3.1 Extension services in the region
3.2 Training of extension agents
3.3 Seed production facilities in the region
3.4 Manufacturers of feed and fertilizers in the region
3.5 Manufacturers of equipment for the industry
3.6 Other services for the industry
3.7 Local credit programmes
3.8 Trade publications for producers
3.9 Technical assistance projects in the sub-sector
There are only limited extension services for fish farmers in the region at the present time. The services which exist are operated by government and semi-governmental organizations.
In Iran the extension services are based in the Fisheries Research Stations operated by Shilat. In Iraq the state-owned fisheries commission extends technical assistance and provides advice to farmers together with the Iskandaria Agricultural Company. National aquaculture research stations in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, and UAE offer technical assistance on aquaculture when requested.
The Fish Farming Centre in Saudi Arabia has published a number of extension materials for farmers in the form of guidelines and operational manuals for the practices which are being encouraged. These are presently being translated into Arabic.
At the present time most of the few aquaculture extension agents employed in the region, or qualified individuals giving advice, are trained in the biological sciences, marine sciences, and possibly fisheries, at a graduate level. Most are graduates from universities in the region (see 4.1); those who specialize in fisheries have qualifications from abroad, particularly from universities in Egypt, India, UK, USA, and the USSR.
There are as yet no vocational colleges in the region training extension agents for aquaculture, either exclusively or as part of extension training in fisheries or agriculture. However, some of the national universities now have aquaculture courses within their programmes (see 4.1).
Specialized training in aquaculture sub-disciplines is predominantly obtained from a number of training opportunities which may occur, but not often within the region and on an irregular basis. One regular course in specialist training is organized by Kelordasht Fish Farm and Training Centre in Iran for farm technicians in cold-water culture techniques. Training courses are also scheduled at the Fish Farming Centre in Saudi Arabia for fish disease diagnosis and treatment.
There are no known training courses specifically for extension agents within the region. The Arab League and the Government of Iraq constructed a training centre at Zaafarania, but it is as yet unused.
Most technical and specialized training takes place abroad. Iran, for example, has sent 18 fisheries staff to the Freshwater Fish Culture Centre in Wuxi, China for a 16-week course on integrated fish farming and carp production. This is part of a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
A database for fisheries and aquaculture training opportunities has been established by ICLARM/FAO at the ICLARM offices in the Philippines. Currently the database lists 316 long- and short-term courses in fisheries and aquaculture world-wide. There are no training centres listed in the region.
In 1986 over 200 million freshwater fry and fingerlings were produced from hatcheries in the region as described to supply fish farms and for restocking. The majority of these fingerlings were produced by large state-run hatcheries or large private hatcheries.
The largest producer is Iran with approximately 140 million fry produced in 1986 and an estimated 175 million fry in 1987. Iraq produced approximately 56 million fry in 1986. Smaller quantities of freshwater fry were also produced in Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The largest proportion of hatchery reared fingerlings was for Chinese carps (102.5 million), rutilus (51 million), common carps (39.5 million), trout and salmon (3 million), sturgeon (1.2 million), and other indigenous fish (8.5 million). A large proportion of these fingerlings went for release into lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and open waters as part of national restocking programmes, with fry supplied from state hatcheries.
In Iran there are five large freshwater hatcheries operated by Shilat, one large hatchery operated by Jihad Sazondegy, and a number of large and small hatcheries operated by the private sector. The Shilat hatcheries are producing common and Chinese carps, kutum, salmon, and trout. The Jihad hatchery and private hatcheries produce only common and Chinese carps. Shilat is presently constructing a further five large hatcheries.
In Iraq there is one main central fish hatchery based in Suwaira and operated by the State Board of Fisheries Development, and another in Babylon. The main hatchery produces common carp, grass and silver carp, and a number of indigenous fish species. There are also a number of smaller hatcheries in the private sector.
In other countries of the region the majority of fry for aquaculture is produced by private hatcheries, or imported from hatcheries abroad, or caught locally from the wild. For example, small quantities of marine fish fry (groupers, mullets, milkfish, rabbitfish) are produced for research and demonstration purposes or caught as wild fry from coastal areas by research stations in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.
Experimental production of marine shrimp post-larvae (P. monodon) takes place in Oman and Saudi Arabia, but shrimp broodstock is presently available only in the south of Saudi Arabia and YAR, and the broodstock requirement for Oman is imported from Singapore and Thailand.
In Iran the government fixes the prices of carp and rainbow trout fingerlings. The price of fingerlings depends on size; for example, the current prices for rainbow trout are:
|
Weight (g) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
Age (days) |
30 |
45 |
60 |
75 |
|
Price (trials) |
20 |
22 |
24 |
30 |
There are no known organizations of seed producers other than the government-operated hatcheries of Shilat in Iran, and State Board of Fisheries in Iraq.
There is a certain amount of trade in fingerlings but this is less intra-regional than inter-regional. Tilapia fry have been imported into Saudi Arabia from Taiwan (Province of China), China, Philippines, and Kenya; all-male red tilapia have been introduced from Taiwan (Province of China), and shrimp post-larvae imported into Oman from Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
In Saudi Arabia the freshwater hatchery of the National Research Centre, City for Science and Technology, regularly distributes small numbers of carp and tilapia fry to private fish farms at no cost.
The region is becoming more self-sufficient in agricultural production of cereals and livestock. This has resulted in the importation of plant for production of fertilizers, and for feed mills to produce animal and poultry feeds. As yet there are no feed manufacturers specifically producing fish feed. Those which try generally produce a poor quality feed which is not ground sufficiently and is too large in pellet size (3.5 mm minimum) for the range of requirements by farmers.
There are animal feed mills in Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and there are research stations with a limited capacity to produce moist fish feed in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. Some of the ingredients for fish feed are available locally (such as cereals) but others must be imported (such as herring meal, fish oil, vitamins and minerals). Fish meal is produced in comparatively large quantities in Iran, Iraq, Oman, PDRY, and UAE. There are also small-scale fish meal plants in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has the largest capacity for animal feed production which supports its large intensive livestock production industry. The Ministry of Commerce operates a number of feed mills through the Grain Silos and Feed Mill Organization which has two formulations for fish feed (30 and 40% protein) for fry and grow-out fish. Radwa Feed Mills in Jeddah has been producing a tilapia fish feed since 1984, using mainly locally produced ingredients, and selling to the major tilapia farms in the country. There are also a number of other private feed mills in the country some of which have produced trial batches of fish feed.
Most of the specialized fish feeds are imported into the region; for example, prawn diets are imported from Taiwan (Province of China), and high quality fish diets from France, Italy, and the UK. There is no fry feed manufacturing equipment in the region and fry feeds must be regularly imported from Denmark, France, and the UK.
There is a subsidy on fish feed prices in Saudi Arabia, as the price of barley is subsidized. Present prices of locally produced fish feed are US$ 360/t.
Large resources of brine shrimp (Artemia salina) have been identified in Iran. This is a live food used widely in fish and shrimp hatcheries which is conveniently canned and stored when in the cyst stage.
Fertilizer manufacture capabilities exist in Jordan, Kuwait, and Iran. In other countries with well-developed agriculture, and where there is the demand, fertilizers are imported and distributed through good networks. Countries with large livestock industries, particularly poultry production, have quantities of organic manure which are available for fertilizing fish ponds.
There is little manufacture of specialized equipment for fish farming in the region and the majority must be imported from abroad. In almost all countries in the region there are fibreglass fabricators for the production of small domestic water tanks. The same techniques have been applied to the fabrication of fibreglass raceways and fish tanks. Many companies in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, for example, have moulds for the fabrication of fish tanks.
The recent industrialization of the richer countries in the region has resulted in the development of industries which can, in some cases, manufacture products or equipment used by the aquaculture industry. For instance, in Saudi Arabia there is a joint venture project with a pump manufacturer to assemble water pumps; there is a joint venture with a company from Norway to produce paints, some of which are anti-foulants for marine equipment and nets; and many joint venture businesses for local production of PVC pipe, PVC fittings, etc., which are widely required by hatcheries.
Certain aquaculture equipment can be manufactured locally, such as fish-cage flotation collars; these are assembled locally from imported softwood, locally produced galvanized steel, and polystyrene blocks or floats.
In Iran there is a net manufacturing plant located in Bushehr which is making nets primarily for the fishing industry but which are also suitable for use in cage culture.
There are two main centres for fish disease diagnostic work in the region. In Kuwait the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research has a fish pathology laboratory capable of making histological analysis and identification of bacteria and parasites. The laboratory also has a series of fish tanks in which disease trials can be undertaken.
The State Fisheries Department Research Station in Iraq carries out research in diseases of freshwater fish and is capable of undertaking diagnostic work.
Other research stations in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and UAE have limited laboratory facilities for disease diagnosis but carry out basic disease analysis and give recommendations on treatment.
Farms and research centres in the region take advantage of their proximity to services in Europe and Scandinavian countries. For example, tissue samples for disease diagnostics are sent abroad for analysis at specialist centres such as the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling, UK.
Water quality analyses when required are usually carried out in all countries by public analyst laboratories or local private companies. Testing of water samples for the most basic parameters is also undertaken by research stations in Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. Detailed water analyses are carried out by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research in Kuwait. The State Fisheries Department in Iraq regularly visits fish farms to check pollution loads in the effluent water of the farm.
Basic nutritional analysis of fish feeds can be undertaken at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research in Kuwait.
A number of European and North American consulting companies are active in the region, either individually or in partnership with local firms. Many are involved in conducting biological and economic feasibility studies, engineering designs and farm specifications, and in some cases undertaking farm management. Some national research stations in the region have capabilities in consulting advice on technology, design, economics, and management, etc., such as KISR in Kuwait.
There are no known local credit programmes in the region as all credit programmes are managed at a national level (see 4.4). However, there is a significant amount of credit through government subsidies. In Iraq the state-owned Fisheries Commission supplies farmers with fishing nets, water pumps, and other materials, as well as leasing land for the farmers at little cost. In Saudi Arabia equipment such as fishing nets for the fishing industry and water pumps for the agriculture industry are subsidized, and fish farmers try to obtain similar benefits.
There are no trade publications specifically for producers published within the region. Technical information is periodically available in INFOSAMAK Marketing Digest published six times yearly, which has articles on' aquaculture practices both within and outside the region (see 1.6).
There are many foreign trade publications which include an international section which are accessible to and useful for producers (and others) in the region. These include Fish Farming International (UK), Fish Farmer (UK), Aquaculture Magazine (USA), Aquaculture Digest (USA), Progressive Fish Culturist (USA), Water Farming Journal (USA). These are obtainable through subscription.
A number of other publications often contain relevant information to producers as well as professionals. These include the Quarterly Newsletter of the European Aquaculture Society (Belgium), which is obtainable through membership of the Society (see 4.6), as well as the publications of the World Aquaculture Society (USA) and the American Fisheries Society (USA).
There are two Trade Directories of aquaculture products (Buyers Guides) which are published at regular intervals. One is available through subscription to Aquaculture Magazine (USA), and the other through the European Aquaculture Society (Belgium).
The Fish Farming Centre, an FAO Trust Fund project, located north of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, includes in its programme services for producers, the development of locally produced fish feeds, basic diagnosis of fish diseases, and water quality testing of farm effluents (see 2.7).
In the past there has been technical assistance for fry production of carp in Iraq, and trout and salmon in Iran. The Central Fish Hatchery of the State Board for Fisheries in Iraq was opened in 1985, received technical assistance from Hungary, and now uses Hungarian fry production technology.
The Bahoner trout propagation farm in Kelardasht, Iran, was established in 1972 with technical assistance from USSR to produce rainbow trout and Caspian salmon fingerlings.
The Arab Fisheries Company is presently constructing a fish farm between Jeddah and Mecca in Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with a company from Germany, as a joint venture with technical and capital assistance from the German company. The farm will culture tilapia and mullet in recirculated freshwater.
In 1986 a technical team from Japan carried out preliminary investigations for fish farming in Qatar. This was followed by another study in 1988. The project is funded under a joint fisheries cooperation programme between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Qatar Department of Fisheries.
