Abstract
Floodplains are characterized by a period of several months when the land is not available for agriculture and large and open areas are used for fisheries. Enclosures in the flooded areas can be utilized to produce a crop of stocked fish, in addition to naturally occurring self-recruited species. The WorldFish Center and the Research Institute for Aquaculture no2 (RIA 2) tested options for community-based fish culture in floodplain enclosures in the Mekong Delta. The trials yielded fish production in the range of 61–179 kg ha−1. Results indicate that the models tested are sensitive and dependent on flood patterns and limitations imposed by the rice culture calendar. Other technical challenges included a short grow-out period and fingerling size. These initial trials have shown that community-based fish culture is an innovative approach for the Mekong Delta and has the potential to provide an alternative livelihood option in the face of environmental change and development. To increase uptake, the technical design of the approach could be further optimized, and mechanisms for community participation could be enhanced to increase economic incentives for adoption of the technology by farmers.
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Notes
- 1.
Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Mali.
- 2.
In 2006 in four sites in Dong Thap (one site – Phu Cuong – Tam Nong), An Giang (one site – Vinh Hanh – Chau Thanh) and Can Tho (two sites – D1 Thanh Thang – Vinh Thanh and Thoi Dong – Co Do). In 2007 in four sites (three in Can Tho D1, C2 Thanh Thang – Vinh Thanh, Truong Phu B Co Do) and one in Vinh Long (Tan Hung, Binh Tan) In 2008 in one site in Dong Thap (Truong Xuan Thap Muoi). In 2009 two sites in Dong Thap province (Truong Xuan, Hung Thanh – Thap Muoi) and one site in Can Tho (D1 Thanh Thang – Vinh Thanh).
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Joffre, O.M., Sheriff, N., Ngai, H.H., Hao, N.V. (2011). Community-Based Fish Culture: A Viable Coping Strategy for Farmers in the Mekong Delta?. In: Stewart, M., Coclanis, P. (eds) Environmental Change and Agricultural Sustainability in the Mekong Delta. Advances in Global Change Research, vol 45. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0934-8_15
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