nate methods for sex control in desirable species; 2) track the fate of hormones used for sex reversal in the environment; 3) develop clean and safe methods for sex reversal; 4) incorporate indigenous species into aquaculture practices; and 5) implement information transfer and personnel training.
Our work conducted at OSU and Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco (UJAT) in Mexico has resulted in new techniques that can induce masculinization, which drastically shortens treatment time and uses contained water, reducing human health risks. We have also developed an economical and easily constructed water effluent treatment system that eliminates hormones, thereby reducing or eliminating the environmental impact and health risk to people and native animals. Results from our research have allowed us to provide training and technical information to growers in developing nations to enable them to become self-sufficient at producing fry and market-sized fish on site using these clean technologies.
In 1999 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between OSU and the Laboratory of Aquaculture at UJAT. In the five years since, the results from basic research completed earlier at OSU,
and subsequently at UJAT, have been dramatically transformed into practical applications in Tabasco, Mexico and elsewhere. Some of the people at UJAT who have provided the driving force for these positive results are Wilfrido M. Contreras Sanchez, Gabriel Marquez Couturier, Mario Fernandez Perez, and Ulises Hernandez Vidal. Contreras received his Ph.D. from OSU with the help of ACRSP funding. In 2001 he became the leader of the Laboratorio de Acuacultura, División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, and last year he was promoted to Director of the Division itself. In his three-year tenure, the size of the aquaculture laboratory and capacity for fish production has tripled.
Morning seminar at a three day workshop conducted jointly by OSU and UJAT presented by Wilfrido M. Contreras S‡nchez.
Since 1999, USAID funded research at OSU and UJAT has resulted in the training and education of over 45 students who have generated more than 20 academic theses. OSU and UJAT have produced 6 leaflets, 2 technical manuals, 2 videos, and conducted 13 workshops at a variety of locations including Mexico City, Mazatlan, Villahermosa, Ejido Rio Playa, State Hatchery (Jose Narciso Rovirosa), and Ejido Tucta in Tabasco. These workshops have resulted in the training of over 225 people in tilapia production, sex reversal, line selection, culture of indigenous species, and clean technologies for aquaculture. UJAT has also trained and provided technical information to over 250 growers and supplied more than 2,000,000 masculinized tilapia fry to over 500 people.
Due to UJAT's involvement with the local community, 3 commercial farms (employing over 50 people) are now producing more than 100 tons per month of market-size fish per year. In addition, mid-sized and smaller growers (involving over 200 people) are successfully cultivating and masculinizing tilapia (220,000 to 280,000/year). This has resulted in the distribution of fry to over 150 people. Not only have these growers become self sufficient for tila-
Aquaculture in Mexico
...from p. 1
The Sixth International Symposium on Tilapia in Aquaculture, better known as ISTA6, was held on 12–16 September 2004 at the Philippines International Convention Center in Manila, Philippines. It brought together experts in tilapia growing to review the latest discoveries in tilapia biology, ecology, improvements in production systems, and other fields related to tilapia in aquaculture. The forum was an opportunity to display the Aquaculture CRSP's long involvement in tilapia research and it was duly done as Aquaculture CRSP Asian researchers showed their striking presence. It was evident from the number of presentations made by the group in ISTA6 covering different aspects of tilapia research. A total fifteen scientific presentations were made by the group for the joint research
conducted by the Aquaculture/CRSP and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).
Yang Yi delivered a talk on tilapia culture in China jointly with Lai Quiming of Hainan University, China, during the plenary. They presented an extensive review on the history and current status of tilapia culture in mainland China and a critical analysis of different components of tilapia aquaculture in China, particularly in light of the outstanding Chinese success in registering 25% annual growth in tilapia production between 1987 (18,100 metric tons) and 2002 (706,585 metric tons). They observed that though China is the largest producer of tilapia in the world, the production is quite localized, as the five top tilapia producing provinces accounted for 87.5% of the
Asian Researchers of Aquaculture CRSP Well Represented at ISTA6
By Dhirendra Prasad Thakur, Asian Institute of Technology