Southern Africa's aquatic chicken set to fly

Long-known to aquaculturists as a species that can adapt to many environments and culture systems, and becoming increasingly well known to fish consumers, tilapia are cultured worldwide in over 100 countries. They can be raised in a wide range of production systems from small-scale, low-input, rural ponds to large-scale, intensive, commercial operations. With such versatility it is no wonder that the fish has been dubbed 'the aquatic chicken'.

credit: Graham Mair

The Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, which actually originates from North-Central Africa, is the species that has been most widely domesticated, particularly in Asia where 80% of cultured tilapia are produced and most genetic improvement research has been carried out. Nile tilapia are typically grey/green in colour, but reddish colour strains have been developed to make them more appealing. Selective breeding has also led to the development of faster growing, higher yielding strains. Given its ability to successfully colonise natural water bodies and form feral wild populations, concerns have been expressed about the transfer of this species across the globe. Its colonisation and impact upon Lake Victoria and Lake Kariba are well known examples. Attempts have been made to ban the import and culture of this species in a number of countries, usually with limited success.

In a drive to develop aquaculture of native species in Southern Africa, the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Wales Swansea, funded by the DFID Aquaculture and Fish Genetics Research Programme (AFGRP), have spear-headed research on the most significant indigenous species in Southeast Africa, the Mozambique tilapia. Oreochromis mossambicus. This species has also been widely introduced for aquaculture worldwide, where it actually preceded the introduction of the Nile tilapia. The species fell out of favour due to perceived slow growth rates and a tendency for prolific breeding and stunting. However, it was recently established that these limitations may have come about when the initial introductions passed through a genetic bottleneck resulting in severe inbreeding. Studies in this project have shown that discrete populations of the Mozambique tilapia exist across Southeast Africa and stocks with the greatest potential for aquaculture have been identified. The project also developed a breeding programme to produce fish most suitable for aquaculture.

credit: Graham Mair

Following on from this research, DFID is now funding further development work through its Business Linkages Challenge Fund (BLCF). As well as piloting the socially conscious development of environmentally sound commercial aquaculture, utilising abundant water resources and targeting export markets, the new project is aiming to maximise the benefits of the original research for poorer people. In Kwa-Zulu Natal the Makathini Agricultural Research Station in the Makathini flats, one of the poorest regions of South Africa, is aiming to establish village-level low-input pond production systems for tilapia for both subsistence and local markets. Seed and technical support will be offered by the commercial operations to initiate this process. Likewise, alongside the development of intensive cage based operations in reservoirs in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Mpumulanga and Swaziland, which will employ some local people, the project aims to establish small scale pond-based operations adjacent to the dams. These will be run by cooperatives of families who were displaced by the construction of the reservoirs.

In recent years there has been a major expansion of interest in aquaculture in Southern Africa. The AFGRP-funded project was a major catalyst in the rise of interest in tilapia, with its potential for significant growth in low-input aquaculture as a component of rural development. If the pilot projects are successful they are likely to signal a rapid growth of tilapia aquaculture in the region. The current project is driven by commercial imperatives, which will provide the backbone to aquaculture development and greatly enhance the potential for sustainability. There are prospects for significant benefit for the rural poor both through direct employment on commercial farms and through development of small-scale systems supported by a network with seed, technical and logistical support available through associated commercial ventures. In the current social and institutional context of Southern Africa this kind of approach offers a very real prospect of significant and sustainable impact upon livelihoods. An alternative direct approach of trying to develop low-input aquaculture, where none exists, directly among the rural communities has been tried often enough in Africa with limited success.

Some of the key players in this work are now looking to use the findings of the research and their experiences in commercialising this work in the wider area of southern Africa. The challenge remains to broaden understanding of the opportunities in the current social and institutional context that will permit the development of further technological improvements for the benefit of the rural poor, not only in the region, but in Africa as a whole.

Article submitted by DFID AFGRP
Further information from Graham Mair gcmair@ait.ac.th
www.dfid.stir.ac.uk/afgrp