Culture based fisheries in Asia are a strategy to augment food security

Abstract

Fish account for nearly 30 % of the animal protein intake in developing countries. Until very recently the great bulk of food fish supplies were of hunted origin, although farmed supplies have been growing at a steady rate of about 6 % per year over the last two decades. It is estimated that nearly 40 million t of food fish will be required to meet the increasing demand by the year 2050. The shortfall in supplies are unlikely to be met through intensive aquaculture alone as the drain on primary resources, physical and biological, will be excessive and environmental integrity will also be at stake. On the other hand, it is estimated that there are nearly 67 million ha of small water bodies in Asia alone, that are primarily irrigational. Small water bodies are ideal for culture based fisheries (CBF) development, a form of extensive aquaculture practice based on the principle of stock and recapture, and often managed communally. Significantly higher production levels have been obtained in developing countries that have adopted CBF, such as, for example, China. If 20 % of the available area of small water bodies were mobilised for CBF in the next decade, with the aim of achieving 50 % of the mean yield attained in CBF practices in China (1746 kg/ha/yr), the food fish production in Asia alone would be increased by approximately 10.72 million t /yr. The pros and cons of adopting CBF practices to augment the global food fish supplies are discussed and the advantages of CBF over intensive aquaculture in the context of use of natural resources and maintaining environmental integrity are also dealt with. Furthermore, small water bodies suited for CBF development are often located in rural areas of developing countries where the local populations, which often tend to be impoverished compared to their urban counterparts, stand to benefit most.