FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY It is often easy to oversee the role that small-scale, artisanal aquaculture plays in the world. Those of us who are involved in the high-tech end of aquaculture tend to think that this is where the action is, and this is where it must be. I certainly think like this most of the time.
AKVA, and other equipment which was advanced for that time. But my young friend concluded he could not budget to accomodate this high-tech equipment. His production was just a few tonnes per year, and the kind of money he would have to pay for this equipment would never be recovered by his small operation. Erik Hempel So, we started a discussion on what was The Nor-Fishing Foundation needed for his fish farm to improve, and But then I remember that we will be I suggested he should look at operations celebrating the year of small-scale rather than equipment and technology. For fisheries and aquaculture in 2022. On 5 Norwegian salmon farming was also about December 2017, the UN General Assembly management and operations and having a systematic approach to declared 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and the task of fish farming. Aquaculture, which will help focus attention on the small-scale Together, the young Singaporean and I looked at a number fishermen and women who comprise 90 percent of the world’s of tasks at his farm, such as feeding, water quality and other fisheries work force. The General Assembly invited FAO to serve parameters, and we came up with a simple method: register as the lead agency. everything that goes into the operations, and then take note of the The next question on my mind was then: is new technology results when these inputs are manipulated. relevant to the small-scale fish farmer? Does he have any use for He started by teaching his workers to take notes about when they it? Can he afford it? fed the fish and how much they fed them, and then registering Over 20 years ago, I was working in South East Asia to promote how many days it took for the fish to reach harvestable size, what Norwegian fish farming technology. I discovered pretty soon feed was giving the best results etc. that it was perhaps a bit too advanced for most South East Asian In the course of the year that followed, this system was kept in fish farmers. Fish farming in the region was mostly done by place and the fish farmer registered all the data into his computer traditional methods and using primitive, home-made equipment and studied the results continuously. By the end of the year, his such as small bamboo cages, trash fish as feed, with untrained profits had doubled! workers on the farms. The point to be made here is that technology isn’t just equipment I was contacted one day by a young Singaporean who had started or technical gizmos. It also includes a systematic approach to a small fish farm in Indonesia, near the Batam island in the how one operates a farm, large or small. So, when we celebrate Riau archipelago, very close to Singapore. He was producing the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture high value species like grouper, snapper, coral trout etc., and he in 2022, we should not forget that the artisanal, small-scale was now looking for ways to improve his production - and his operators also have a great potential for improving their profitability. operations and contributing more to the gigantic task of feeding a I introduced him to modern Norwegian salmon technology, growing population. floating cages of the Polar Circle type, automatic feeders from
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