Today,
more than 1 billion people rely on fish as a source of animal
protein. Fish supplies about 30% of the total protein intake
for people in Asia, 20% in Africa and 10% in Latin America.
In addition, two million people around the world depend on fish, either directly or indirectly for employment. Fish are also one of
the most highly traded agricultural commodities with nearly
40% of fish production traded internationally.
Though
catches between 1950 and 1990 increased fivefold to some 100
million tons, they are now in slow decline, and as a result,
prices have risen. Currently researchers are working to determine
ways to cope with increasing stock scarcity and price increases
by developing methods to increase production through aquaculture
and better stewardship of natural fisheries resources and
the environment. It is estimated that by 2010 the world will
need between 110 and 120 tons of food fish in comparison with
a supply of 71 million tons in 1995. The WorldFish Center,
in Malaysia, the world's only global research institute that
focuses on fisheries and aquaculture research for low-income
people, is a CGIAR center dedicated to ensuring food security
while improving natural resource management and the conservation
of biodiversity.
For more information click here.
Fisheries research such as that conducted by the WorldFish
Center, works to:
- make
fish more affordable to consumers through increasing production
and improving efficiency of production methods;
- add
to the diversification of agriculture and produce a range
of products from food staples to pharmaceuticals and luxury
ornaments;
- produce
profits and income for the farmer, thus assisting rural
development;
- create
jobs;
- rebuild
wild stocks by relieving pressure from over-exploited natural
resources;
- contribute
to environmental conservation.
CGIAR Investment in Fisheries Research
The CGIAR invested approximately $ 16 million in fisheries research in 2005.
An
Example of a CGIAR Fisheries Project
Tilapia
is a fish grown by small farmers and consumed mainly by lower
income groups. In this experiment the WorldFish Center researchers
applied the techniques of genetics and selective breeding,
which had long been applied to plant and animal production,
to aquaculture. Over a five-year period researchers were able
to develop a strain of tilapia that was 85% larger than those
in the original base population. A related experiment then
further assessed the new strain, called GIFT (Genetically
Improved Farmed Tilapia), at testing stations and on small
farms in Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
This second experiment demonstrated that the GIFT strain had
a considerably higher yield potential in actual farm conditions
than the current locally available strain. In comparison with
existing strains already in use at the farms, the GIFT strain
performed 18 to 70% better, depending on the existing efficiency
of tilapia culture. Even more significant is that production
costs were 20 to 30% lower. Today, the study of selective
breeding techniques for tilapia and other important food species
continues in projects in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India,
Indonesia, Malawi, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam. For
more information click here..
Research
Sites
The WorldFish
Center operates site-specific research programs that focus
on three types of fisheries ecosystems: coastal waters, inland
waterbodies and coral reefs. Headquartered in Malaysia, research
offices are sited in key areas around the world.
-
Bangladesh
- Promoting beneficiary-based management of inland fisheries,
developing and introducing low-cost techniques for fish
culture suited to local socio-economic conditions. Read more about WorldFish's work in Bangladesh.
- Cameroon
- Extending the World Fish Center's approach to the introduction
of aquaculture into the farming systems of humid West Africa. Read more about WorldFish's work in Camerooon.
- Caribbean
- Studying the benefits of marine protected areas for
enhancing and protecting stocks of fish and other aquatic
resources
-
Egypt - Regional research center for Africa and West
Asia, focusing on research and training in aquaculture
-
Malawi - Focusing on integrated aquaculture-agriculture
systems to improve resource utilization and productivity
of small and marginal farmers. Read more about WorldFish's work in Malawi.
- New
Caledonia - Developing methods for culturing high-value
tropical marine species and restocking fisheries. Read more about WorldFish's work in the Pacific.
- Philippines
- Developing relational databases for aquatic resources
and habitats, and coastal zone management training
- Solomon
Islands - Developing methods for farming and managing
coral reef, species, including pearl oysters, giant clams
and reef fish
Sources
CGIAR Financial Report 2005
Priorities
and Strategies for Resource Allocation during 1998-2000
and Centre Proposals and TAC Recommendations, June 2000.
The WorldFish Center Medium Term Plan 2002-2004.
ICLARM
1999 Annual Report.
The
WorldFish Center website.
"ICLARM
The WorldFish Center," brochure.
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