Local fish farmers to undergo training overseas at specialist centre

Thursday,  September 15, 2005

An entrepreneurial couple from Cayman Brac, an established fish-farmer on Grand Cayman, and an Agriculture Department staffer will be attending an aquaculture training programme in North America next month, the Cabinet Office announced this week.

The course will take place at the College of the North Atlantic in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon – a French Overseas Territory bordering Newfoundland, Canada.

The participants will visit the Ocean Science Centre in St. John’s, one of the world’s premier aquaculture research facilities.

The intensive training will include an overview of aquaculture science and current practices common to the aquaculture industry.

Fish husbandry, finfish culture, aquaculture in tropical waters, shellfish culture, disease prevention and treatment, hatchery techniques, and nutrition will also be covered during the training.

Jude and Laura Walton look forward to sharing their experiences in raising freshwater fish (tilapia) and shellfish (conch and lobster). The Waltons own and operate the Brac Aqua and Agricultural Development Farm. Their family business earned an award at this year’s Brac Agriculture Show, and the couple hopes to expand their business in the areas of aquaculture and aquaphonic systems, as well as in conventional agriculture. The couple recently purchased land on the Bluff, where they hope to develop their fish-farming enterprise.

Another aquaculture enthusiast, Daniel Downs, explained that the main reason for attending the training is to gain information to further develop and manage the intensive tilapia farm which he and his father-in-law jointly own. While he also hopes to gain insight into other forms of aquaculture that might flourish locally, he is especially interested in aspects of business management and marketing.

“The experience we have gained during ten years of local tilapia culture has allowed us to successfully demonstrate that high yields can be achieved with minimal mechanization, by working with nature and respecting the environment,” he said.

However, in spite of having a good stock, and intermittently harvesting fish for the local market, the duo has identified a need for proper marketing of their products. As Mr. Downs noted, “Slow sales prevent us from harvesting as many pounds as we would like. We are also hoping that our farm can serve as a model for sustainable, integrated freshwater aquaculture in the Cayman Islands.”

Agriculture Department Extension Officer Clint Myrie will be the fourth course attendee.  His work involves participating in government’s Aquaculture Research Programme which experiments with various methods of raising tilapia fish, and sharing the information with local farmers.   

Responsible for day-to-day maintenance of the local facilities, Mr. Myrie hopes that the Saint Pierre experience will assist in the area of using the ‘green’ and ‘clear water’ tank production systems.  

This aquaculture training project is being supervised by the Development Agency of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and funded with European funds through the Technical Cooperation Facility, following project approval from the Executive Committee of the Overseas Countries and Territories Association. 

According to the College of the North Atlantic, seafood consumption has doubled in the last 30 years. Currently, aquaculture provides 25 percent of the world’s seafood and by the year 2030, it is expected to contribute at least half.

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