Risk management as has been described from the on-going discussions would be difficult to enforce in certain developing country situations. Growing introduced fish in containment is not practical since this would be expensive -especially in areas which could be flooded during monsoon rains. Growing fish in industrial waste water lagoons has been suggested elsewhere but there is always the probability of escape and the negative connotations that goes with waste water culture may not make the fish acceptable.
Yet, in countries where the population is dense and growing fast, overfishing is a common practice that is decimating species rapidly. Unlike in developed countries, regulated fishing is difficult to enforce since providing people with food is far more urgent that saving a species. Poor people do not care to save for tomorrow since they fear tomorrow may not come for them, anyway. Hence, our practice has been to introduce new, fast growing species to natural bodies of water, dams and water impoundments. If transgenic fish will grow faster, should they not be a better alternative than the introduced species, giving us higher yields per unit area and at a lower cost because of the faster turn around time ?
Saturnina C. Halos, Ph.D.
Senior Project Development Adviser(Biotechnology)
Bureau of Agricultural Research
Department of Agriculture
Philippines
halos@mozcom.com
[To contribute to this conference, send your message to biotech-room4@mailserv.fao.org For further information on the FAO Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture see http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp ]
-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod4
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2000 9:30 AM
To: 'biotech-room4@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: Application in the developing world
[Thanks to Don Griffiths for a reminder that participants, when discussing certain aspects of fish biotechnologies, should keep in mind that the theme of this conference (Conference 4 of the FAO Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture) focuses on the appropriateness of these biotechnologies for developing countries. The views/experiences of people such as Don Griffiths on this theme would be much appreciated.....Moderator]
Ladies and gentlemen, the objective of this forum is `to provide an open forum that will allow a wide range of parties, ......to discuss and exchange views and experiences about specific issues concerning biotechnology in food and agriculture for developing countries.' To date, I've heard a lot of theoretical exchange that doesn't have much to do with poverty, food deficit, livelihoods and nutrition in developing countries. Can we relate the discussion to application in the developing world?
Don Griffiths
Programme Coordinator,
Rural Extension for Aquaculture Development project, working in Cambodia and
Viet Nam.
mrccaibe@hcm.fpt.vn
[To contribute to this conference, send your message to biotech-room4@mailserv.fao.org For further information on the FAO Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture see http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp ]