AGENCY V011 INTERNATIONAL DEVELOIMENT FOR AID USE ONLY WAIIHINGTON, D. C. 20523 BIBLIOGRAPHIC INPUT SHEET 3.ATH(SSI- A.RSCrN )ARY FICATION Fisheries 2. TITLE STITLEAN E AND Improving food and nutrition through aquaculture in the developing countries 3. AUTHOR(S) Caton,Douglas; Moss,D.D.; Urano,J.A. 4. DOCUMENT DATE 5." NUMBER OF PAGES 6. ARC NUMBER 1974 : =58p. ARC 7. REFERENCE ORGANIZA IOIN NAME AND ADDRESS AID/TA,/AGR 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES (Sponsoring Origanization, Publishers, Availability) 9. ABSTRAC Aquaculture, the production of freshwater and now marine organisms through husbandry, contributes less than 10% of the water-derived if the best proteins in the world. However, existing methods were applied more widely, times as aquaculture could produce ten much protein annually by the year 2000. fishculture The total area presently used for is estimated to be four million to hectares. This area could be expanded about 30 million hectares. With improved methods, this would increase production from the present five million metric tons to 50 million tons by the end century. Ongoing research needs of the to be reinforced by coordinated planning financial assistance. This paper and describes selected aquacultures, including of the Chinese carp, common carp, Indian those pangasius, carp, tilapia, trout and salmon, catfish, walking catfish, milkfish, molluscs, shrimp, and eels, and discusses the most effective way to reinforce present LDG's research efforts. Research relating should concentrate on important scientific to of species: problems concerning a small number carps. catfish, tilapia, milkfish, mullets, priority research and shrimps. The highest i.salso needed on disei'es and the broad problems related spectrum of water quality to the cultured animal and its aquatic regional research environment. One or more centers should be established to conduct required, offer short-term the long-term research training for scientific personnel of and disseminate research national institutiuns, findings. A network of national centers established to investigate should also be local problems and conduct pilot studies. 10. CONTROL NUMBER 10 NTRO( NUMBE It. PRICE OF DOCUMENT . DESCRIPTORS 13. PROJECT NUMBER Aquaculture Food supply AERPjNUMBER 15. TYPE OF DOCUMENT AID 590.1 14-74) DRAFT: 3/5/74 Office of Agriculture Technical Assistance Bureau Improving Food and Nutrition Through Aquaculture in the Developing Countries by Douglas D. Caton, Donovan D. Moss and James A. Urano I. A. Problem: Economic development of food supplies needi to be sharply accelerated because: 1. Per capita food supplies are not keeping pace with income and population growth, and the need for stocks 2. The world protein gap is between 60 and 80 percent and increasing 3. The economical land base is decreasing under urbanization, cost and population pressures requiring: a. intensification of output yields per land unit b. diversification of crop and animal production c. multiple cropping using same soil and water resources B. Hypotheses 1. Aquaculture is an economical source of protein and vitamins 2. Aquaculture meets the criterion of bio-physical resource intensification 3. Aquaculture provides value added products to multiple land and water uses 4. Aquaculture helps utilize all the food niches in the water environment -2- I. Role of Aquaculture Presently Aquaculture, the production of freshwater and marine organisms through husbandry, contributes less than 10 percent of the world's water-derived proteins, with a production of 5-6 million metric tons (MT)valued at more than 2,500 million U.S. dollars annually. However, this is double the production of fice years ago, and an equally high rate of aquacultural growth could be sustained for a long period if the best existing production methods were applied more widely, and if necessary improvements were effected. By the year 2000, aquaculture could produce at least 50 MMT (millions metric TONS) of animal protein, representing an annual return of 25,000 million dollars at present proces. Its importance in the nutrition of certain countries, expecially land-locked ones, is greater than the magnitude of production suggests. Furthermore, aquaculture represents an ecologically sound practice and a use of solar energy that would otherwise be wasted. The increasing impact of the industry in developing countries and the recent results of development programs clearly shows its role in integrated rural development. The supply of one third of the world's animal protein (exclusive of milk) is dependent upon fisheries. Ninety percent or more of fish are captured from wild stocks,for which no yield increase comparable to that of aquaculture is regarded as possible within the same time span. Many of the most valuable stocks are already fully exploited or overfished, and relatively few new stocks are open td exploitation. -3- Capture fisheries did increase by 25 percent in the last five years, but this increase was largely through industiial fish landings, and levelled off to less than two percent during the last two years despite large injections of capital and of new technologies. III. The Present Status of Aquaculture A. Background The present contribution to world protein supplies by aquaculture is estimated between 5-6 million metric tons (MMT) of fish, equivalent to 10 percent of the total annual world fish catch utilized directly for human consumption(1 ). The potential for increased production of protein by aquaculture is large, with a ten-fold increase judged to be realistic in the immediate future through application of present technology. The total area presently utilized for fishculture is estimated to range between 3-4 million hectares, and this area could be expanded to approximately 30 million hectares which could, with improved aquaculture methodology, increase present level of production of about 5 MMT to 50 MMT by the end of this century. The major expansion would be into presently unused resources and not encroach onto lands now in production. (1) Report of the Technical Advisory Committee on Aquaculture, Consultative Group on International Agricultural reasearch, FAO, Rome. 1973 -4­ 13. Definition Aquaculture may be defined as the culture of food crops in water. Different culture systems have been developed for fresh­ water, brackish water and sea water where crops produced are proncipally fish, shrimp, bivalves (mussels and oysters) and certain edible aquatic plants. The significance of aquaculture in the nutrition of many countries is considerably more important than is indicated by the volume of production. Production through aquacultuve constitutes 40 percent of total fish harvest in China, 38, 22 and 20 percent of the total annual fish production in India, Indonesia and the Philippines respectively (2 ) . Another example of the importance of aquaculture to a country bordering the Mediter­ ranean Sea is Israel where fish culture harvest amounts to 50 perccit of the total fisheries annual catch.(3) C. Importance Aquaculture makes a significantly large contribution to the food supplies of developing countries. It now contributeg four percent of the world's animal protein supply (milk excluded), and its importance in the nutrition of certain countries, especially landlocked ones, is greater than the magnitude of production suggests. Its considerable importance in integrated rural devel­ opment is indicated by the increasing impact of the industry in developing countries and by recent results of development programs. (2) FAO Aquaculture Bulletin, Volume 5, April-July, 1973. (3) BAMIDCEH Bulletin of Fish Culture in Israel, Vol. 25, No. 2, June, 1973. - 5 - The future potential for an increased production of protein food by aquaculture is very large. While capture fisheries for food fish are not expected to double their present tonnage (45 MT), means can already be identified to prompt a ten-fold increase in aquaculture production. Even greater increases are possible if certain unproved and imaginative techniques (e.g. artificial upwelling of deep water) can be developed. Unlike capture fisheries production, which is to a large extent dependent on uncontrollable natural variables, the limitations on production in aquaculture are directly related to inputs. The total area presently under fish culture is not accurately known but is believed to be in the order of 3-4 million ha. It is estimated that this area could be increased up to about 30 million ha. A significant proportion of these large potential increases in aquaculture production will depend upon the solution df certain problems through research. On-going research does not now solve the problems at a pace which is desirable, and which would be possible if the effort were reinforced strongly by coordinated planning and financial assistance. Other constraints (e.g. lack of development policies and programs in aquaculture, pollution, site competition) also reatrict expansion of aqua­ culture, but with only their partial resolution significant advances could be made through research.are summarized in the next section. - 6 - IV. Purposes and Types of Aquaculture A. Characteristics of Aquaculture Although aquaculture, especially the culture of fish in ponds, originated many centuries ago, it is practiced on a large scale only in relatively few countries. Food production from this source has been significant in Asia and the Far East, but the overall importance of aquaculture in human nutrition came to be recognized only in recent years. Studies on quantity and quality