nigeria since 2019. Recognizing the country's significant fish consumption and the challenges of meeting domestic demand, WorldFish aims to enhance aquaculture productivity and support smallholder farmers.This brief includes history of our country (Nigeria) partnership, country challenges and opportunities, fisheries and aquaculture as part of the solution, unlocking potential by diversifying the aquaculture sector, worldfish contributions in nigeria, providing policymakers with data to inform aquaculture sector growth , diversifying nigeria’s aquaculture sector with high-performing gift 6 increasing productivity in nigeria’s african catfish sector; improving fish farming operations and profitability; digital tools to improve biosecurity and stock health; locally sourced ingredients to improve fish feed quality and affordability; improving process fish product quality and safety; our impact; startegies to moving forward and list of country partners.
- The Development and Scaling of Sustainable Feeds for Resilient Aquatic Food Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (FASA) project aims to develop low-cost, highly nutritious fish feeds based on novel ingredients and enable 5000 smallholder fish farmers in three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to test and adopt these ingredients and feeds. This annual progress report captures the highlights of the implementation of the project from January to December 2024 under the 5-year grant agreement (2022– 2027) with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). The report provides information on the project’s background, implementation progress and constraints, expenditures, physical progress by component and output, communication activities, and innovative approaches or achievements, as well as priorities for 2025.
- 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.
- This study compared the effects of two aquaculture systems, In-Pond Raceway systems (IPRS) and Raceway system (RW), on water quality, growth performance, and production efficiency of two Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) strains: “genetically improved Abbassa Nile tilapia (GIANT) strain” and a non-improved local strain (Kafr El Sheikh) fed diets replacing 10% soybean meal by poultry byproduct meal. Fish (initial weight: 25.0 ± 1.0 g) were stocked at 120 individuals per hapa (1 × 1 × 1.75 m3) in triplicate groups, with 12 hapas per system and reared for 70 days. The water quality parameters (temperature, 27.5–30°C; dissolved oxygen, 6.50 mg/L; pH, 6.8–7.5) remained within the optimal range for tilapia production across both systems. GIANT strain reared in IPRS exhibited 1.38% day−1 higher (P < 0.05) specific growth rate, and survival rate SR was 18.32% higher (P < 0.05) compared to Kafr El Sheikh strain. Similarly, GIANT tilapia achieved in IPRS exhibited 4.26% higher crude protein compared to RW, while crude fat was significantly lower in IPRS (P ≤ 0.05) compared to RW, and the viscera-somatic index (VSI) was significantly lower in GIANT cultured in IPRS correlating with reduced fat content, and there were no significant differences in any parameters measured on diets. In addition, total biomass showed higher (P ≤ 0.05) with GIANT in IPRS system about 689.78 kg/ha, and net yield was 2.20 kg/m3 compared to the Kafr El Sheikh strain. Moreover, Fillet yield increased 8.5% by IPRS-reared GIANT compared to RW systems. This study demonstrates that GIANT Abbassa strain cultured in IPRS outperforms in growth, yield, and fillet quality providing a sustainable model for intensifying tilapia aquaculture.
- The study investigated the effects of folic acid on the reproductive efficiency and health of the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758). The adult broodstock fish were fed commercial diets (36% crude protein) supplemented with different graded levels of folic acid (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5mg/ kg diet) in addition to the fourth control group of un supplemented feed. Fish were stocked in separate hapas widened in four concrete ponds over three months. It was found that folic acid increased the total blood protein, albumin, globulins, and estradiol levels but suppressed blood ALT and AST activities and urea and creatinine levels in the adult Nile tilapia. Dietary folic acid (Vitamin B9) also plays a crucial role in enhancing reproductive performance since higher nutritional levels of folic acid significantly improve the fertility of fish males and females. It positively affected fish gonads histology with notable improvements. Additionally, the present study demonstrated non-significant adverse effects on fish blood biochemical and aminotransferases at moderate levels of supplemented folic acid. The current study suggested folic acid safety and efficacy as a dietary additive for fish well-being and good reproductive performance. The results advocate further exploring dietary folic acid in fish farming practices to optimize growth and reproductive health.
- On February 13–14, 2024, WorldFish held a stakeholders dialogue–training workshop at Tiffanys’ Canyon in Kafue, Zambia. The workshop fell under the scope of the digital fisheries information systems (FIS) component of the Program for Improving Fisheries Governance and Blue Economy Trade Corridors (PROFISHBLUE), which is executed, implemented and managed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and funded by the African Development Bank. The key objective of the workshop was to provide aquaculture and fisheries stakeholders and value chain actors with introductory training on climate information services (CIS) alongside a collective dialogue. The goal was to identify climate variabilities and risks impacting aquaculture and fisheries in Zambia in order to develop a climate-responsive decision-making framework that could help reduce climate risks and build climate resilience of the relevant actors. In addition, the workshop aimed to identify the critical data and information needs for developing a digital CIS platform for aquaculture in the country.
- To enhance capacity and facilitate technology transfer and awareness creation on nutrition sensitive aquaculture among farmers, WorldFish organized a "Field level farmers’ training program on Importance of small indigenous fish to promote nutrition sensitive aquaculture in Odisha" in collaboration with the Gram Utthan NGO. The training program took place in two batches during 10th and 11th June and 4th and 5th September 2024, at Kendrapara, Bhadrak, and Dasrathpur Odisha.
- To enhance capacity and facilitate technology transfer among farmers, hatchery operators cum owners, and seed growers, WorldFish, in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries, Assam, organized a "Field level farmers’ training program on induced breeding of small indigenous fish in Assam." The training took place in Mangaldai, Darrang, on September 5th, 2024.
- To strengthen capacity and promote broader technology transfer among farmers, hatchery operators, and seed growers, WorldFish, in collaboration with the National Fisheries Development Board (Northeast Centre) and the Department of Fisheries, Government of Assam, organized a one-day training and exposure visit to an SIS partner hatchery in Assam on July 17th, 2024, at the project partner hatchery site in Darrang.