AwF – Aquaculture without Frontiers
AwF has pledged support to the Shanghai Declaration on Aquaculture for Food and Sustainable Development – see https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cb9365en/
This was done at the FAO-UN Global Conference on Aquaculture Millennium +20 AQUACULTURE FOR FOOD AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Shanghai, China, 22–25 September 2021
Assist AwF in supporting a fresh water prawn project organised by South Pacific Community in Fiji so even if you dont want the prizes the students have organised you can make a donation to a great cause.
Following the successful running of the ‘Tipping the Scales’ Quiz Night run by Students at Torrens University on behalf of AwF Australia we are pleased to announce that the Raffle will remain open.
SO IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO GET YOUR TICKETS AND WIN SOME OF THE FABULOUS PRIZES ON OFFER
Raffle Tickets – Get your tickets online https://events.humanitix.com/tipping-the-scales-raffle-tickets
This will be drawn at 5:00pm on Sunday 10th December 2023 AEDT
Please share and lets get behind the great work of the students at Torrens University.
THANK YOU for your help and a BIG thank you to the organisations/people who donated the prizes
Hugh Thomforde recently volunteered to engage in aquaculture activity in Malawi and very kindly forwarded a copy of this report for your interest.
“In 2008 the Mwangonde family purchased land along the Viphya River, part of the Viphya Plateau Floodplain near Mzuzu in northern Malawi, with the intention of farming. They observed that the river flows strongly year-round – an essential requirement for arable land. They attempted maize, cabbage, tomato, potato, and traditional crops of the region, but through trial and error found large lowland areas too waterlogged for good production. Years ago Odoi Mwangonde had taken an interest in growing fish in ponds, and visited fish farms in Namibia. Aquaculture is not widely practiced anywhere in Malawi or elsewhere in Africa. Wild catch still accounts for the vast majority of fish consumed on the continent. Mr. Mwangonde decided to build ponds on the areas of their farm at lowest elevation, undrainable and not suited to terrestrial agriculture, to grow tilapia. One native species, Oreochromis shiranus, is known as Chambo in Tambuka, so they called their new enterprise Viphya Chambo Farm. Now, eight years later, after several years of profitable production, but markedly poorer harvests last year, the family sought assistance to improve and stabilize farm operations. They contacted CNFA, an NGO providing technical training in Malawi under the USAID Farmer to Farmer volunteer Program. Detailed on-site review by CNFA’s local staff determined that the Mwangonde family were in a position to make good use of assistance, so in November 2019 I travelled to Mzuzu to provide practical guidance regarding fish farm management, including nutrition, feed formulation and improved methods of handling fingerlings. I am a retired Extension Specialist, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, I managed commercial aquaculture farms in the Philippines and United States, and have many decades’ experience providing skills and knowledge to small-scale commercial fish growers in Asia and Africa.
Upon arrival in Mzuzu I was pleased to learn that it was safe to walk most-anywhere in the vicinity of where I was staying. Mr Davie, my dedicated taxi driver, pointed across the valley: “We are safe here because those are military barracks. There is a school there. And they have electricity every night!” I learned that electricity is unpredictably rationed in Mzuzu, off in some areas while on in other parts of the town. The next morning I followed the crowds of school children on the path across the valley, but soon left the beaten track, attracted by ponds, and in this manner entered the Malawi Department of Fisheries demonstration station. A week later I returned (through the front gate!) to review their tilapia brood ponds, pens where pig manure washed directly to ponds as fertilizer, and a small-scale feed processing plant, available for use by commercial producers.
One afternoon I waited outside a clinic with Manase and Florence Mwangonde to use their microscope to evaluate the relative food-value of plankton collected from their farm ponds. The conversation turned to our experiences with evangelical churches. They shared with me details about their Presbyterian church, and I about Quakers. I also mentioned that my wife and I attend a Christian church with a woman minister that welcomes same-sex couples. They were incredulous that any church would marry people of the same sex. I told them our Supreme Court had made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 States. I was already aware of the strict laws against same-sex relationships in Malawi, and we never returned to this topic, but during the course of the following days we listened and shared at-length on a wide range of topics, from local superstitions to ways integrated aquaculture is implicated with world-wide flu epidemics. One day Florence scrolled through the photos on my cell-phone, initially interested in fish farming practices, and when she came upon family photos she was much impressed to learn that during my absence my brother, and then, in turn, my wife’s brother, were staying with my wife to assist in tasks of daily living. This sequence of interpersonal exchanges marked a deepening of personal relations with the Mwangondes.
Despite the brevity of my 2-week visit to Mzuzu I anticipate that the assistance I provided to the Mwangonde family will significantly improve farm profitability. In recent years about 50 percent of their operating costs were for imported, pelleted feed. But tilapia are omnivorous and highly adaptive feeders. I helped them understand why, at their stocking densities, tilapia do not require feeding. Instead, leave them to forage for food, much like the local practice of raising a flock of chickens. Wisely, they intend to implement, compare, and verify my advice slowly, over a full growing season.
At the clinic laboratory we used a low-power microscope, normally reserved for diagnosing malaria, to understand some basic ecology of standing-water earthen-ponds. We brought water from several farm-ponds and spent an hour comparing the variety of microscopic plants and animals thriving in the water. A high diversity of plankton suggest a relatively stable, nutritious food supply for tilapia. In contrast, pond water where a single species of plankton is dominant indicate unfavorable conditions. Application of organic manures leads to more variety of plankton, particularly animal plankton, but also greater likelihood of stressful early-morning oxygen depletion. Ponds crowded with plankton have high bloom density, inversely correlated to Secchi measurements. By simple observation of pond conditions and weather, day and night, by keeping written records of fertilizer applied, and quantitative changes in plankton density, pond-by-pond, farm managers learn to maintain sufficient fertilization while, at the same time, keeping early-morning oxygen depletions and other problems to a minimum. We spent a lot of time with the Secchi disk – a low-tech device essential to bloom management. By loading ponds with manures inside porous sacks farm staff have greater flexibility to control the effects because sacks allow for quick removal when bloom density proceeds too rapidly (and any time Secchi readings are less than 20 cm). Then, when bloom density decreases (say, at Secchi readings greater than 30 cm), day-after-day, then return manure to the pond.
Successful pond management requires daily and weekly monitoring of fertilization rates, water quality, and other routine tasks, keeping written records, pond-by-pond and year-after-year. The reward of learning these skills comes at harvest: high-value live fish from low-value locally-sourced manures and other agricultural by-products. “
We appreciate Hugh taking the time to keep us informed of his important volunteering!
Several appointments have been confirmed by the Board of Aquaculture without Frontiers (US) which highlight that the organisation is moving in the right direction.
On the Board the new appointment is Mike (Michael) Deal who up until recently was President and CEO at Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA). Mike is a highly credible international development leader with extensive experience delivering results in the non-profit, business, and government sectors.
Mike began his career in international development with the U.S. Agency for International Development. He was USAID Mission Director in Colombia, culminating a 28-year Foreign Service career which included serving as Acting Assistant Administrator for Latin America and assignments in six developing countries. He achieved the rank of Minister Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service and received the Administrator’s Outstanding Career Achievement Award.
Laura Rose has been appointed the first Programs and Development Leader for AwF and brings with her a wealth of experience in program development and strategy, grant writing, and aquaculture. She earned her Masters in Aquaculture from Auburn University in 1993, with the intent of applying those skills to poverty alleviation in developing countries. Most recently, she has worked as the Development Lead and Evaluation Coordinator on a tilapia farming project in Haiti. With additional expertise in marine education and outreach, as well as writing articles, technical reports, and other pieces for the public, her background makes her an ideal package for AwF and its plans moving forward.
An appointment of a European Ambassador in Paul van der Heijden has been confirmed and that has already seen some opportunities develop. Paul has a strong science background coupled with excellent management skills and outstanding aquaculture networks all entwined with a desire to ensure he is part of a legacy which develops a strong and innovative aquaculture industry auger well for the relationship.
Rick (Richard) Karney has also agreed to join the Technical Committee specifically on Shellfish where he has a fortune of skills, knowledge and experience. Rick has been Vice President of the National Shellfisheries Association, co-chair of the Southeast Massachusetts Aquaculture Center and was awarded the Gulf of Maine Visionary Award by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment in part for demonstrating “that shellfish aquaculture can be an environmentally and economically sustainable activity for coastal communities”.
AwF President, Roy Palmer, acknowledged the loss from the Board of Albert Tacon, who has now been elected by his peers to Director, World Aquaculture Society and said “Losing someone of Albert’s experience from the Board was sad and it was important for us to secure the services of an equally elite professional and the Board agrees we have done that with the appointment of Mike Deal. Engaging Laura in the Programs & Development area will clearly strengthen our opportunities moving forward and then we have the bonuses of both Paul in EU and Rick in technical capacity, so we can start planning for 2019 with extreme confidence.”
AwF wish you all a fantastic festive season and we sincerely hope you all have happy and safe 2019 with increased collaboration on aquaculture/seafood opportunities.
AwF is playing a role in having input into the Aquaculture Advisory Panel (AAP) for the Pacific Community (SPC) in its implementation of the Aquaculture Development Project (PacAqua), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) under the New Zealand Aid Program.
This is a 5-year project that aims to improve food security and economic development in the Pacific through sustainable aquaculture by enhancing business acumen among aquaculture operations, reduce aquatic bio-security risks and increase uptake and adoption of improved aquaculture practices.
The project activities will provide business mentoring and training, capacity development and technology transfer in feed, seed and brood stock management to selected enterprises and partners. The project will also build capacity at the national level by training government fisheries staff in areas of bio-security, feed, seed and brood stock management and other services that underpin private sector and community led aquaculture. The project intends to develop linkages with regional financial institutions to improve understanding and assessment on viability of aquaculture projects.
The project is in response to the recognized need that, in order to increase and improve economic and nutritional gain from aquaculture in the Pacific, aquaculture be developed on a business-like footing, be it private sector or community led. ADFIP secretariat is also working with SPC –DFAT funded Pacific Agri-Business in Research and Development Initiative 2 Project (PARDI 2) in the development and implementation of capacity building initiatives in this sector.
In one of the projects already under way the Pacific Community (SPC) is conducting a series of training workshops under the Sustainable Pacific Aquaculture (PacAqua) project in order to build the capacity of shrimp hatchery technicians from Fiji’s Ministry of Fisheries (MoF) and the Crab Company (Fiji) Ltd (CCF). The PacAqua project is funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The main objective of workshops is to build the capacity of participants and improve the supply of shrimp post-larvae for farmers in Fiji. See Increasing capacity of government and private sector shrimp hatchery technicians in Fiji
Dr Janine Pierce (Director AwF Australia) presented yesterday at Gender Aquaculture Fisheries (GAF7) in Bangkok – the title ‘Photovoice: Researching Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries through the Camera Lens’.
This was the first opportunity to promote the new Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) logo and importantly offer the opportunity to hear first hand about Janine’s work in telling a story through PhotoVoice.
Anyone can now download the PhotoVoice Manual that Janine has prepared for AwF at http://www.
Janine Pierce
As tweeted by Kate Bevitt ” #Photovoice: A fast, low-cost, high-impact research method that can create a powerful impact on policymakers & others to influence them for positive change. Janine Pierce from @UniversitySA and @AwFComms speaking @ #GAF7 ”
Dr Meryl Williams, another AwF Australia Director, played a major role in putting this important conference together. For more information on GAF7 see https://www.gafconference.org/program.htm .
For some time the organisation has been thinking of updating the logo to represent our modern day values and direction.
This new logo design (launched at GAF7 in Bangkok 2018) represents:
