Basic HTML Version
P A G E 4
V O L . 2 , N O . 2
J U L Y 2 0 1 3
SAVA Conservation is supporting the startup and
operation of a demonstration fish farming pond as part of
our efforts to reduce bushmeat hunting in the SAVA region
(see vol. 1 issue 2 of SAVA Conservation newsletter). Our
goal is that fish will serve as a protein substitute for the
meat of hunted lemurs and other wildlife. Two additional
village ponds are now completed and are filling at isolated
locations on the north side of Marojejy National Park, near
the village of Antongodria. Those ponds will also soon be
filled and stocked with fish fry.
The fish farming project is unique in that a locally
endemic species of native fish is being raised,
Paratilapia
sp. , or "fony", rather than exotic Tilapia or Carp, which are
typically raised as food in tropical countries.
In September of 2012, after the construction of the
Ambodivohitra demonstration pond was finished, 400
Paratilapia
sp. fish fry were introduced into the pond. After
10 months of watchful care, on 1 July the demonstration
pond was drained and fish netted out and counted. Some
adults were taken out for food/to be sold, some were
returned to the pond to be fruitful and multiply, and some
were released into the nearby Matsobe River. The
secondary objective of the fish farming initiative is to
repopulate the local rivers with the native fony, which have
all but disappeared due to overfishing locally. A total of
1,704 fish were counted in the pond – a very exciting
moment for the project! Of the fish netted out of the pond,
600 subadults were returned to the pond, 531 fry were
released, and 573 fish were sold for food, at a total weight
of 44kg. The fish sold brought a price of 10,000 Ariary (or
$5) per kilogram, which is a princely sum in rural
Madagascar.
The demonstration pond at Ambodivohitra is a
collaborative venture with Desiré Rabary, who many of you
may remember visited DLC about three years ago when he
came to the US to accept the Seacology conservation
award. Desiré has provided the land on which the pond is
built. The accessibility of the location has afforded the
project with the unexpected bonus of being able to use the
pond as an education tool. There have been multiple
Fish Farming Update
Fish pond after draining.
Photo by Lanto Andrianandrasana
Adult “fony” measurement.
Photo by Lanto Andrianandrasana
Counting fish to put back in fish pond.
Photo by Lanto Andrianandrasana
By Charlie Welch