PESCA
PESCA is regional project developing a decision support tool (DST) and best management practices (BMPs) to guide improvement of policies to increase fish production through cage aquaculture with negligible impacts on the water environment of the African Great Lakes (AGLs) and promoting use of those practices through adaptive research . The project is implemented in the Ugandan, Kenyan and Tanzanian parts of Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Edward, Lake Kivu, and the Malawian and Mozambican parts of Lake Malawi/Nyasa/ Niassa. It is coordinated by the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) and implemented with partners from: Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Kenya; Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI), Tanzania; Department of Fisheries, Malawi; IIP - Fisheries Research Institute, Mozambique; Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) / Research Department; and Source of the Nile (SoN) Fish Farm Ltd, Uganda. These are supported by experts from: Great Lakes Fishery Commission, USA; Cornell University, Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, USA; and Hull International Fisheries Institute (HIFI), University of Hull, UK. The project is supported by the African Great Lakes Conservation Fund administered by The Nature Conservancy with funding provided by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to accomplish key priority issues coming out of the 2017 African Great Lakes Conference held in Entebbe, Uganda. Interested technical persons, institutions, and development partners are encouraged to join the project to contribute to development of this emerging industry.
Background
The AGLs are important sources of fish which supports livelihoods of about 1.8 million people and are hotspots of high fish biodiversity, especially Haplochromine cichlids of ecological and scientific importance. However most economically important capture fisheries of these lakes have declined due to overfishing and degradation of the fish habitats and can no longer meet the increased demand for fish by the rapidly increasing human population.
Benefits
Overall Objective
Increase fish production and profitability through cage aquaculture with minimal impacts on the aquatic environment and other lakes uses
Specific Objectives
2. Establish an African Great Lakes Cage Aquaculture Network (AGL-CAN) of Partners
3. Examine and share information from individual AGLs including: Tradeoffs between capture fisheries, other socio-economic uses of water bodies, the aquatic environmental health and cage aquaculture.
4. Provide guidelines for planning and operation of cage aquaculture farms.
5. Examine policy, regulatory, and human resources requirements and recommend improvements.
6. Guide monitoring and management of the environment of cage aquaculture farms
7. Increase awareness; and Work with farmer groups to test the DST and BMPs.
Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia)
Prefered farmed fish on the African Great Lakes
Oreochromis shiranus (Photo from fishbase by Loiselle, P.V.)
Main species cultured on Lake Malawi/Nyasa/NyiassaOutputs
How to access it
(a) From your Phone – Open Google Play store
(b) Google Play store – Search for Naro Cage Aquaculture or Naro Cage
Icon with NARO cage Aquaculture appear, click on Install. The installation takes a few seconds after which you will able to open the App.
4. Guidelines for CageFish Farming inUganda(Brochure)
5. Cage farming (Seeds of Gold NaFIRRI at Agricultural show Jinja July 2018 Courtesy of NTV Uganda)(Clip below)
