The primary activities outlined in the Project Document of RLA/76/010 for the four-year period 1982–86 are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1
PROJECT ACTIVITIES SPECIFIED IN THE PROJECT DOCUMENT
| Activity | Location | Timing | ||
| Begin | Finish | |||
| 1 - | Completion of additional facilities in Pirassununga | Pirassununga | 1982 | 1984 |
| 2 - | Improvement of facilities at Cananéia and Serra da Bocaina | Cananéia, Serra da Bocaina | 1983 | 1984 |
| 3 - | Continuation of training programme (four one-year courses) | Pirassununga | 1982 | 1986 |
| 4 - | Implementation of applied research for technology | Pirassununga and subcentres | 1983 | Continuing |
| 5 - | Selection of national centres for strengthening of staff and facilities | Participating countries | 1983 | 1985 |
| 6 - | Testing of improved technologies in national centres and exchange of experience and expertise with the Regional Centre | Selected national centres | 1984 | Continuing |
| 7 - | Inservice training of national scientists in the Regional Centre | Pirassununga and subcentres | 1983 | Continuing |
| 8 - | Organization of annual meetings of the project's Advisory Committee | Pirassununga | 1983 | 1986 |
| 9 - | Establishment of an information system and linking it to the interregional network of information centres | Pirassununga | 1983 | 1986 |
The third phase of construction in Pirassununga is finished. Construction of the laboratories for limnology, water chemistry, pathology and nutrition and the feed mill was completed. The fourth construction phase, the building of the 49 new earthen ponds with 3.9 ha of surface area of water, was delayed during 1983 and early 1984 because of very poor climatic conditions and serious difficulties caused by the main construction firm. In spite of these delays, the ponds were ready for use at the end of 1984. A fifth phase of construction and restoration of facilities was begun at the end of 1984.
In the subcentre in Cananéia a number of modifications and alterations were made to existing installations, and new facilities were built. These include a laboratory for the culture of marine algae to be used as food for oysters, two concrete tanks to grow mullet fry and oyster, and a laboratory to conduct pilot studies on oyster culture, including the fixation of oyster larvae. Until CERLA establishes all of its own facilities, the subcentre in Cananéia will be operated jointly with a commercial oyster farm, SOSTRAMAR, which is partially financed by SUDEPE.
In the subcentre (station) Serra da Bocaina, a number of new tanks were constructed, and the existing facilities were restored. The station now consists of a hatchery with wooden tanks and vertical incubators with plastic trays; 12 small circular ponds, for growing second-stage fingerlings, built of blocks; pre-fattening and fattening ponds made of plastic; concrete spawning ponds; a storeroom and a house for the resident staff. The subcentre is complete, and training and research activities were resumed in July 1984. As is the case with Cananéia, CERLA has a working agreement at Serra da Bocaina with a commercial aquaculture farm, Projeto Acqua, which is also partially funded by SUDEPE.
Three one-year courses for senior aquaculturists were conducted at the Centre from July 1981 to June 1982, January 1983 to December 1983 and January 1984 to December 1985. A total of 70 students graduated from these courses. Each one-year course covered about 1 632 hours/year with a 1:3 ratio ratio of theoretical to practical material. The curriculum of the course was based mainly on the one proposed by FAO in 1978.
Three surveys and several personal communications with CERLA graduates were used to determine their occupational status after they had returned to their respective countries or areas. Information collected revealed that CERLA alumni occupied diverse positions in their own countries. A number of them were engaged in government aquaculture activities, while others were in universities or private enterprise. Several of the graduates had become the director, head or chief of aquaculture departments, centres or stations. Others were senior researchers and technicians at fisheries and aquaculture research institutions and laboratories, a coordinator of an aquaculture development project, chief of a shrimp culture station, professors of aquaculture in universities. Five were continuing postgraduate studies leading to the degrees of Master of Aquaculture, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy.
The fourth training course was scheduled to start in January 1986, applications from 86 candidates were received through the FAO/UNDP offices in the countries; from those, 30 students were chosen by the Centre's Selection Committee to participate in the fourth course.
Although the senior-level training courses already offered by the Centre achieved successful results, there is possibility for improvement in a number of the areas related to the training programme. Possible improvements include an increase in the overall support to the training programme and its activities as well as modifications to the training curriculum.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) formalized an agreement with FAO by which a $US 450 000, three-year scholarship programme for 1982–84 was established to sponsor trainees from Latin American countries in the training course for senior aquaculturists. Two students were sponsored by their own governments, while a third trainee paid his own expenses. Because the Brazilian students were not covered under the programme, they received financial aid from the Brazilian National Research Council and SUDEPE during the first two courses. In the third course, the seven Brazilian students received financial aid from SUDEPE and CERLA, while the other 19 Latin American trainees had IDB scholarships. For the fourth course, 10 participants are being awarded scholarships from IDB and 20 are receiving them from the FAO/Italy Cooperative Programme.
The one-year training course for senior aquaculturists offered by the Centre awards a postgraduate diploma to each student who has satisfactorily completed the course. At the time of writing, the Centre was trying to formalize an agreement with an institution of higher education for conferring the degree of Master of Aquaculture using the CERLA course as the basis for such a degree.
The Getulio Vargas Foundation (Fundación Getulio Vargas), McKinley University (a private institution), the Federal University of São Carlos (a Federal Government institution) and the University of Campinas (a State of São Paulo institution) are the principal universities that have been approached regarding a programme for the Master of Aquaculture. It is expected, as a result of these efforts, that a Master of Aquaculture Programme will be formalized in the near future and include arrangements for retroactive coverage of graduates from the courses.
Although the Centre's library is still modest in size, it is perhaps the largest in South and Central America for aquaculture books, journals, periodicals, reprints and subscriptions. It has over 1 363 books; 6 272 journals and periodicals; 1 222 reprints; and 21 subscriptions to aquaculture journals, magazines and abstracts. Over half of the literature in the library was purchased with funds from project RLA/76/010, the other literature was obtained with funds from IDRC, SUDEPE or by donations from individual collaborators. The library is used mostly by students of the one-year senior-level course and researchers at the Centre.
In 1978, a task force organized by ADCP selected the following systems of culture as the most pertinent for attention by CERLA at the regional level:
Although this partial list of culture systems is maintained as a guide for the Centre's research programme, an additional selection was made for culture systems that are of high priority for research to obtain tangible results in the shortest period of time. Limitation of staff and facilities made such a priority listing of aquaculture systems necessary.
Investigations were concentrated on a small number of problems that will have immediate application in large-scale aquaculture production projects in the region. The research was limited to five systems. At the headquarters in Pirassununga, work was completed on the first-phase results of the development of tested technologies for the pond culture of C. mitrei (pacu) and C. macropomum (tambaqui). Breeding and fry production of Colossoma mitrei and macropomum have been successfully made. Brood stocks of the two species were grown. Also, separate production-yield trials with pacu and tambaqui were successfully conducted in earthen ponds.
Serious delays in the completion of the new earthen ponds at the Centre limited the work related to the adaptation of techniques for mass production of the fry of tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. The fryproduction work with carp is closely associated with pilot projects for large-scale fish farming in Brazil.
Yield trials with pacu, tambaqui and tilapia in cages suspended at the water column of impoundments were conducted in 1983–85. The results obtained were very promising, and pilot trials were planned for 1985–86.
Artificial feeds based on local ingredients and local industry byproducts were tested. The composition of the most suitable ration was determined.
The construction of a number of stations for the production of seed, fry, of Colossoma spp (pacu and tambaqui) and exotics species, such as tilapia, common carp and Chinese carps (grass and silver) has been planned by SUDEPE for Brazil.
At the subcentre in Cananéia, studies were made on hatchery production of oyster spat and culture on racks of the imported oyster Crassostrea gigas and the local oyster C. brasiliana. Research on the rearing and fixation, spat, of Crassostrea brasiliana and C. gigas in an estuarinelagoon environment was completed. Also, a polyculture of mullet and oyster in pens was started in May 1984, but a strong storm destroyed the pens before sufficient experimental time had passed.
At the subcentre in Serra da Bocaina, including Projet Acqua, work started in 1984 on the production of trout fry. Plans were also made for the small-scale culture of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) in tanks and cages to develop culture methods for adoption in upland areas. Trout fry production will be undertaken in the area of Serra da Bocaina, while rearing of trout to market size will be tried at lower elevations to determine the techno-economic feasibility of the appropriate system of culture.
Unfortunately, critical weather conditions, primarily floods, caused serious damage to the recently-restored subcentre in Serra da Bocaina and its newly-built facilities. The only access to the subcentre facilities was totally destroyed. However, necessary restoration and repairs have been undertaken and the subcentre was scheduled to resume activities during the second half of 1985.
The main characteristic of research at the Centre is its attempt to study a culture system as a whole, through an inter- and multidisciplinary approach by researchers who are organized into teams under a Research Coordination Division (Coodernadoria de Pesquisa). The teams have research tasks designed to develop a technological system for transfer, testing and evaluating at a national centre linked to CERLA. These research teams are responsible for planning, preparing and conducting all the research efforts at CERLA with the international experts of the project.
The international staff of project RLA/76/010 advised the Centre's Director and the researchers of CERLA on research matters, such as the management and administration of research, planning of effective research, design of experiments, evaluation of research experiments and the reporting of research results. The staff also participated directly or indirectly in the research activities. In consultation and coordination with the Centre's Director and team leaders, they also formulated, advised and participated in the implementation of the regional programme of interand multidisciplinary aquaculture research.
The Latin American Regional Centre for Aquaculture (CERLA) became operational in 1980. CERLA has been offering one-year training courses for senior aquaculturists, carrying out systems-oriented applied research for technology development and improvement, and is starting to participate in the computerized worldwide Aquaculture Information System (AQUIS). The next stage in the development of this network is the upgrading or establishment of national centres in other countries of the Region for linkage with CERLA, and to other network centres.
The national centres will test priority technologies in their respective countries, developed by their regional centres or other sources, and adapt them for local use. The centres will organize national training courses, based on the culture systems that are selected for development in the country, for technicians and extension workers. They will receive information from the interregional Aquaculture Information System for dissemination, and also collect and provide information to that system.
Although any country may have its own national centre, the needs of a number of small countries with similar agroclimatic conditions can be met by having a single centre assisting neighbouring countries. For example, a national centre was proposed for Panama primarily to meet its development needs but also to assist nearby countries within the subregion. To that end, a project proposal was prepared in coordination with the Panamá National Direction for Aquaculture of the Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario, the ADCP and project RLA/76/010. The proposal was sent to potential donors and other possible sources of funding.
Other countries that have expressed interest in linking their national centres to CERLA include Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru.
Aware of the need to produce material results in the shortest possible time so that these results can be transferred to selected national aquaculture centres for testing and evaluation, the project concentrated efforts on developing a system of culture based on the technology of farming Colossoma mitrei (pacu) and C. macropomum (tambaqui) in earthen ponds. In pursuance of these goals, there were efforts to describe that system of culture. Since this effort contains the first set of modules prepared on such a system of culture for these fish species, it should be considered as provisional and highly dynamic.
There is a provision for the Centre to receive on secondment associate aquaculturists from participating countries to work as members of multidisciplinary research teams for fixed periods, preferably at least two years, under the guidance of international staff. The secondment of scientists to the regional centres was one of the activities planned as part of various regional projects and as part of the framework of Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC). The scientists would work with the international experts at the Centre on research of particular significance to the circumstances in their own countries. Such secondment is required for a minimum period of two years for the personnel to make useful contributions to the Centre's work and to acquire enough experience to function effectively in the national centres of their respective countries as focal points for linkage with CERLA.
Due mainly to shortage of funds to provide subsistence allowances to the scientists, it was not possible to arrange for the secondment of staff. Now that all the activities of CERLA are operational, it is opportune to initiate this arrangement to facilitate the development of national centres in participating countries, as well as their linkage to CERLA, to form an effective regional network for the exchange of experience and expertise.
Since it has not been possible to implement the idea in full because of the lack of funds for travel and daily living expenses, the young scientists need to retain the salaries paid by their own governments.
In 1985, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) provided funds to support the inservice training of national scientists at the Centre. Before the CIDA arrangement, a Venezuelan scientist came to the Centre in February of 1984 on a sabbatical and remained for a period of five months. He participated in inservice training and also in the research and training programmes.
An Advisory Committee (ADVCOM) of the regional project consisting of the representative of the participating governments, donors and the executing agency reviewed the Centre's work programmes and achievements, and provided required advice and guidance.
Although a major goal of the ADVCOM was to convene annual meetings of the Committee, as originally planned, this proved to be impossible. Consequently, one meeting was held in 1982, 29 June to 2 July, and a second in 1984, 22 to 25 October. The second ADVCOM meeting was finally held in 1984 in spite of a number of difficulties and after having been rescheduled on three occasions for reasons beyond the control of the project staff.
Shortage of funds to cover travel expenses and daily subsistences of country delegates was the main constraint to meetings. The participating governments were supposed to pay those expenses, but were unable to. The FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean financed most of the participating government delegates who attended the first meeting, while project RLA/76/010 and ADCP financed most government delegates who participated in the second meeting.
Also, ADVCOM members felt that during the early development stages of the Centre's training dealing with research and information activities an annual meeting would be not as productive as a meeting held every two years when more information would be available for reporting and evaluation. Additionally, there was some skepticism that ADVCOM members were not part of the decision-making process in their own countries, particularly regarding matters of budget and finance.
CERLA's information programme forms part of the computerized global aquaculture information system (AQUIS), developed and organized by the Aquaculture Development and Coordination Programme. It consists of an aquaculture data base and a bibliographic information base. In response to a search request, participating governments, agencies and institutions will be able to obtain through the Centre the entire global information available in the system on any aspect of aquaculture.
Data collection has already been initiated, and discussions are underway with CIDA for the purchase of a suitable computer. CERLA will make use of the computers of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia for storage and retrieval of information until the installation of the computer and training of personnel in the Centre for its operation are carried out.
Recognizing the need to inform the governments of the Latin American countries, their institutions and personnel about CERLA's programmes and activities, the Centre started publishing a quarterly information bulletin, Boletín Informativo del CERLA. Also, a brochure about CERLA was published in 1984 under the financial auspices of ADCP and project RLA/76/010.
Additionally, the experience and knowledge acquired by the trainees on the information system in the Centre's training course should enable them to advise colleagues and other pertinent personnel at the national centres in their respective countries on the usefulness and potential benefits of AQUIS to the participating governments, general research institutions and individual aquaculturists.
The project's contribution to the Centre was mainly catalytic and advisory. Initially, it provided advice and assistance for the establishment of the Centre. Later, the project offered advice and assistance on technical, training and information activities to accelerate aquaculture development in the countries of the Latin American Region.
Also, the project promoted the Centre's Regional aquaculture programme among potential donor agencies and institutions, as well as with the participating governments of the Region. In addition to the significant financial contributions made by the Government of Brazil, the Government of Nicaragua gave financial support for the annual operation of the Centre during 1983 and 1984. The Nicaraguan funds were channeled through UNDP.
The project also effectively served CERLA in attracting considerable funds through bilateral sources from IDP, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and CIDA. The Governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and Japan have also considered providing assistance for activities within the CERLA framework. Consideration for such assistance is based on the merits of CERLA's core programme, which would not have been sustained without the project's contribution of two staff members. Participation by UNDP has been essential to the Centre.
The Latin American governments that have received technical assistance from the project include Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The UNDP regional project RLA/76/010 which assisted in the establishment of CERLA was extended to 28 February 1985 with a much reduced budget on the understanding that the Centre would seek financial contributions from the participating governments or other donors to meet the Centre's additional operational expenses. The first meeting of the project's Advisory Committee recommended to the participating governments that they finance the Centre by allocating an appropriate amount from their UNDP Country IPF or by making direct grants through UNDP. UNDP and FAO have already made specific proposals to the governments in this regard.
The first meeting of the Commission of Inland Fisheries for Latin America (COPESCAL) Aquaculture Working Party reviewed CERLA's work and among other things recommended that the countries of the Region jointly cover the operational expenses of CERLA's regional activities to ensure the Centre's continued operation and its development into an autonomous and permanent regional institution. The recommendations of the COPESCAL Aquaculture Working Party were later accepted by the third meeting of COPESCAL held in Mexico from 30 November to 6 December 1983.
At the end of 1984, FAO submitted a proposal to the Government of Italy for support to the Regional Aquaculture Centre for Latin America and its regional activities. The proposal was approved by the Italian Government. This government cooperative project RLA/75/ITA is a four-year project with a funding of about $US 4.5 million. The new project will enable the Centre to establish and enhance strong functional linkages with the national centres of the praticipating governments of the Region.
