The
WorldFish Center Quarterly
Vol. 26,
No. 3 (July September 2003)
Investing
in Africa: the WorldFish Center's African Strategy
in summary
P. Dugan
Abstract
Across
much of Africa, freshwater and coastal fisheries
provide an important source of food and livelihood
for many millions of people. In addition, the
aquaculture potential of the continent has only
recently begun to be developed. To help sustain
these capture fisheries, support the emergence
of aquaculture and foster the contribution of
both to sustainable livelihoods and improved food
security, the WorldFish Center is increasing its
investment in Africa. The framework for this investment
is provided by a new Strategy for Africa and West
Asia 2002-2006 that identifies priorities for
the Centers work in rivers and floodplains,
lakes and reservoirs, coastal fisheries, aquaculture,
policy research and capacity building. The present
article summarizes the issues being addressed
by the Center and describes initial research priorities.
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Article (PDF 58 KB)
Potentials
for development to aquaculture in Africa
D.M. Jamu and O.A.
Ayinla
Abstract
Aquaculture
production in Africa has remained low despite
the huge potential that exists on the continent.
In order for this potential to be realized, it
is necessary to refocus the direction of aquaculture
development. This paper concludes that for further
growth to occur it is necessary to: (i) widen
the range of production systems; (ii) increase
production intensities and efficiencies; (iii)
develop management technologies for indigenous
species that target local niche markets; (iv)
put more emphasis on marketing and processing
of high value products; (v) promote policy research
on how aquaculture production can respond to changing
macroeconomic policies; and (vi) accelerate the
disengagement of government from activities that
can best be done by the private sector.
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Article (PDF 97 KB)
Local
solutions to challenges of west Indian Ocean fisheries
development
R. van der Elst
Abstract
The West Indian Ocean is rich in biodiversity
and marine resources. This paper gives an overview
of fisheries development and resource management
in the region. There are many shared issues that
must be addressed within countries and at the
regional level. These are illustrated by examples
from three countries. In Mozambique the issues
of lack of information about artisanal fisheries,
excessive harvesting of juveniles and conflicts
between artisanal and commercial sectors are highlighted.
Elements in addressing this include targeted research
and decision-making support tools. The challenges
faced in Somalia stem primarily from the political
instability that contributed to an absence of
sound fisheries policy. An example of a highly
participatory process to develop the policy provides
a model for other countries. In Tanzania, the
issue of dynamite fishing was addressed by local
communities initiating a program to promote wise
use of the resources. There is a clear opportunity
for better collaboration and greater integration
of fi sheries research and management on a regional
basis. There is also much to be learnt by the
sharing of experiences between countries. This
has been initiated by some recently launched regional
cooperation projects, but there are still many
challenges facing this region.
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Article (PDF 53 KB)
Valuing
Africa's inland fisheries: overview of current
methodologies with an emphasis on Livelihood Analysis
C. Bènè
and A.E. Neiland
Abstract
While
Africas inland fisheries are widely recognized
to be of great importance to local people, accurate
and up-to-date information on their value is sparse
and its absence is a serious constraint to the
formulation of effective fisheries policies and
management practices. As a contribution to current
efforts to address this constraint, this paper
reviews the different methods that are potentially
applicable to the valuation of inland fisheries
and discusses their respective rationales and
limitations within a multi-sectoral, multi-user
context. The livelihood analysis approach is given
special emphasis. The complementarity of this
recently developed approach with the other, more
conventional, environmental economics methods
is illustrated.
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Article (PDF 41 KB)
River
fisheries in Africa: their relationship to flow
regimes
R.L. Welcomme
Abstract
River fisheries in Africa are important because
of their contribution of animal protein to human
diets. Such fisheries are highly dependent on
hydrological regimes and show considerable year-to-year
variation in response to natural climatic events.
River flow regimes are being increasingly altered
by withdrawals by man, principally for agriculture.
The modification of hydrological regimes is leading
to diminishing catches of fish and changes in
the number and size of the species caught. Given
that the trend to remove water from rivers for
agriculture and power generation will continue,
better appraisals of the impacts of such withdrawals
are urgently needed so the policies for water
allocation can be better defined. The development
of tools to aid in such decision-making is equally
important.
View
Article (PDF 41 KB)
FishBase
Article
FishBase species profile: Clarias gariepinus
(Burchell, 1822) North African catfish
FishBase Team
Abstract
Production
(mt) In this issue NAGA introduces a new page
on profiles of fish species. This page will be
a permanent feature of the NAGA and will be based
on information derived from FishBase (http://www.fishbase.org),
the worlds premier information system on
fishes and a global public good. FishBase is being
developed by the WorldFish Center and an International
Consortium. The first species selected is the
North African catfish Clarias gariepinus,
one of the most important freshwater fish species
in Africa. It has been chosen in honor of Prof
Dr Guy Teugels of the Musée Royal de lAfrique
Centrale (MRAC) of Tervuren, Belgium, who recently
passed away (see Announcement on page 39) and
who spent many years investigating this species.
View
Article (PDF 42 KB)
ReefBase
Article
Using ReefBase to create customized maps
ReefBase
Team
Abstract
One
of the most popular sections of the ReefBase website
is the online GIS that enables users to create
an almost unlimited range of maps showing a wide
variety of features. A new version of the GIS,
offering an even larger array of facilities and
data layers, is online as of early September.
In this article, we will provide an introduction
to the ReefBase GIS and also highlight some of
the powerful but lesser used features of the system.
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Article (PDF 73 KB)
INGA
Article
Potential of genetics for aquaculture development
in Africa
W. Changadeya,
L.B. Malekano and A.J.D. Ambali
Abstract
Aquaculture
in Africa is fairly insignificant by world standards
and accounts for a mere 0.4 per cent of global
aquaculture production. The application of genetics
can play an important role in efforts to increase
aquaculture production in Africa through methods
such as selective breeding, hybridization, chromosome
manipulation and use of YY supermales.
Other issues that need to be addressed are limited
genetic research facilities, funding, human capacity
and suitable species for aquaculture.
View
Article (PDF 60 KB)
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