The project aims to assist development of fish production in Qinghai Province in two ways: by producing a management plan for the important naked carp fishery on Qinghai Lake and by demonstration of the technology of rainbow trout culture.
This report identifies the equipment and monitoring requirements of the project by the assessment of:
- the current equipment status of the laboratory of the Institute of Aquatic Products, Xining City, Qinghai Province, People's Republic of China
- the equipment requirements of the project to enable a basic limnological investigtion to be undertaken in line with the objectives of the project.
As part of the project operations, FAO assigned Mr C.J. Smith as consultant from 6 September to 25 October 1989. After consultations with project Chief Technical Adviser, Mr David Edwards and with FAO HQ staff in Rome the consultant's terms of reference were modified to take account of the above requirements.
The laboratory at the Institute of Aquatic Products is in a dilapidated condition; however, there are number of old but functional pieces of equipment (listed in Appendix ]). Apart from a small portable pHmeter, all equipment appears fixed.
After discussion with the present staff of the Institute and observations on the status of the laboratory and the current work programme, it is evident that, although the level of training appears to be adequate, there is a considerable lack of practical experience both in the field and in the laboratory. It is assumed that this could be rectified by a relatively short training programme before the full project field work commences.
Detailed discussions with the CTA and HQ staff in Rome have stressed the need to undertake limnological investigations only inasfar as they affect the fishery. It is not the purpose of this project to conduct a detailed academic survey of the environment and biota of Qinghai Lake. Consequently, numerous detailed precise analyses of a large variety of parameters were not necessary. It is essential, however, that in keeping the institution-building aspects of this project, a complete, operational laboratory is equipped with the necessary analytical and investigative equipment.
To this end, the equipment requirements have been kept to a minimum and emphasis placed on any physical and chemical analyses being carried out, where possible, in the field, with the fixed laboratory facility in Xining City being used for those parameters not easily tested in the field (e.g., BOD, COD, protein, etc.) and for occasional confirmatory analyses of the performance of the field kits.
The equipment required is listed in Appendix II, and is divided into a series of lots for easy categorization and procurement. Assessment has been made of some of the available models on the market, and where appropriate, recommendations made as to the best available option. This decision has been based on delivery, cost, technical specia1ications, previous “hands-on” experience of the consultant, and first-hand knowledge of the project site and capabilities of local staff.
It is imperative that all the equipment noted is ordered and delivered without delay in order that the project is ready to commence in March 1990 with the personnel of the Institute trained in its use.
It is understood that throughout the project's 4-year span, provision must be made for the replacement of consumable items and the purchase of technical literature as it is identified.
The costings shown are indicate and precise costings must await pro-forma invoices from suppliers, and will be subject to currency exchange rate fluctuations. For the purposes of this report a conversion rate of £1 = US$ 1.60 is applied.
Given that the limnological investigations should pertain to fisheries aspects only, the monitoring programme needs to be very flexible once the survey vessel starts work in spring 1990. The provision of a depth profiler to carry out determinations of pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and light intensity at depth, will considerably reduce the number of analyses needed to establish a baseline reference for the identification of water masses. Once this baseline is established, areas of the lake important in terms of the fishery can be examined in more detail.
In order that remote upstream spawning sites can be visited and examined, and the fact that the difficult terrain in the area precludes visits by four-wheel vehicles overland, or by the workboats upstream, a recommendation is made f or the purchase of 2 off-road motorcycles.
