Chapter 3
FISHERIES
ENHANCEMENT
Content
• Forms of Fisheries Enhancement
• Traditional Fisheries Enhancement
• Constraints of Traditional Fisheries
Enhancements
• Reasons for Failures of Fisheries Enhancement
Projects
Introduction
what is fisheries enhancement?
Forms of Fisheries
iii. Fertilisation of the water to
Enhancement increase productivity.
i. Introduction of new species to
exploit underutilised parts of the food iv. Engineering the environment to
chain or habitat. improve fish reproduction, migration,
provide shelter and food resources.
ii. Stocking of water bodies to
improve recruitment. vi. Elimination of predators and other
unwanted species.
Traditional Fisheries
Enhancement
1. A degree of management and intervention beyond traditional
capture fisheries
2. Property rights which are defined more narrowly than in
capture fisheries. Areas of intervention in traditional fisheries
enhancement include movement of fish stocks, extent of water
retention, water quality (fertility) and/or availability of fish feed.
Enhancement techniques may be associated with and/or combined
with methods like the attraction or confinement of fish.
1.Habitat modification or fish shelter systems
By introducing structures which
attract fish e.g. fish aggregating
devices (FADs) in capture fisheries;
provide periodic shelter which
improves stock recruitment, survival
rates of juvenile fish and/or natural
food supply. These systems are
referred to as shelter fisheries
systems.
1.Habitat modification or fish shelter systems
i. Offer some fish species a ii. Provide additional fish food in form of
protected environment for breeding, aquatic organisms attached to underwater
substrates and associated fauna which
spawning and feeding
colonise the structures
iii. Attract fish.
2. Retention systems
i. Permanent or semi-
permanent barriers
The fish retention system is the
traditional enhancement technique
closest to aquaculture. ii. Fences and traps
iii. Drain-in ponds
In floodplains and other seasonally
Barriers and dams are made of reeds,
grass, mud or more solid materials inundated areas, naturally occurring
across mall channels or used to raise depressions are deepened or ponds are
Fences and traps dug to prolong the retention of water and
natural embankments to control the
inflow and outflow of water and retain lengthen the fish-harvesting season.
fish
A combination of fences and
traps built from bamboo or
palm fronds can be used to
Drain-in ponds
exploit fish migration patterns.
Permanent or semi-permanent
barriers
Constraints of Traditional Fisheries
Enhancements
High financial and labour Market constraints arising from the Environmental problems from large-
harvesting of larger sheltering scale construction and deforestation
investments for the construction may require wood purchase from
and maintenance of large fish systems which leads to bulk supplies
long distances which may cause
resulting in low market prices and
sheltering systems such as brush low returns on investment.
conflicts with local communities
parks.
Resource use conflicts as fish retention The productivity of traditional retention systems
systems require established user rights over a suffers due to poor water management. Fish
long period. Conflicts occur where suitable production in confined water bodies is reduced
sites for water retention are limited and other by low levels of oxygen, high concentrations of
users are excluded from the benefits of fish wastes and low water exchange.
retention and resource use.
Reasons for Failures of Fisheries Enhancement Projects
A. Low returns on investment leads to loss of D. The specific skills and knowledge required
interest in fish farming and enhancement for aquaculture are not part of traditional
schemes. African knowledge systems.
B. Fish farming is labour-intensive and may divert E. Comprehensive interventions in the
attention from other farming activities. Many
rearing process of aquatic organisms and
aquaculture projects are not planned in collaboration
with target groups and experts.
their environment.
C. Production inputs such as agricultural land and F. Traditional institutions do not provide a
water always have opportunity costs. The availability
and regular supply of fingerlings is also a constraint to
context conducive to modern fisheries
long-term sustainability of fish farming. enhancement and aquaculture because:
Constraints of Traditional Fisheries
Enhancements
I. Modern fisheries II. Traditional land and III. Modern fisheries
enhancement and water use rights are not enhancement as culture-
aquaculture require large always secure enough to based fisheries in open
investments and are viable justify investments in waters is feasible only if
only if the benefits can be facilities. exclusive use rights are
realised by those bearing the granted to investors which
costs. often contravene the
traditional use and access
rights.
