Aquaculture
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12348/2
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- The national-level workshop on Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) in Bangladesh was held on 31 July 2025, in Dhaka under the Asia–Africa BlueTech Superhighway (AABS) project. The workshop brought together 57 participants, including seven women, representing government agencies, research institutions, academia, the private sector, and development partners, along with international delegates from Kenya and Cambodia. The event served as a platform to share research findings, practical experiences, and lessons learned from IMTA trials and practices in Khulna (southwest Bangladesh), Cox’s Bazar (Southeast), and other coastal areas.
- This report presents the findings of a comprehensive market assessment conducted by Asia–Africa BlueTech Superhighway (AABS) in Bangladesh, focusing on the coastal and marine aquaculture sector. The study examined both supply-side factors (producers of shrimp, finfish, shellfish, bivalves, and seaweed) and demand-side factors (consumers) across five key regions: Cox’s Bazar, Khulna, Bagerhat, Patuakhali, and Satkhira. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including 1,200 semi-structured surveys (600 consumers and 600 producers), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), alongside field observations. The study also explored the adoption of Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) as a sustainable farming practice.
- Training materials like posters on ricefield systems are important because they provide farmers with clear, visual, and practical guidance that is easy to understand and remember. Posters can simplify complex concepts, demonstrate improved practices step-by-step, and serve as a quick reference tool in the field. They also help standardize key messages, ensuring consistent knowledge transfer across communities, and can be shared widely during training, meetings, or displayed in villages. By making information more accessible, posters strengthen farmer learning, encourage adoption of improved practices, and support scaling of climate-smart ricefield innovations.
- This training poster highlights ways to enhance rice field pond systems by improving their ecological functions. It provides practical guidance on managing water, soil, and biodiversity to boost fish and rice productivity, strengthen resilience to climate variability, and support sustainable rural livelihoods. Farmers and stakeholders can use the poster as a visual reference to adopt climate-smart, ecologically balanced practices that integrate aquaculture and rice production, creating a more productive and environmentally sustainable farming system.
- Recognising the potential of small indigenous fish species (SIS) in alleviating malnutrition and enhancing rural livelihoods, WorldFish and partners pioneered hatchery-based mass seed production of SIS, achieving a breakthrough in nutrition-sensitive aquaculture. Through innovative breeding protocols, mobile small-scale hatchery systems, and farmer-centred business models, the initiative has scaled SIS aquaculture across India and Bangladesh, generating over 52 million SIS seeds. With formal policy adoption in Odisha and Assam, SIS aquaculture is emerging as a vital instrument for nutrition security, women’s empowerment, smallholder income generation, and biodiversity conservation in freshwater systems under climate change pressures.
- Understanding the interlinkages between ecological conditions and mariculture practices are vital for enhancing growth performance and nutritional profiling of marine bivalves. However, highly productive mariculture practices under different local ecological conditions have not been comprehensively documented to achieve sustainable outcomes. This study investigates how depth (0.5 m, 1 m, and 1.5 m) and site-specific ecological factors of three farming sites (Moheshkhali, Khurushkul, and Choufaldandi) influence the growth performance and nutritional profile of green mussels (Perna viridis) in floating raft mariculture systems in the southeast coast of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. For this purpose, 20 uniform green mussel spats (2.9 ± 0.08 g) were inoculated across three cultivation depths in ten replicated mussel net socks, which were suspended vertically in the water column from horizontal floating rafts and cultured for six months (October-March) at the above-mentioned three farming sites. Among environmental factors, the two-way ANOVA model displayed both depth- and site-specific significant variation of ecological parameters (DO, salinity, turbidity, NO3-N, PO4-P, Chlorophyll-a) and food availability (Coscinodiscophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, and Dinophyceae) in the studied areas. Our findings based on the two-way ANOVA model also revealed that both the depth and site-specific ecological settings significantly impact (p < 0.05) growth performance, shell morphometry and nutritional profiles of green mussels. Various univariate and multivariate analyses further revealed that the above ecological factors are closely interlinked with the observed differences in growth performance and nutritional profiles of mussels. By integrating these ecological and environmental variables, our study provides actionable insights for optimizing green mussel farming practices, potentially leading to improved yield and nutritional quality in floating raft systems.
- This study assessed the role of IMTA in promoting employment in coastal Kenya, focusing on five counties: Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi, Mombasa, and Kwale. Data collection was done using Kobotoolbox and structured questionnaires, 600 respondents were surveyed, alongside interviews and site visits. The study explored job creation opportunities, especially for youth and women across IMTA value chain. Findings highlight IMTA as a climate-smart solution to the economic vulnerabilities faced by coastal communities, such as overfishing, climate change, and limited livelihood options. Employment opportunities exist across the IMTA value chain—from hatchery operations to farming, post-harvest processing, distribution, and marketing. To fully harness IMTA’s potential, strategic investments in training, policy support, market infrastructure, and ecosystem restoration are essential. This report provides actionable recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and private sector stakeholders to scale IMTA and drive inclusive, sustainable growth in the blue economy.
- Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), which integrates multiple species from different trophic levels (fed and extractive species) in a single farming system to enhance resource efficiency and environmental sustainability, is gradually gaining recognition in Bangladesh. Cox’s Bazar, with its extensive coastal resources and long-standing aquaculture tradition, presents a promising region for IMTA expansion, especially in marine water production. Producers in the area have been farming various species with IMTA potential, including finfish, shrimp, seaweed and bivalves. This report provides information collected from stakeholders within the IMTA production landscape in Cox’s Bazar, drawing insights from key informant interviews with local producers and researchers on the current status of their production and the various health challenges and other risks involved with the farming of IMTA species.
- The rapid growth of aquaculture in Bangladesh over the past 30 years has been accompanied by a proliferation of wholesalers. Wholesalers are often assumed in academic and public discourse to be exploitative and inefficient: extracting rents rather than driving technological change. This view gives rise to development programs that seek to bypass marketing intermediaries or upgrade their practices. However, there has been little rigorous research on the behavior of wholesalers and its implications for outcomes of value chain performance, including food security. To address this gap, we implemented a statistically representative survey of 229 aquatic food wholesalers in 31 markets in one of Bangladesh’s most important aquaculture zones. We found the following. (1) The wholesale segment of the aquaculture value chain has grown rapidly. (2) Markets are increasingly competitive, with open auctions leading to disintermediation and transparent pricing. (3) Wholesale businesses operate on thin margins. (4) Very little food loss or waste occurs in the farm, wholesale, or retail value chain segments in the study zone. (5) Trading aquaculture products generates substantial employment for men but little for women. Contrary to popular belief, the midstream of the aquaculture value chain in southern Bangladesh is dynamic and efficient. The paper contributes to a growing literature highlighting the contributions that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the “hidden middle” segments of agri-food value chains make to food security.
- Rohu (Labeo rohita) is a major aquaculture species in Bangladesh, but poor broodstock management has compromised seed quality and growth performance. To address this, WorldFish launched a genetic improvement program in 2012, yet the on-farm performance of the widely available third generation (G3) rohu remains poorly studied. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the growth and profitability of G3 rohu and commercial local rohu under typical smallholder pond polyculture systems in Bangladesh. A total of 120 ponds across two locations were randomly assigned to Selected (30 per location, G3 rohu) or Control (30 per location, local rohu), with rohu stocked at an average of 2470 ha−1 in typical smallholder polyculture systems alongside 5287 ha−1 of other cocultured species. The study was conducted over a full production cycle from July 2023 to March 2024, and differences in performance were assessed using multivariate regression and ANOVA models. Water quality remained within acceptable ranges for aquaculture, despite fluctuations. The Selected rohu demonstrated significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) harvest weight, weight gain, survival rate, and specific growth rate (SGR), growing 32.6% faster than Control rohu. Productivity of cocultured species did not differ significantly (p ≥ 0.05) between ponds with Selected or Control rohu. Furthermore, G3 rohu yielded significantly higher returns per ha than local rohu, with total productivity, gross revenue, gross margin, net margin, and benefit–cost ratios (BCRs) all significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in ponds with Selected rohu. Regression analysis identified pond size, commercial feed use, inorganic fertilization, and stocking density as positive drivers of rohu productivity, whereas pond age had negative effects. Findings are based on data from two districts in southern Bangladesh and may vary elsewhere depending on local farming intensity and management practices. These results suggest that wider dissemination of genetically improved fingerlings, coupled with improved pond management, could enhance smallholder productivity and profitability in Bangladesh.
- Within the framework of CGIAR “Scaling for Impact S4I” initiative, WorldFish took part in this important session as part of its mission to promote innovation, scale proven solutions and support national and regional efforts to address salinity challenges, to strengthen the resilience of agri-food system. WorldFish engagement in the Cairo Water Week 2025 session on “water and soil salinity in Egypt” reflects its commitment to supporting evidence-based policy dialogue, promoting integrated aqgriculture-aquaculture (IAA) systems, and contributing to national and regional efforts to address salinity challenges through innovation, partnerships, and enabling environments.
- Under the framework of the S4I AOW02 - Pathways to Scale in Agrifood Systems (2.3.4) – Egypt, which aims to expand the adoption of integrated aquaculture–agriculture (IAA) systems to enhance sustainability and maximize productivity per unit area, a collaborative mission was conducted to Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT). In line with Egypt’s increasing national interest in Integrated Aquaculture Systems (IAA) as a strategic solution to strengthen food security and maximize water and land use efficiency, the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) organized a specialized workshop on “the Importance of developing IAA in Egypt.” The event brought together researchers, professors, government research institutions, and private sector farmers, reflecting the government’s strategic direction toward integrated and climate-smart food production systems. This workshop aimed to foster stronger links between research, policy, and practice to support sustainable aquaculture expansion in Egypt.
- Under the framework of the S4I AOW02 - Pathways to Scale in Agrifood Systems (2.3.4) – Egypt, which aims to expand the adoption of integrated aquaculture–agriculture (IAA) systems to enhance sustainability and maximize productivity per unit area, builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the WorldFish and Sustainable Development center for Matrouh resources (SDCMR) -a governmental entity under the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation- that extends approximately 500 km along North Coast and 70 km inland. A field mission was conducted to Matrouh Governorate to launch the “100 integrated aquaculture ponds” initiative, under the collaboration between WorldFish and the SDCMR The activity was implemented in alignment with the CGIAR Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods (SAAF) science program, specifically through WorldFish’s Aquatic Animal Genetics program team to establish a broodstock unit of the improved Abbassa tilapia strain in Matrouh, to Establishing a genetics dissemination hub - operationalizing a 10 million fingerling capacity hatchery to disseminate and promote the genetically improved Abbassa strain (G9) of Nile tilapia, fast-growing, high-performance fish that will support the integrated aquaculture–agriculture farms in Al-Moghra and surrounding areas, ensuring sustainable access to genetically improved fish.
- As part of WorldFish’s commitment under the Scaling for Impact (S4I) initiative, a technical seminar on Aquaponics Basics was held to build local capacity, strengthen collaboration, and promote innovative solutions for sustainable, climate-smart aquaculture. This activity supports S4I’s goal to scale proven technologies that help communities adapt to water scarcity and maximize resource efficiency.
- Integrated rice-shrimp (IRS) farming is commonly practiced in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) region. When properly managed, IRS systems can provide farmers in saline-affected areas opportunities to produce food and generate income throughout the year. IRS systems are considered potential solutions to climate change adaptation and mitigation. This study employs a tailored Integrated Assessment Framework for Upscaling to investigate the feasibility and enabling conditions for successful scaling out of IRS systems in the VMD. Our findings indicates that IRS systems has already been widely adopted among the coastal provinces in the VMD, suggesting strong potential for scaling up to broader impacts. IRS systems offer notable environmental benefits and enhance economic resilience for local communities, though their social implications are less understood. Institutional conditions and local commitments strongly support the development and scaling of IRS systems, with stakeholders widely acknowledging their importance. Furthermore, extensive technical and economic data support the systems’ expansion. However, our study highlights several challenges that hinder the broader scaling of IRS systems, such as limited financial capacity, fragmented small-scale operations, and the weak role of farmer organizations. Market access, brand development, and value chain coordination remain underdeveloped. At the same time, irrigation infrastructure is poorly aligned with the dual requirements of rice and shrimp aquaculture production during the dry and rainy seasons. This study recommends that targeted financial mechanisms, strengthened farmer organizations, improved market coordination, and upgraded infrastructure are essential to fully realize the potential of IRS systems as sustainable and climate-resilient models in the VMD.
- Bangladesh, with its diverse coastal and marine ecosystems, holds immense potential to harness low-trophic extractive mariculture (LTEM) as a key component of its sustainable blue economy. Considering the present national interest, this study provides a comprehensive assessment of the current status of LTEM in Bangladesh, identifying its challenges and offers strategic interventions for future development. Using a mixed-method approach, the research integrates an extensive literature review, key informant interviews, field research experiences, and stakeholder workshops involving policymakers, industry leaders, academia, NGOs, and community representatives. Based on the synthesized information, key challenges were broadly classified into four categories, which were further sub-divided into several thematic issues, including eight for technical, five for environment, five for socio-economic, and two for regulatory and policy constraints, revealing systemic inefficiencies such as poor suitability mapping, technological limitation, weak value chains, poor coordination among stakeholders, and insufficient research investment. These issues contribute to knowledge gaps, coastal hydro-dynamics conditions, inconsistent practices, and hinder the development of effective regulatory frameworks, limiting market access, product quality, and export potential. In response, twelve thematic intervention areas were identified, which were further refined during plenary discussions in the workshops to form a detailed roadmap for the period 2025–2035. The roadmap outlines a series of sequential actions and identifies key actors for each of the twelve thematic areas, with an emphasis on addressing the barriers to LTEM development. By shifting from a project-focused approach to a systems-oriented strategy, the framework integrates stakeholder perspectives and lessons learned to strengthen Bangladesh’s LTEM sector.
- Smallholder fish farmers in Zambia face complex social and ecological challenges. Previous studies have highlighted limitations to productivity in Northern Province, where rates of poverty are high and farmers lack access to essential inputs and markets. Stakeholders emphasize research is needed to understand aquaculture’s functions at household and farm scales. Innovations to improve productivity must consider agroecological contexts, local knowledge, and adaptations to situate aquaculture within local livelihood. A study was conducted in Luwingu District to assess productivity and understand farmer perceptions. Data collection (Oct–Dec 2021) engaged fish farmers (n = 63) in surveys, farm appraisals, and discussions. Qualitative data highlighted farmers’ perspectives, and thematic review identified their major challenges. Quantitative data described household demographics, priorities, resources, and management systems. Multivariate techniques (principal components analysis [PCA]) assessed variation within the sample, reduced data complexity, and created sets of composite variables describing system inputs. Multiple linear regression tested effects of inputs on pond productivity (kg Fish m−2); and stepwise elimination identified key factors. Results indicated that farmers considered aquaculture a secondary economic activity, contributing an average of only 9% ± 12% to household income. Most farmers used household labor, basic tools, and crop waste as inputs. The mean output (1.2 ± 1.2 t fish ha−1) was low. Predictive models indicated household wealth, education, farm size, intensity of feed, fingerling and labor inputs, fish growth cycles, and spatial integration with cropland were most associated with aquacultural productivity. Farmers emphasized that limited finances, high costs, and inconsistent local supplies of quality inputs were major challenges. Potential pathways for change are discussed, and recommendations for additional research are offered.
- Aquaculture contributes to agricultural development, economic growth, and poverty reduction initiatives in Zambia. In northern and rural regions of the country, development requires improvements to the management of local and farm-generated inputs. Fish farmers have limited market access and purchasing power, which restricts access to commercial inputs, such as formulated feeds and chemical fertilizers. Instead, farmers adopt integrated-agriculture-aquaculture (IAA) practices, whereby on-farm resources supply essential inputs. Research is limited regarding local systems of resource management, and this hinders development of innovations for improving efficiency. This mixed-methods study explored local patterns of resource utilization. Smallholders (n = 63) participated in surveys and interviews regarding resource management. A series of quantitative analyses, including descriptive statistics, principal component analyses (PCA), and multinomial logistic regression (logit) models, identified relationships between these resources, household livelihood, and system productivity. Qualitative analyses explored farmer perceptions regarding seasonal resource availability. Results suggested that livestock manure, homemade feeds comprising maize and soybean, garden residues, and kitchen wastes were the most frequently selected inputs. Logit models of feeding intensity found that income, proximity to Luwingu Town, experience in aquaculture, and access to extension services were key household resources. High-intensity feeding strategies incorporated commercial feeds, chemical fertilizers, as well as home-made feeds containing a wide diversity of both high- and low-quality ingredients. Low-intensity feeding strategies incorporated only farm waste and termites. Potential innovations that may improve system performance in resource poor contexts are considered and recommendations for additional research are offered.
- Agriculture is the backbone of India’s rural economy with 70 percent of households dependent on it. Mostly earning marginal incomes for the families, the sector holds the key to country’s development ambition. The Government of India, through its Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare launched the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan 2025 (VKSA-2025) as a flagship initiative under its broader vision for a developed India, ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’. As part of the development initiative, an intensive nation-wide farmer outreach program was conducted May 29–June 12, 2025, aiming to train and educate rural communities on modern agricultural technologies and government welfare schemes. Recognizing the critical role of aquatic foods and WorldFish’s scientific expertise and impact achieved in improving livelihoods and nutrition in communities, WorldFish was invited by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to provide outreach to more widely raise awareness and promote the adoption of technologies and innovations in fisheries and aquaculture and the supportive schemes.
- Entwined in mythology, traditions and livelihoods, fish is not just another food in India, but deeply cultural, particularly in the coastal states. India has quietly risen in ranks as the second largest fisheries and aquaculture producer in the world at 14.4 million tonnes in 2021. The country is now looking to take its fishing sector to the next level, aiming to fully harness the potential of aquatic food systems for sustainable development and boost incomes to uplift millions left behind by its booming economy. A recent visit to WorldFish research facilities by a delegation led by Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General, Indian Council of Agriculture and Research (ICAR), Government of India, explored strengthening of research ties and collaboration with WorldFish, attesting to the commitment of India.