Aquaculture Development in Mauritius

Aquaculture

1. Aquaculture is farming of fish, shellfish and aquatic plants in fresh or salt water. Aquaculture products are grown in earthen ponds, freshwater lakes and bays, or in the open ocean. The fish are fed and cared for to ensure optimum health and product quality. Aquaculture is mainly intended for production of food, stock enhancement and socioeconomic development.

2. World evolution Aquaculture has been growing at a rapid pace and is indeed one of the fastest growing food industries with a growth rate of around 10% per annum. According to FAO, it is reported that the total world fisheries production in 2005 amounted to 173 million metric tones, out of which the total capture fisheries amounted to 94.6 million metric tonnes and the total aquaculture production was 78.4 million metric tonnes. It is forecast that by 2010, the increase in the production of farmed fish in the world would surpass that of capture fisheries.

The demand for high value marine finfish is increasing and to meet the demand several countries in the Asian region (mainly China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia), and Norway, Chile and Greece are involved in the farming of marine finfish. The annual production of farmed marine finfish in the Far East countries is estimated at around 550 000 metric tonnes and the bulk of the production (85%) comes from marine cage culture. More than fifty (50) species of fish are currently cultured (sea-bass, sea bream, groupers, red drum, cobia, amberjack, etc).

In Greece, there are about seventy (70) companies operating about two hundred and twenty (220) fish farm sites for the on-growing of sea bream and sea bass. The fish seed required for stocking is obtained from the wild, from local hatcheries or is imported. Chile has radically changed its focus from a very well developed fishing nation, to that of a ‘top ten’ world fish farmer that exported close to US$ 1 550 million worth and 385 000 metric tonnes of aquaculture products during 2004, with a cultivated production of about 700 000 metric tonnes Chile started salmon and trout culture only 20 years back and is presently the second only to Norway’s aquaculture fish production and is likely to surpass the volumes harvested there.

At the present time, the feed used for rearing the fish is mainly trash fish. Although commercially formulated feeds for marine finfish have recently been developed, they are still not widely used. Culture with the use of these feeds promises better fish survival, improved feed conversion and higher cash returns. The problems faced in marine finfish farming among others are the limited supply of good quality seed, diseases caused by ectoparasites, bacteria and viruses, poor water quality and deterioration of the environment, and the rising cost and shortage of trash fish. Markets and marketing considerations are increasingly becoming the most important areas of concern to local firms involved in aquaculture. Scales of production and production technology must comply with the strictest export regulations, and costs and prices are very competitive for most species, on a worldwide basis. Value added products include fillets, fresh or frozen, readily packed for direct sales at supermarkets and other outlets.

The new concept of offshore fish farm system points toward a quantitative jump in the ability to safely and efficiently farm large volumes of different types of fish in the open sea, even in adverse weather conditions, including typhoon and hurricane environments. The offshore floating cage can be submerged more than 15m below the waterline, protecting the fish from surface waves and winds and may be installed in 200 m deep water.



3. Aquaculture research and development in Mauritius Aquaculture practices in Mauritius date back to the French colonization period. Fingerlings of multiple species of marine fishes were collected from the lagoon and stocked in ‘barachois’ for fattening. Such type of farming is still practiced. Species such as couscous, tilapias, dame céré, black bass and gouramier were introduced in the early twenties. Certain introduced species have caused species displacement in our freshwater system.