9ADR9

Aquaculture CRSP

SECTION A: NEW WORK PLANS

HONDURAS RESEARCH

Technical Assistance for Fingerling Production Serving Small-
and Medium-Scale Tilapia Producers

Adoption/Diffusion Research 9 (9ADR9)/Activity

Objective
Provide technical assistance to public and private fingerling tilapia production sites in order to improve their capacity to serve small- to medium-scale farmers.

Significance
A central issue shaping the future of tilapia culture in Honduras is fingerling supply. Farmers in remote places face difficulties obtaining fingerlings. Molnar and Lovshin (1995) found that fingerlings were hard to obtain for some farmers, but were not a reason for withdrawing. Failure to restock was more a symptom of lack of motivation or other disinterest than a cause in and of itself. Farmers who were interested could find fingerlings if they attended to the search. For some farmers in remote areas, transport may be difficult, costly, and hard to organize.

These conditions underscore the importance of increasing the number of private fingerling producers, enhancing autonomous fingerling production among small-scale producers in remote locales, and stabilizing the public and nongovernmental sectors as a brood stock supplier. It also should be noted, that fingerling sales days at research stations also represent important opportunities to interact with farmers about their problems and experiences, present informational programs, distribute technical materials, and otherwise communicate with producers.

The Comayagua research station El Carao has not been a reliable supplier of fingerlings to area farmers. Molnar and Lovshin (1995) received reports that some producers made the journey to the facility only to be told that fingerlings were not available. Others complained about unreliable reverse-sexing of fingerling batches, and the ensuing high level of reproduction experienced in grow-out ponds. The committed producers who made these comments would return on another day or find other fingerling sources. Nonetheless, the word-of-mouth reputation of the facility surely serves to discourage new entrants or others considering the reactivation of empty fish ponds.

Given the historically uneven performance of the public sector, it is vital that private sources of seed stock become the foundation for the industry. Pricing policies of government stations have served to discourage development of fingerling suppliers in the private sector. The low prices asked by the government station tend to undermine incentives for fingerling production in Honduras.

Two large farms on the north coast produce sex-reversed male tilapia fingerlings, but their programs did not seem to be well understood by producers in the rural sector. In other parts of Honduras, farmers rely on the El Carao station, Zamorano University, or a diverse set of local producers for their seedstock. El Carao plays a vital role in the production of fingerlings and has been the long-term focus of aquacultural research in Honduras. Now we are proposing to augment the station's capability by allying its fingerling distribution programs with Zamorano's.

Anticipated Benefits
This activity will allow better coordination of technical assistance activities between the PD/A CRSP, Zamorano, the El Carao station, and other fingerling producers. Fingerling price and availability are key factors influencing the sustainability of the enterprise. The price must be sufficient to stimulate fingerling production and attract additional private seed producers, particularly in areas of the country that are not well-supplied at present. Improvements are sorely needed in the quality and availability of fingerlings supplied by the public sector, as well as the pricing policies of the stations. The training and fingerling sales programs offered by Zamorano reflect one hopeful example of how private institutions can support aquacultural development.

Identification of Beneficiaries
Small and medium-scale tilapia farmers in Honduras.

Collaborative Arrangements
Auburn University and Zamorano will work together through upper-class students at Zamorano to provide technical assistance to fingerling producers and undertake sex-reversed tilapia fingerling production at Zamorano. Zamorano will identify and employ the students. The students also will support the research activities of 9PDR2 and work with Auburn University personnel in this and the work with aquacultural producers described in 9ADR10, "Training and technical assistance for Honduras institutions working with small- and medium-scale tilapia producers."

Methods
Selected upper-class students at Zamorano will work with the staff of public and private fingerling production stations to support sex-reversed tilapia production activities. The students also will provide support to the activities of other PD/A CRSP research activities and support the overall program of outreach and technical assistance that is being undertaken by this project.

Identification of Deliverables
At least two workshops for fingerling producers will be held. A national listing or database of tilapia producers will be developed and maintained. The primary outcome of this activity will be improvements in the quality and quantity of sex-reversed tilapia fingerlings from Zamorano and other public and private fingerling suppliers. In addition, the students will support reproduction operations and will assist in the conduct of research by other components of this project. The primary deliverables of the activity are improved fingerling production, improved information about fingerling producers, and an improved system of technical support for their activities.

Schedule/Timeline
Selected upper-class students at Zamorano will be employed to assist in the implementation of this activity. A program of inventory, contact, and technical assistance will be in place by March 2001. We will have a national database of fingerling producers, a regular system of communicating with them, and have conducted a series of workshops by 30 April 2001.

Reference
Molnar, J.J. and L. Lovshin. 1995. Prospects for the Sustained Practice of Tilapia Culture in Honduras: Factors Inhibiting Full Realization of the Enterprise. Mimeo. International Center for Aquaculture and Aquatic Environments, Auburn University, Alabama.
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The Pond Dynamics/Aquaculture CRSP is funded under USAID Grant No. LAG-G-00-96-90015-00 and by the participating US and Host Country institutions. Questions for or about the Aquaculture CRSP? Comments about this site? Email ACRSP@oregonstate.edu.

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