Enhanced Capacity for Aquatic Research in East and South Africa (ECARESA)

Aquaculture in Sub Sahara Africa is on a rapid increase with projections of about 61% by 2030.  Strategic development plans of countries in this region including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique show that aquaculture production has been prioritized. It is also recognized that seed supply of fingerlings, feed availability and disease control are some of the main impediments to prosperity that the industry faces. A competent workforce in disease and environmental management lacks, albeit to different levels and will even be more required as the industry grows, since intensification of fish predisposes to disease susceptibility and environmental degradation. Building capacity at higher educational institutions of learning in the South is key to provision of countries’ competent workforces, gender equality and human rights as this leads to a continuous flow of graduates to industry. While an MSc course shall be established in Malawi, MSc students in other institutions will conduct country relevant research.

Thus , in addition to addressing aetiologies and prevalence of diseases (infectious and non-infectious) and impact from environmental pollutants in farmed and wild fish stocks as done in the previous project, the project will examine more specifically the needs of industry so that the graduates are employable. To this end, factors associated with loss of fish throughout the production system and the value chain will be examined.