This 3 minute video explains the methodology that we used, how it works and why it is important. Watch this video to find out.

Come to our website to learn more about poverty and equity!

The World Bank’s mission is to reduce poverty. Timely research and analysis help guide the Bank’s investments and measure success. Our poverty economists keep human welfare and equality at the forefront of all Bank activities, while working directly with member governments to develop sound economic and social policies.

Aquaculture America 2012 - Las Vegas, Nevada - February 29 - March 2

If you are planning to attend Aquaculture America 2012 in Las Vegas, USA on 29 February – 2 March, please come by the AwF booth (#528) in the trade show to meet with Dave Conley, executive director, and/or several other directors that will be at the conference - Sungchul (Charles) Bai (S. Korea), John Cooksey (USA), Jose Ferrnandez Polanco (Spain), Kevin Fitzsimmons (USA), John Forster (USA), and David Little (UK).

The AwF Board of Directors recently approved a strategic plan to guide the activities of the organization for the next 3 years and we would like to speak to members of the aquaculture community about our focus and top priorities. We also want to find out from current and potential supporters what we can do to engage them more in our mission, as well as discuss collaborative opportunities, project development ideas, and fundraising. 

We are printing a flyer Aquaculture without Frontiers to hand out at our booth; please download and circulate to your friends and colleagues to help us spread the word about what we are achieving and how you can help us to do even more.

On Friday 2 March in the special session titled Aquaculture Pioneers: Life & times and lessons learned you will have a chance to hear Ms May Myat Noe Lwin talk about My Personal Experience as a Burmese Woman Farmer and as an Entrepreneur in the Aquaculture Industry in Thailand. Ms Lwin is the owner of CNN Aquaculture in Ranong, Thailand and volunteers her time and expertise to AwF to help us develop project opportunities in Southeast Asia. Click here for her presentation abstract.

We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.

The lecture, to be given on April 19, 2012 at the Coastal Institute Auditorium, Kingston, RI, is being hosted by the Department of Fisheries, Animal & Veterinary Science, College of the Environment and Life Sciences and the Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program.

The vision of a school-based Aquaculture Learning Center (ALC) in Marigot, Haiti is becoming a reality thanks to hundreds of Haitian labor hours, the dedicated faculty at the Henri Christophe High School, and the financial help of the global charity, Aquaculture without Frontiers, Novus International, and others. This lecture describes the challenges, opportunities, joys and sorrows of developing community-based integrated aquaculture in a nation that has a rich culture but has faced so much political and environmental misery.

These four watersheds span 25 years from the Kyoto Strategy on Aquaculture Development (1976), to the establishment of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (1995) through to The Bangkok Declaration and Strategy for Aquaculture (2000) and immediately followed by the creation of the Committee on Fisheries Sub-Committee on Aquaculture (2001) – enough to nourish its development through the next 25 so that aquaculture, now the fastest growing food producing sector can serve the people better, and communities and nations continue to prosper.

Please note that AwF Director Professor Patrick Sorgeloos is featured beginning at the 12:45 minute point on the timeline.

This 9-page article describes in text and wonderful photos the work, progress, challenges and outcomes of the project to date. We highly recommend that you take the time to read this article.

Please note that Peter Edwards volunteers his time to serve on the AwF Technical Advisory Group.

Aquaculture Learning Center (ALC) - Marigot, Haiti

The vision of a school-based Aquaculture Learning Center is becoming a reality thanks to hundreds of Haitian labor hours, the dedicated faculty at the Henri Christophe High School, and the financial help of AwF, Novus International and others. Our mission during our most recent trip to Haiti was to stock the basin with its first load of fish and to hire and train a select group of “employees” to maintain the system and care for the fish. Paramount during this phase of the project was the establishment of standard operating procedures and a method for internet-based record keeping and reporting which will allow us to monitor and guide our new aquaculturists during this critical start-up phase. 

Click here to read the rest of this report by William N. Mebane, Superintendent Aquaculture Engineering Division, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL).

For more information about MBL’s activities in Haiti, please visit their Haiti website.

• INDONESIA: AwF-UA Farmer-to-Farmer Programme (Trip Report July 2011) PDF
• THAILAND: AwF-UA Farmer-to-Farmer Programme (Trip Report July 2011) PDF
• FINAL REPORT: AwF-UA Farmer-to-Farmer Programme 2011 PDF

Nicolas observed that generally farmers were pleased with their efforts to farm fish for food and supplementary income but were being challenged by some specific issues such as pond size being too small to be commercially viable, water shortages in some areas, and predation by snakes and birds. 

More capacity building activities such as information and technology transfer are recommended to enhance the benefits achieved to date. And greater collaboration between AwF and the District Agriculture Development Office was encouraged to leverage the resources of both in delivering technical support. The creation of cooperatives to develop the marketing side of fish production was seen as a good sign.

Despite some challenges (that can be readily addressed), the satisfaction of a large number of farmers and their willingness to develop their aquaculture activities along market-oriented lines is encouraging. It shows that dedication pays and that small-scale aquaculture can lead to greater productivity and profitability.

Click here to read the report and click here to read the translations of his videos (to be loaded soon).

Each year the Council elects Fellows whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.” In the award letter, AAAS states that Costa-Pierce is being honored for “distinguished contributions to global aquaculture and its sustainability and for leadership in marine research, education, and outreach as director of two NOAA-Sea Grant college programs.”

“As a scientist, my first concern has always been how science works to directly benefit people, whether advancing commercial aquaculture to be more sustainable, or helping feed the world’s poor. As a Sea Grant director, my focus has been how new Sea Grant partnerships and institutions can make a real change in the state, in demonstrating credible impacts on the livelihoods of coastal peoples, and increasing stewardship of ocean resources for future generations. Election by the Council as an AAAS Fellow is extremely meaningful to me in recognizing these efforts,” Costa-Pierce says. 

Costa-Pierce will be honored at the AAAS Fellows Forum on February 18, 2012, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Election as a Fellow of AAAS is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. Fellows are recognized for meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications.

AAAS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world. Founded in 1848, AAAS serves some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. It publishes the journal Science, which has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world.

The AwF Board of Directors congratulates Dr. Costa-Pierce on this distinguished honor in recognition of his tireless contributions to the advancement of aquaculture and its ability to help improve the lives of disadvantaged people everywhere.

Aquaculture, which involves cultivating fresh water and saltwater populations of fish under controlled conditions as opposed to catching fish in the wild, is the world’s fastest growing source of animal protein, growing by more than 60 per cent between 2000 and 2008, from 32.4 million tons to 52.5 million tons, according to the report.

“With stagnating global capture fishery production and an increasing population, aquaculture is perceived as having the greatest potential to produce more fish in the future to meet the growing demand for safe and quality aquatic food,” said the report, World Aquaculture in 2010.

The report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), states aquaculture has played an important role in reducing poverty in many parts of the world. However, it says it has not grown evenly throughout the planet. 

Eleven out of the 15 leading aquaculture-producing countries are located in the Asia-Pacific region, and in 2008 they accounted for 89.1 per cent of global production. Most remarkably, China alone contributed to 62.3 per cent of production in the region that year.

The report also states that there are marked differences in production levels and types of production. China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India for example, lead production levels of shrimp and prawns, while Norway and Chile produce mostly salmon.

The report warns that governments need to invest in aquaculture so they can continue to enjoy its benefits and address the challenges that are linked to this practice.

“Achieving the global aquaculture sector’s long-term goal of economic, social and environmental sustainability depends primarily on continued commitments by governments to provide and support a good governance framework for the sector,” the report says.

Key concerns regarding aquaculture include quality and safety standards, traceability, certification and eco-labelling. In addition, aquaculture faces major challenges due to climate change and the economic downturn in many countries, which could particularly affect small producers in Asia and Africa, where they make up the backbone of the industry.

The report calls for governments to increase their efforts to assist small-scale producers by organizing them into associations and through the promotion of better management practices to ensure the industry can continue to meet the global demand for fish.

The full report, together with regional reviews presented at Global Aquaculture Conference held in Phuket, Thailand in 2010 can be found by clicking here.