Boost as AU donates fish genetics kit

Victory Farm tilapia harvest. The farm has 50 fish cages at Sindo beach Homa Bay County. PHOTO|FILE 

In Summary

• The kit consists of an underwater camera, breeding tanks (45, 94 and 140 gallon capacities), conductivity meters, turbidity meters, salinity meters, water testing kits, depth sounders, oxygen regulators and cylinders, air compressors

By By brian Okinda

The aquaculture sector received a major boost after an African Union institution donated a genetics resources toolkit worth Sh4.1 million.
The kit from the African Union–InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) was acquired through a European Union (EU) funded project aimed at strengthening the capacity of African countries to use animal genetics resources.

Prof Japhet Micheni, the fisheries PS, while receiving the equipment, said investing in animal genetics resources would help boost the country’s food and nutrition security and livelihoods of communities and smallholder farmers.

“This support is timely in enhancing the country’s declining fish resources as farmers will now have access to the best quality fingerlings brood stock. This is because for a long time, they have been using strains of impure species leading to poor yields,” said Prof Micheni.
“It will also assist in establishing the status of the country’s fish breeding resources, and thereby guide in making sound policy decisions for fisheries management and development in future,” he added.

AU-IBAR’s director and the head of mission, Prof Ahmed El-Sawalhy, said the institution will provide leadership and coordination in the sustainable development of the continent’s animal genetic resources.

“AU-IBAR is firmly committed towards ensuring that fisheries management and aquaculture development is improved, aquatic genetic pools are protected, and accurate information is availed to improve the quality of aquatic animal seed for aquaculture across the African continent,” said Prof El-Sawalhy.

The kit consists of an underwater camera, breeding tanks (45, 94 and 140 gallon capacities), conductivity meters, turbidity meters, salinity meters, water testing kits, depth sounders, oxygen regulators and cylinders, air compressors, pumps, secchi discs and nets (scoop and seine), among others. Dr Mary Mbole-Kariuki, the Genetics Project’s Data Management expert at AU-IBAR, said the kit has the ability and capability to characterise eight species, including fish. The initial focus for the fish species is the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and African catfish (Clarias gariepinus).

“The technology will capture vital information on fish, their characteristics, suitability and adaptability to different aquatic conditions,” added the project officer Edward Musiwa.