The CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH) focuses on the interlinked challenges of sustainable aquaculture and small-scale fisheries (SSFs), and enhancing the contribution of fish to poverty reduction, improved human nutrition and environmental management, with a geographical focus on Africa, Asia and the Pacific.
Sustainable aquaculture research within FISH includes a cluster of research on “fish health, nutrition and feeds.” This report is the outcome of a workshop held at WorldFish HQ on 28-29 November 2017 intended to elaborate a research and partnership agenda for key health research activities within the FISH, with an emphasis on tilapia from 2017 to 2022. The workshop identified key partnerships and responsibilities for implementing the research, and impact pathways for delivering outcomes at scale in key focal and scaling countries.
Workshop participants agreed that the envisaged target of “2.5 million households having adopted disease detection and control strategies and improved aquaculture management practices” could only be achieved through (a) widespread dissemination of improved tilapia seed, (b) widespread adoption of management practices that integrate practical tilapia health management practices, combined with effective surveillance and diagnostic tools, and (c) development and commercialization of disease prevention tools and technologies more widely—all in ways which are useful and affordable to the small-scale farming sector.
The workshop acknowledged the importance and timeliness of research into the genetic improvement of tilapia toward disease tolerance. Considering the current spread of tilapia lake virus (TiLV), the workshop recommended the following: (a) improve understanding of the molecular genetic aspects of TiLV, (b) better understand the virus and its pathogenicity, and (c) make TiLV related research material virtually available to the public as community resources. The workshop participants also agreed that the impact of the research program would be enhanced by a set of community resources that would (a) be widely disseminated, (b) build human capacity development, (c) contain strong private sector participation in the prevention and control of diseases in tilapia aquaculture, and (d) create policy change at national and global levels. Participants agreed that a policy dialogue with national authorities and international networks for creating a conducive and enabling policy environment toward reducing the risks of diseases in tilapia aquaculture was a key avenue for change.
Reference (open):
Mohan, C.V., Subasinghe, R. (2018) Penang, Malaysia: CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems. Program Report: FISH-2018-02. http://pubs.iclarm.net/resource_centre/FISH-2018-02.pdf
