INLAND AQUACULTURE Current priorities and emerging issues in Pacific island countries and territories

Transcription

1 INLAND AQUACULTURE Current priorities and emerging issues in Pacific island countries and territories Tim Pickering SPC Aquaculture Section Suva, Fiji Islands Priorities What are the aspirationsof PICTs for inland aquaculture? Which aquaculture commoditiesare best meeting these aspirations? 1

2 Emerging issues What constraintsare standing in the way of achieving these aspirations? What opportunities are there? How best can progressbe made in inland aquaculture? PICT aspirations 2

3 Food security Improved livelihoods Import substitution Export earnings Culture of lower-value fish for food security is gaining higher priority Drivers are: (i) increasing human populations, and; (ii) a general decline in the coastal fisheries with which small Pacific islands were once blessed. Food security 3

4 Dimensions of the challenge Fish needed (tonnes x 1000) A widening fish gap Solomon Islands Coastal fish production (t x 1000) 4

5 Fish needed (tonnes x 1000) A widening fish gap Solomon Islands Coastal fish production (t x 1000) Fish needed (tonnes x 1000) A widening fish gap Solomon Islands Coastal fish production (t x 1000) 5

6 Fish needed (tonnes x 1000) A widening fish gap Solomon Islands Coastal fish production (t x 1000) Fish needed (tonnes x 1000) A widening fish gap Solomon Islands Coastal fish production (t x 1000) 6

7 The problem is widespread Not Enough Fish: Enough Fish: 16 PICTs 6 PICTs High-island countries with large peri-urban or inland rural populations Capital cities of low-island countries with high urbanisation Small-pond aquaculture of lower-trophic-level fish like tilapia or milkfish is one of three major strategies now being proposed by SPC Other two strategies: (i) low-cost inshore Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) (ii) increased local landings of the region s tuna catch 7

8 Of the three strategies: Inland Aquaculture will provide the least tonnage BUT the fish can be delivered right to the doorstep where they are needed Especially important for inland areas (>5km from the coast) Livelihoods Creation of additional livelihoodsis a recognised strategy to address food security Inland aquaculture does not need to be promoted for adoption only by the poorest of the poor Medium-scale enterprises in aquaculture create jobs, and then people can go shopping 8

9 Import substitution PICTs with major tourist industries have a major issue with high shrimp imports Domestic-market demand for Freshwater Prawn in selected countries is very high Local production will reduce fiscal leakage Inland aquaculture commodities 9

10 Tilapia for food security (small-ponds, lake stocking) Papua New Guinea Samoa Trout/tilapia Highlands Cage-culture Highlands Carp/tilapia Morobe Nauru Lake restocking to replace mossambicus with niloticus rehabilitation Fingerlings 10-15,000 fish ponds Eradication Restocking Vanuatu Tilapia for livelihoods (pond, cage, tank culture) Fiji 300 farms approx. Guam Cook Is Red Tilapia Cage Culture Saipan Hydroponic Intensive American Samoa Recirculating 10

11 Hatchery- based culture Freshwater (Macrobrachium)) prawn Fiji Macrobrachium rosenbergii Capture-based culture Wallis and Futuna 30 farms approx. Macrobrachium Lar Vanuatu Fiji New Caledonia Integrated taro/prawn pond culture Mono culture Marine or brackish finfish Fiji Papua New Guinea Milkfish (Chanos chanos) Solomon Is. Palau Barramundi Saipan Larval trapping Rabbitfish (Siganidae) 11

12 PICT progress to date Aquaculture in the Pacific has not seen the same rapid and dynamic pace of development that Asia has had, BUT: There are some success stories for selected commodities, species, and locations (see the commodities and places described above, and in the PICT presentations at this Conference). Constraints and Emerging Issues SEED FEED 12

13 Over-arching constraints Governance lack of legislation, polices and plans Capacity technical skills (though this is steadily improving) Capacity infrastructure: hatcheries, quarantine, brood-stock, feed-mills, farming equipment Geography isolation from markets, and from supplies of farm inputs Global context Helping Africa to catch up declared a least aquaculturally developed region Better aquaculture governance to provide an enabling environment for investment. (Good governance is the main explanation for why some economies grow while others do not). 13

14 Least aquaculturally developed Globally the oceanic Pacific comes last of any FAO statistical region in terms of aquaculture production and value Within the Pacific region, two territories out of 16 PICTs account for more than 90% of value The Pacific region has vast aquatic resource potentials Reliance upon subsidy Small household level aquaculture for subsistence consumption is only viable with on-going government support and subsidy of farm inputs (stifles entrepreneurial spirit) Yet subsistence aquaculture for food security is seen as important (however the payback to society from subsidy must be transparent) The next challenge is to add a layer of viable SME-scale commercial-market aquaculture for peri-urban markets 14

15 Disconnect between food security and biosecurity dialogues International agriculture/aquaculture is based upon domestication and range extension of those very few species with suitable traits for husbandry Pacific indigenous freshwater species almost all have marine larval phases, those that don t will still need research to domesticate (10+yrs?) For low-tech inland aquaculture to meet PICT aspirations, Nile tilapia is the most-readily adopted option Initiatives to safeguard (a) food security, and (b) biosecurity, are at loggerheads internationally, regionally, and nationally E.g. Among PICTS, fiveof our seven successful commodities (M. rosenbergii, Kappaphycus seaweed, stylishrimp, Nile tilapia, Chinese carps) are alien (NB in line with Precautionary Principle, SPC does not recommend introduction of tilapia to catchments where it is not already well-established 15

16 E.g. Pacific Regional Food Security strategy calls for (i) Inland aquaculture to be promoted, but also (ii) avoid invasive species to protect biodiversity E.g. CBD signatories will soon be called upon to use only indigenous species for aquaculture disastrous for the Pacific which lacks suitable indigenous species E.g. SPC and SPREP, and national Environment and Fisheries Departments, offer different advice from different perspectives Alien species are often being wrongly synonymized as invasive species. Contradictory dialogues in food security and biodiversity are confusing policy makers. Aquaculture species are no different from agriculture species that keep people from hunger. Aquaculture alien species urgently need research to fill knowledge gaps and develop appropriate guidelines, so that PICT governments can make considered decisions. 16

17 Biosecurity Pacific does not have a tradition of aquaculture whereby local species have been domesticated There is need to introduce suitable species from elsewhere. To protect biodiversity in our region, there is a strong need for responsible practices. Regional capacity in biosecurity is very limited Aquatic animal health the Pacific region has very limited capacity to detect and manage diseases of aquatic organisms The Pacific currently has no formal networks in place to enable timely detection of disease Pacific aquaculture industries need protection from ecological and pathogen risks of alien species (whether introduced intentionally or unintentionally) 17

18 Aquaculture statistics - Indicators of progress Aquaculture statistics and indicators of contributions to food security, livelihoods and GDP are difficult to collect among PICTs, and so far has not been systematic Aquaculture sections of PICT governments find it hard to make a case for allocation of budgets and resources to support their sector PNG has 10,000+ small-scale farmers, yet the annual production being reported to FAO is only 100 tonnes per year. This highlights the importance to the region of improving the collation of aquaculture statistics as indicators against which progress in the sector can be measured. 18

19 Global initiatives on statistics FAO is aware of SPC-member challenges with statistics, other regions share these challenges More information needs to be collected than just production and value PICTs will be part of forth-coming initiatives for capacity-building in aquaculture statistics collection and analysis Vulnerability of Inland Aquaculture to climate change 19

20 Tilapia, Freshwater prawn Tilapia aquaculture in the Pacific will not be particularly vulnerable, and may benefit from future climate change Temperatures suitable for tilapia and prawn farming will be extended to higher latitudes and higher altitudes. Some areas with increased rainfall or cyclones may become more prone to flooding DFF (Fiji) Ltd Prawn Farm Cyclone Mick, December 2009 Tilapia, Freshwater Prawn Water column stratification from higher temperatures creates a deoxygenated bottom layer in ponds. Fish are crowded, prawns die. May rule out lower-input prawn aquaculture where aeration is not possible and water turnover is limited. Will increase energy costs for higher-intensity farming. 20

21 Tilapia, Freshwater Prawn Adaptations can include: Feed formulations with reduced fishmeal content Best Management Practices to avoid diseases Farm site selection policies that avoid salty water conditions or high risk flood areas. Opportunities 21

22 Tilapia, freshwater prawn Viability of tilapia and M. rosenbergii prawn is now demonstrated in some PICT locations (however both species are alien ) High island countries have sufficient land and water resources for industry expansion Domestic market demand is getting stronger Tilapia, freshwater prawn Inland aquaculture will be a winner under climate change, in most PICT locations This is provided that indirecteffects of climate change, such as on fishmeal availability and price, do not overly constrain such industry expansion. 22

23 Tilapia, freshwater prawn Even with Climate Change, there is scope among PICTs to greatly expand tilapia and freshwater prawn aquaculture beyond its present size. Tilapia aquaculture can itself be a strategy to adapt to climate change, subject to protection of biodiversity Indigenous species Research is needed to prioritise and investigate local candidates for domestication: milkfish mullets siganids bush-prawn Macrobrachium lar 23

24 How best can progress be made? Keys to a turnaround in Africa: Development to be private-sector led in all phases Good governance (supporting legislation, policies, planning approaches like zoning, etc) Public-private partnerships Capacity-building to provide critical mass of competent personnel Financial incentives and credit Research and Outreach (Extension) 24

25 Lessons for PICTs Government to do fewer things better Clearly define roles of public- and privatesector stakeholders (make aquaculture strategies, polices and plans) Government to do less of DOING aquaculture,and more of SUPPORTING aquaculture (create an enabling environment for private sector investment BUT recognise that some PICTs have a very weak private-sector Focus for PICT developmentpartner engagement Capacity-building Infrastructure-building (Master Hatcheries and Quarantine facilities) Regional broodstock? Governance (assistance with legislation, Plans, etc) Biosecurity strengthening Emphasize domestic markets, local inputs Research to reduce alien spp. ecological risks, domesticate indigenous spp. 25

26 Projected production Ponia (2010) reports 1998 aquaculture value among PICTs as USD 181 million In 2007 it was USD 211 million If no Climate Change, is optimistically forecast to be to be worth USD 320 million by 2025 Growth mainly driven by expansion within the existing commodities, via adoption of these proven commodities by additional PICTs. Thank you 26