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MRC» Outreach Program» Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative
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Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative
Overview  The Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative The malnutrition that affects millions of people in tropical countries is inextricably linked to problems in food production and distribution. One solution is to foster food production that is local and small-scale. In Haiti, and in much of sub-Saharan Africa, many people live in rural areas engaged in subsistence agriculture. As populations have grown, the cultivated land has been divided into progressively smaller holdings. Now, Haitian farms average smaller than 2 acres, and soil fertility has been nearly exhausted. New means of sustainably producing food need to be introduced. Fish farming has had a largely failed history in Haiti and Africa because of dependence on expensive manufactured feed that usually must be imported. In this context, several years ago the Marine Biological Laboratory started The Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative to develop plant-based fish diets and pond management protocols for the Comprehensive Development Project (CODEP) in L’Acul, Haiti. The goal of this new project was to offer the prospective Haitian fish farmer methods for producing fish using local resources. Over the last 10 years, 50 fishponds have been built in the mountain region southwest of Port-au-Prince by CODEP. Our recent efforts have been focused on a “periphyton” based system of aquaculture, a method of raising plants and algae within a pond to supply the fish with food. All of the methods we employ are evaluated in terms of energy and resource input and output, to minimize demand on farmers. Every effort is made here in Woods Hole and in conjunction with partners in Haiti, to refine our ideas into adaptable, culturally congruent methods. The primary goal of this project is to provide methods of fish farming to impoverished peoples for protein production. In parallel with the MBL’s mission of improving the human condition we also seek to provide a range of auxiliary technologies and information that can improve daily life. These ideas constitute an adaptable aquaculture program that is suited for the complexity of different tropical environments. The current goals of the Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative are:
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Copyright The Marine Biological LaboratoryTM