PAST & PRESENT PROJECTS

The role and impact of China on world fisheries & aquaculture

This study reviews China’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors with an emphasis on the operations of its distant water fleets. The analysis centres on the fleet's illegal fishing practices and the challenges they represent to competing fleets from the EU and other industrialised nations.

Read the full report here.

This presentation highlights the widespread and significant suffering that aquatic animals experience in commercial fisheries. As wild-caught fish remain the last major food-producing sector that does not take animal welfare into consideration, we urge the industry to adopt humane practices.

Check out the presentation here.

This Guide is primarily addressed to fisheries management professionals and other relevant decision-makers in the fisheries industry. The Guide urges the adoption of an animal welfare-based approach to capture fisheries management.

Read the Guide here.

Infected fish have been known to recover from mild illness when they are able to locate to warmer water. This study aimed to replicate this ‘behavioural fever’ effect in an aquaculture setting by artificially heating a section of a fish pond (thereby introducing a thermal gradient) and effectively modifying pond design. Fish reared in the greenhouse ponds tended to be larger than the control ponds and had improved physiological and immune status. The results of this study suggest that low-cost interventions that introduce thermal gradients in aquaculture systems may hold promise for improving health and welfare status of farmed fish in developing countries.

Read the preprint here.

Results of this survey on the use of feed and water additives in Nile tilapia farms in Egypt show limited use of manually mixed feed and water additives but trends suggest a need to better establish their cost-benefit and promote their appropriate use.

Read the full article here.

Presentation at Aquaculture Africa 2021 in Alexandria, Egypt (March 2022)

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of pond modification on water quality, growth performance and the immune-oxidative status of Nile tilapia fingerlings reared in earthen ponds with and without greenhouses (3 % of pond area) as a form of design modifications. The results revealed that fish reared in ponds modified with greenhouse effect showed  improved growth performance, survival and feed utilisation efficiency.

Read the full conference abstract here.

Synergies and Clustering between Maritime Projects (EASME/EMFF/2020/3.1.12) – SI2.850620

This workshop sought to address a shortcoming identified in many EMFF-funded projects, namely, what happens when the grant support ends? Ideally, grants are awarded to innovative projects, products, and/or services that hold great potential but that are not yet sufficiently developed to enter the market or to raise capital from private investors. The purpose of a grant is to "nurture" these ideas until they grow mature and are ready to stand on their own feet. However, for a number of reasons, several EMFF-funded projects often end up finishing with the grant itself. There is often limited consideration of sustaining or developing projects following grant funding.

See the agenda here.

African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) has been growing in popularity as a culture species globally. Although considerable research has been carried out on this species’ feeding preferences, no research has been carried out on optimum water level for growth. This study assessed the effect of different combinations of water levels and types of feed on the growth performance of African catfish. The fish cultured in the shallowest water grew significantly faster than those cultured in the deepest ponds. At the same time, fish cultured in the shallowest ponds had the lowest feed intake rates and consequently the lowest feed conversion ratios. The results of this study suggest that the growth and feeding efficiency of C. gariepinus can be optimized by culturing in fairly shallow ponds (0.5 m).

Read the paper here.

The food industry and the frozen fish sector in particular have benefitted greatly from advancements in food processing technologies. This study investigated the effect of adding natural antioxidants such as rosemary and thyme oil to frozen fillets of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in order to preserve their quality for consumers. The best sensory quality was obtained at the highest concentrations (1.5%) of thyme and rosemary oil.

Read the paper here.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is tasked with completing fish habitat assessments for the Toronto region. In order to obtain the necessary baseline information for these assessments, DFO surveyed the harbours and islands around Toronto and documented shoreline type, substrate, bathymetry and submerged aquatic vegetation. These results provide a baseline for future shoreline changes and can be used in fish habitat suitability modelling.

Read the report here.

FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Proceedings

In light of emerging economic, social and environmental issues and taking stock of the progress made in aquaculture research and innovation, the conference acknowledged the key role to be played by the sector in achieving food security, employment and economic development in the region, under a blue growth perspective. All participating countries reached a consensus on the need to foster cooperation and implement coherent and coordinated strategies to face challenges ahead and ensure the sustainable and responsible growth in the sector in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Read the proceedings here.

WorldFish Program Report

This report documents the outputs of a fisheries value chain study in Aswan, Egypt. This value chain analysis forms part of the youth employment project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and led by CARE Egypt in partnership with WorldFish. The current study concentrates on mapping and documenting fisheries value chains from fishers to retailers to identify the scope for job creation, livelihood improvement and poverty reduction.

Read the full report here.