Fish farmers adopt new methods to increase production, minimize disease outbreaks and improve food safety

China has the largest aquaculture industry in the world, meeting an ever growing demand for fish and fishery products. With aquaculture production intensifying, the country faces recurrent outbreaks of aquatic animal diseases. Uncontrolled movement and poor farming practices don't help: they make it easier for pathogens to move from pond to pond and across borders, and harder for fish disease outbreaks to be prevented. Without a proper understanding of disease control, outbreaks can spread all too quickly, wiping out entire fish stocks, halting food production, causing significant income losses, and in some cases, threatening human health. At the same time, containing these outbreaks can be a tricky task; some chemicals and antibiotics found throughout the supply chain – from fish breeding to feeding to transportation – compromise food safety.

In 2008, the Government expressed concern over low pond productivity and high use of chemicals in aquaculture in Hubei, one of China’s main food-producing provinces. To address this concern, the Ministry of Agriculture partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2009, to implement a specially designed project through its Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP). FAO's TCP projects are targeted, short term, catalytic projects that leverage FAO's technical expertise to address specific problems in agriculture, fisheries, forestry and rural livelihoods among FAO Member countries, producing tangible and immediate results in a cost-effective manner.

The project, developed a range of improved agricultural practices to minimize fish disease risks and maximize fish production and food safety, and trained over 150 fish farmers and Government officers on the new practices.

As a first step, FAO worked with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop questionnaires for fish farmers, and get a better understanding of existing pond conditions, types of fish stocked, sources of fish seed, common fish diseases encountered, and overall awareness of chemicals used in aquaculture. The project also ensured that water samples were collected for lab tests and detailed information about pond water quality.

The studies showed that farmers were not emptying pond water after each aquaculture cycle; the resulting silt that formed in ponds over time was leading to a proliferation of parasites and pathogens. The farmers were using chemicals to try to overcome this, but their limited knowledge of fish health management was proving to be a further challenge.

The project team worked on improved agricultural practices to help fish farmers de-silt ponds, improve water quality, select healthy fish seeds, modify the fish stocking ratio and effectively use laboratory services. The project trained Songzi Agriculture Bureau officers on the new practices for fish health and food safety, and provided equipment for fish disease surveillance and treatment. And thanks to a specially organized mission, Government officers had the opportunity to learn and exchange information on fish inspection processes and veterinary drug residue programmes with the Government of Thailand’s Department of Fisheries.

The proof is in the ponds

In close collaboration with Government officers, workshops were conducted to train farmers on ways of boosting fish production. These featured a series of 'demonstration' and 'non-demonstration' ponds so that farmers could compare methods and see improved results first-hand: the 'demonstration' ponds showed a 26 percent increase in fish production, and a 25 percent decrease in the cost of chemicals and drugs, fertilizers, fuel and electricity. Moreover, average production value per unit area almost doubled, with profit per unit area increasing by 183 percent.

Overall, the training allowed Government officers to strengthen their support to fish farmers in Hubei province, enabling the farmers to increase their fish production, decrease their use agricultural inputs, and avoid the use of chemicals that would impact food safety.

Since project completion, the Government has contributed additional resources to ensure that the Songzi Aquaculture Bureau Laboratory remains equipped to monitor Hubei province ponds for water quality and diseases, and continues to support fish farmers in adopting the improved practices developed by the project.

(FAO CHINA）