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MRC» Outreach Program» Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative
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News
 March 2008 Since March of 2007 we’ve seen many changes take place. Just before Easter, we observed the fishing of several of the ponds that used periphyton to raise their fish. The harvest took place to make fish available for the holiday. It was exciting for everyone to see the results, and it was great for us to see the community participating in the harvest. Regarding the fish produced, there is room for improvement next year, but we are very pleased with their first attempt using the periphyton methods. Enes was one of the pond owners who decided to fish her pond for the holiday. She was able to sell most of her fish, keeping some for herself and her family. Many of the people buying the fish were friends and extended family, and we hope that the excitement generated around the fish can be invested into next years’ production. Some minor work was carried out on the empty mountain ponds and they were quickly prepared to begin catching the rain. Great work has been happening in the fish nursery, and fish are available and waiting to be stocked into the empty ponds. During the last trip a new set of concrete tanks were constructed to house the fish fry – our goals were to further organize the hatchery and also improve the water quality for the young fish. The new tanks look great, and were a small reminder the incredibly hard work undertaken by Haitians everyday. We’re very much looking forward to continuing to work with everyone next year. Woods Hole News, March 2008 We are pleased to welcome Ashley Hellman, who will be working with us this summer through the MBL’s internship program. Ashley is a graduate of Skidmore, and brings some great ideas and enthusiasm to the project. We’d also like to acknowledge the continued work of Don Myers. Don is an Americorp volunteer who has been assisting us weekly here in Woods Hole. He’s a great presence and we’re very happy to have him each week. February 2008 In February, we traveled to L’Acul to assist with the hatchery and observe progress in the mountains. The hatchery is running well, using small concrete tanks housing broodstock to provide fingerlings for the ponds in the mountains. More than enough male fingerlings have been raised to accommodate this year’s Easter harvest. Their ability to generate their own fingerlings will save them several thousand dollars US each year, a modest amount, but more importantly will contribute to the program’s independence and further reduce any reliance on outside sources. Questions are often asked about why we try to produce all male tilapia. Tilapia have the ability to reproduce at astounding rates, each female can produce hundreds of babies each year, and very quickly ponds can be overwhelmed. Initially ponds are stocked with a specific number of fish, based on the size of the pond – excessive reproduction can place too much demand on limited resources. In addition, male tilapia will grow faster, devoting less energy to reproduction than a female. During the trip we had a meeting with a small group of animators to discuss the fish ponds and how we can continue to provide assistance. Primarily they asked for continued support with pond management, suggesting working as a group on select ponds, and for information about improving growth next year. It was encouraging to see an increasing amount of effort and commitment in the mountains. Each visit has shown more organization and input in the ponds. There is a lot of work to be done, but this Easter will be the first time farmers will be harvesting fish from ponds that did not use any resources imported from the United States, or even from surrounding cities to feed their fish. 2007 News |
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