Proceedings of a Workshop on the Development ... - World Fish Center

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COUNTRY CASE STUDY: CATFISH INDUSTRY IN CAMEROON 7Since 1985, research activities relatedto freshwater aquaculture have beenconducted at the Foumban Fish Culture andFisheries Research Station. Most activitiesare oriented toward optimizing the artificialpropagation <strong>of</strong> the main cultured catfish(Clarias gariepinus and Heterobranchuslongifilis), as well as domesticating newcatfish species suitable for aquaculture.There is a general lack <strong>of</strong> knowledge on thegenetic variability <strong>of</strong> the different strains <strong>of</strong>C. gariepinus farmed in different parts <strong>of</strong>Cameroon, this species being alien to theriver basins in which it is cultured. Data onthe reproductive biology and feeding habits<strong>of</strong> catfish species in the wild are also lacking.The policy environment is now supportiveand Cameroon will become an importantaquaculture producer in the near future.INTRODUCTIONThe aquaculture industry in Cameroonis essentially rural and its objectives areto increase fish supplies and providesupplementary and alternative employment,generate income, and improve the nutrition<strong>of</strong> subsistence farmers (Satia et al.1988). However, fifty-nine years after theintroduction <strong>of</strong> aquaculture in the country,it has failed to improve rural nutritional andincome standards. Its contribution to nationalfishery production remains insignificant.Cameroon, although self-sufficient in mostdomains <strong>of</strong> agro-food, has defaulted on itsprovision <strong>of</strong> fish products. Fish continuesto be the main source <strong>of</strong> protein for theCameroonian populations, especially for themost underprivileged layers (Nguenga andPouomogne 2006). The national productionis essentially assured by the country’smaritime, artisanal and industrial fishingand by continental fishing. The nationalneeds increase annually in proportion withthe population growth. The gap betweendemand and supply obliges Cameroon toimport considerable quantities <strong>of</strong> frozenfish.In 2005, nearly 49 percent <strong>of</strong> animal proteinconsumed in Cameroon, 17 kg per personannually, consisted <strong>of</strong> fish (Brummett 2007).Demand is high and continues to rise withimports passing 53,000 tonnes in 1997,63,000 tonnes in 1998, and 78,000 tonnes in1999. In 2002, Cameroon imported 182,000tonnes <strong>of</strong> fish, representing 52 percent <strong>of</strong>domestic supplies, at a total cost <strong>of</strong> nearlyUS$90 million (FAOSTAT 2004). Fish pricesremain stubbornly high at around US$3.50per kg live weight on the wholesale market.Through a series <strong>of</strong> consultations facilitatedby FAO (April 2003 and December 2004) andthe WorldFish Center (April and November2004), access to markets, availability <strong>of</strong>high quality technical backstopping andregular supply <strong>of</strong> fish fingerlings have beenrepeatedly identified as key constraintsto aquaculture growth. According to thegovernment, if these can be overcome,Cameroon has the biophysical potential(i.e. land, water and feed materials) to easilyproduce 20,000 tonnes <strong>of</strong> fish per annumthrough aquaculture, and increase thecurrent production by more than a factor <strong>of</strong>twenty.OVERVIEW OF THENATIONAL AQUACULTURESECTORHISTORICAL BACKGROUNDFish farming started in Cameroon in 1948,and in 1952 the colonial administration(England in the West adjacent to Nigeria,and France in the Eastern Cameroon) built22 aquaculture demonstration stations tostrengthen the fisheries sector. By 1960,the number <strong>of</strong> private earthen fishpondsexceeded 10,000. Soon after independencein 1960, the extension effort collapsed, andmost ponds were abandoned. During theearly 1970s a UNDP/FAO regional projectincreased the number <strong>of</strong> public aquaculturestations to 32. However, declining donorsupport and the transfer <strong>of</strong> aquaculture fromthe Forestry Department to the LivestockDepartment weakened the enthusiasm.From 1980, there was a revival in focusseddonor support for aquaculture. The USAIDdeveloped common carp farming in theWestern Highlands (1980-84), and PeaceCorps Volunteers assisted until 1998; theIDRC provided support for integrated fishcum-pig-and-chickenfarming from 1986
8 PROCEEDINGS OF A WORKSHOP ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GENETIC IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FOR AFRICAN CATFISH CLARIAS GARIEPINUSto 1990; the Belgian cooperation agency(General Administration for Cooperationand Development, AGCD) provided supportfor catfish seed production at the FoumbanResearch Station from 1990 to 1994;the French cooperation agency providedsupport for participatory aquaculturedevelopment in the Yaoundé region from1994 to 1997; recently, DFID (UK Departmentfor International Development) supporteda participatory aquaculture project withinthe forest benchmarks <strong>of</strong> Cameroon from2000 to 2005 (WorldFish Center 2005),and currently the French Department forForeign Affairs is supporting research in apartnership project in the seven southernprovinces (La Recherche Agronomique auCameroun, REPARAC) (Pouomogne andMikolasek 2006).Since independence, the development <strong>of</strong>the aquaculture sector in Cameroon was,therefore, largely driven by internationaldonor support. Given the stop-start, topdownnature <strong>of</strong> support, the evolution <strong>of</strong> thesector until the mid-1990s has been erraticand serrated. In 1995, after evaluating pastexperiences, the Cameroon governmentpromoted a more participatory approachsuch as those supported by the FrenchCooperation Agency and DFID projects.This has resulted in considerable changesin aquaculture practices, improved use <strong>of</strong>local knowledge and practical experienceat the farm and village levels. In addition,the revision <strong>of</strong> legislation regulating freedom<strong>of</strong> associations (1992) and increases in fishprices related to the devaluation <strong>of</strong> the CFAfranc in 1994 have created an environmentfavorable to sustainable aquaculturedevelopment (Pouomogne et al. 1998;Pouomogne 2006a). Population growth andthe concomitant increase in the demandfor animal protein have also contributedsignificantly to escalating fish prices. Asa consequence, many abandoned pondshave recently been rehabilitated, althoughthis has <strong>of</strong>ten been done without technicalinput from reliable specialized extensionservices. This positive trend is linked to thenew market environment and facilitated byrecent changes in policy.PRODUCTION TRENDSAn analysis <strong>of</strong> available data from theNational Agricultural Research and ExtensionProgram (PNVRA), the WorldFish Center, theFAO Special Program for Food Security andthe Department <strong>of</strong> Fisheries <strong>of</strong> the MINEPIArevealed that by the end <strong>of</strong> 2004 there wereapproximately 4,000 active farmers with7,000 ponds (>50% new or rebuilt since1995) with an average size <strong>of</strong> 350 m². Totalfish production from earthen ponds wasestimated at 600 tonnes, <strong>of</strong> which morethan 90 percent was produced by smallscalefarmers. Nile tilapia (Oreochromisniloticus) was the most commonly farmedspecies, followed by African catfish Clariasgariepinus. The most common practiceis polyculture <strong>of</strong> Nile tilapia, with Clariasgariepinus where possible, or with otherlocally available species such as Heterotisniloticus (“kanga”), Channa obscura (“viperfish”), Hemichromis fasciatus (“pantherfish”), common carp (Cyprinus carpio) orBarbus species (Pouomogne 2005b). Thefingerlings <strong>of</strong> the other species listed aboveare obtained mostly from the wild. Theprogress <strong>of</strong> aquaculture production from1990 to 2006 is shown in Table 1.Table 1: Aquaculture production (tonnes) in Cameroon (1990-2006)Species 1990 2000 2003 2004 2006Nile tilapia 80 180 250 350 450African catfish 6 120 180 230 330Others 20 50 70 70 90Total 106 350 500 650 870Total pond surface (ha) 160 210 220 240 245Observations FAO 1997 Personal estimation, based on actual field personalrecords after PNVRA, WorldFish, FAOestimationCameroon and some specialized NGOs(CEPID, SEAPB); Pouomogne 2006b
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