Sustainable aquaculture technologies
Aquaculture, Malawi
WorldFish research on sustainable aquaculture contributes to achieving two development challenges – (i) to improve the livelihoods of those who are especially poor and vulnerable in places where aquaculture can make a difference; and (ii) to achieve large scale, environmentally sustainable increases in supply and access to fish, at affordable prices, for poor consumers in developing countries. We do this by focusing our research around key research themes and working with partners to seek development outcomes that will generate impact at scale:
- Improved fish strains: We develop and disseminate improved strains for important aquaculture species. We conduct cutting edge in-house selective breeding research and disseminate improved strains resulting from this work. We also provide technical backstopping to selected partner countries in Africa and Asia to help them develop and evaluate national breeding programs for species that are suited to the prevailing environmental, production and marketing conditions.
- Fish biodiversity conservation and risk management: We work with international partners to provide the guidelines and tools needed to assess and manage the risks associated with developing and disseminating genetically improved strains. We also work with partner countries to build capacity to implement those guidelines.
- Aquaculture systems: We develop aquaculture technologies and farming systems that are more productive and efficient, suited to the social, ecological and economic conditions, and that assist fish production systems and farmers become more resilient to the local and global drivers influencing aquaculture producers.
- Better yields from feeds and fertilizers: We conduct research on fertilizers and feeds for aquaculture, and management practices, to identify ways of improve yields through more efficient aquaculture production systems. We work with partners to identify approaches and share lessons on producing nutritionally sound and environmentally sustainable feeds.
- Ecosystem boundaries: We develop tools and conduct research to better understand the ecosystem implications of aquaculture growth, and ways in which aquaculture growth can occur without compromising ecosystem goods and services. We work with researchers, government, civil society and business to identify more ecologically efficient aquaculture systems and through partnerships seek to deliver improved ecological performance of aquaculture at scale.
- Institutional, market and business innovations: We recognize that successful aquaculture requires functioning institutions for delivering the services required, as well as value chains that deliver the inputs such as feed and seed, and connect aquaculture enterprises to markets. Our research seeks to understand the circumstances and innovations required for sustainable aquaculture to grow.
We work across a wide range of geographies in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. In-house research on genetic improvement continues to be based primarily in Malaysia while support for national breeding programs is undertaken in several countries through project level engagement with national governments. From 2011-2014, this work will be restricted to the partner countries with whom we are currently working on this issue: Egypt, Ghana, Malawi, China, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Vietnam. Our aquaculture research program also conducts research in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Philippines, Uganda, Zambia and Solomon Islands.