Georgetown: Their course ends within the next week, and by that time, the fifty-six participants of the 2018 “Overseas Training Course on Aquaculture Technology, would be able to fully operate their own small-scale aquaculture facility.
On Saturday the participants were taken to the Satydeow Sawh Aquaculture Station at Mon Repos where they were guided by Professor Chen Jiayou from the Fujian Institute of Oceanography, on the proper way to dissect a fish.
They were also taken, step by step, through the process of testing water for foreign bodies and air, which, if not done correctly, can threaten the life of the fish.
Fish farming is the most common type of aquaculture, and involves selective breeding of fish, either in fresh water or sea water, with the purpose of producing a food source for consumption.
Many of the participants currently in the programme are from the private sector, government agencies, civil society, security services, farmers and students.
The course began on November 28 and officially ends on December 11.
Nakita Dookie, Fisheries Officer from the Ministry of Agriculture said the site visits and tours are part of the education process, as it affords the participant hands-on training.
She noted that aquaculture remains the fastest growing sector within the international economy according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
“By 2025 the FAO anticipates that fish harvested from aquaculture will be more than 50 percent of those sold on the market,” Dookie said.
The Ministry of Agriculture is on a quest to fully develop aquaculture, in the same way as crops and livestock farming.
The Government believes by doing this, agriculture diversification will take place, which in turn can improve food security, increase the availability of high-value protein food and improve environmental benefits.
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