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P A G E 6
V O L . 3 , N O . 2
J U L Y 2 0 1 4
Fish Farming Update
The fish farming component of SAVA Conservation is moving ahead at full steam in three
new villages bordering the southern limit of Marojejy, thanks to our collaboration with local
specialist Guy Tam Hyock and his assistant Fidele. With their expertise and enthusiasm, Guy
and Fidele have been able to advise villagers on the intricacies of pond installation and fish
care, and to guide that process to successful completion. This project is somewhat unique
since a locally endemic freshwater fish
Paratilapia polleni
(called fony locally) is being raised
for consumption, sale, and reintroduction in local waterways. Demand for fresh fish is very
high in this region as it is far from the coast and dried fish is almost exclusively sold in local
markets.
The first step of setting up each village fish pond is to organize a local ‘fish association’. The
organization and subsequent training are carried out by Guy and Fidele. In addition, an official
contract, locally known as a ‘dina’ is drawn up by the association, outlining various points of
agreement on issues such as the release of 25% of the fish from each pond harvest into local
rivers, respecting local laws on fishing season, fish net hole size, etc. The dina is legalized lo-
cally, with the involvement of various government authorities, including those of enforce-
ment. This gives the agreement a strength that it would not otherwise possess. Local people
are universally enthusiastic about receiving help in starting fish ponds that can provide them
with a future food and revenue source.
The ponds are constructed by the members of each association, using shovels and wheelbar-
rows provided by DLC-SAVA Conservation. Once the pond is finished, a small nearby stream is
diverted to provide pond flow-through, which is essential to fish survival and reproductive
success. Once the fony fry are introduced, they are regularly fed a mixture of rice hulls and
dried tiny crustaceans, which are both readily available locally. No antibiotics or chemicals of
any sort are used in the fish farming process.
The project-supported village fish ponds, and their status as of June ‘14, are listed below:
Ambodivohitra demonstration pond
• Sept. ’12 – 400 fony fish fry introduced into just completed pond.
• July ’13 – 1704 fish harvested – 573 sold/eaten, 531 released into nearby Matsobe River,
600 returned to pond.
• Nov. ’13 – Follow-up harvest (July harvest not thorough due to too many boulder hiding
places) yielded – 2102 fish harvested (mostly small-sized) – 1502 released into Matsobe River,
600 returned to pond.
• June ’14 – 3808 fish harvested – 377 sold/eaten, 3121 released into Matsobe River, 310
returned to pond.
Antongodriha ponds #1 and #2
• Both associations formed with 28 members in #1, and 32 members in #2.
by Charlie Welch, Lanto Andrianandrasana, and Dr. Erik Patel