From crustaceans to innovations
ment of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector (IEIDEAS) project by WorldFish. The scheme has focused on improving the producti vity of existi ng fi sh farms through providing management training to more than 2,000 fi sh farmers and releasing a faster growing strain of Nile ti lapia. The project also involved the NGO, CARE, to support the empowerment
of informal women retailers, who sell farmed fi sh to poor Egypti ans, and to expand aquaculture into a new area of Upper Egypt. It also aimed at improving the policy and insti tuti onal environment for aquaculture. Impact assessment for the project will take place in 2015, but the initi al
results are encouraging. For many fi sh farmers, the management training is the fi rst ti me they have received advice and support. The project in- volves private sector fi sh farmers, who become ‘farmer trainers’, deliver- ing a series of training sessions at the pond-side to groups of fi sh farmers. Feed represents around 70 per cent of the operati ng costs for these
farmers so feed and water management are key topics. Initi al research indicates that farmers can reduce their food conversion rati os from 1.8 to 1.5, resulti ng in signifi cantly increased profi tability. Reducing their stock- ing rates also helps as larger fi sh fetch a higher price from wholesalers.
Geneti c improvements The geneti c improvement programme for development of the Abbassa
strain of Nile ti lapia has taken more than 10 years. It uses a family based conventi onal breeding system to produce fi sh that grow faster in each generati on, while maintaining geneti c diversity. The fi sh released to Egypti an fi sh farmers was generati on 9 (G9), which
grows around 30 per cent faster than other commercial strains, while generati on 13 is now under development at Abbassa. The G9 Abbassa strain broodstock were supplied to six leading hatch- eries in 2012; they then sold broodstock to a further 145 hatcheries in 2013. These hatcheries supplied around 1,200 fi sh farms with G9 sex-re- versed fry in 2014. Not only does the improved strain grow faster, but the fi sh are more
evenly sized at harvest. Egypt has a relati vely short growing season, from April to November, so faster growing fi sh should mean more fl exibility.
www.fishfarmer-magazine.com
“The management training is the fi rst However, it is not all plain sailing for Egypt’s fi sh farmers. Feed prices
ti me they have received support ”
keep on rising, as most of the raw materials are imported and the value of the Egypti an pound has fallen. Politi cal turmoil has aff ected the econ- omy so people have less money and selling prices for fi sh have not risen. Unti l recently, fi sh disease had not been a major issue. But there have been unexplained mortaliti es of ti lapia in the last two summers. Poor water quality is almost certainly a factor, as is poor biosecurity. Fish farms are only allowed to re-use water that has already passed through irrigati on schemes so the quality varies.
New markets The big opportunity for the industry is to expand into new markets and
extend existi ng markets by improving their post-harvest handling and dis- tributi on. Tilapia has always been viewed as a poor people’s fi sh in Egypt and treated accordingly. Fish is not chilled and there is minimal use of ice so the quality degrades quickly. Building a cold chain would extend the shelf-life of the fi sh from 24 hours to several days, meaning it could be sold in more distant local markets, used for processing or exports. There could be opportuniti es for the several million small-scale farmers in the country to benefi t from having fi sh farming as part of the mix of acti viti es on their farms. Fish farms and associated services employ at least 140,000 people in parts of the country with few other opportuni- ti es, and farmed fi sh is feeding increasing numbers of poor people. The IEIDEAS project has also established six pilot women retailer groups
that demonstrate how operati ng collecti vely makes them bett er off . So although the Egypti an aquaculture industry is already a fantasti c success
story, many challenges must be resolved if it is to conti nue to provide aff orda- ble protein and employment for the people of this ancient country. FF
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