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 Printable version |
What fish farming development model for Mali, where traditional inland fisheries thrive? |
Cahiers Agricultures. Volume 9, Number 3, 173-9, Mai - Juin 2000, Etude originale
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 Résumé
Article gratuit
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Author(s) : Tiéma Niaré, Bréhima Kassibo, Jérôme Lazard |
Summary : Mali is a landlocked West African country where inland fisheries production is amongst the highest in Africa, i.e. mean of 80,000 Mt/y. (range: 45,000-135,000). More than 80% of this production comes from the Niger River Central Delta region, with a floodplain of more than 20,000 km2 (Figure 1). Figure 2 shows annual fish yield patterns for small-scale fisheries. Cichlids, mainly Oreochromis niloticus, account for a high proportion of the fish species caught. Under these fluctuating fisheries production conditions which are closely correlated with environmental conditions, i.e. mainly flooding intensity (annual catch volumes are directly related to river flow of the prior year), Malian authorities decided – after a period of very poor flooding due to drought – to start a programme to promote fish farming based on local wild tilapia species caught on the floodplain or in irrigation canals. Infrastructures varied markedly, i.e. natural depressions (pools) within the Niger River floodplain, artificial fishponds built within irrigation canals, or holes where earth was removed for other purposes (dikes, roads, construction, etc.). To strengthen the existing fish-farming potential, three hatcheries were developed for O. niloticus fry production. Biotechnical and socioeconomic analysis of aquaculture development programmes gave mitigated technical results because alevin production techniques and those related to fish breeding are not controlled. Fish farming yields were low (Table 1) and fish daily growth rates were less than 1 g.d–1 (Figure 3). Fish farming for trade was more restricted and fish breeding could not be competitive in terms of production costs and selling price with respect to those caught in natural fisheries. Stocking fish in natural pools helped to disanctify some of them. It strengthened water control by tightening exclusive fisheries rights and modified the legal status of resource access rights. There are currently major deficiencies in fish-farming projects, i.e. socioeconomic components (land access, appropriation of techniques, competition between fish farming and natural fisheries were blocked. There was thus a very low quantitative and qualitative impact. Fish farming could be a relevant choice for production system diversification in Mali, while economic, social and legal components are taken into consideration, in addition to biotechnical aspects. Aquacultural research – bioecological and multidisciplinary – accompanying these dynamics should be supported. |
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