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Govt improving local tilapia variety

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development through the Department of Fisheries at National Aquaculture Centre (NAC) at Domasi in Zomba is working towards improving the variety of local tilapia.

Over the years, production of natural stocks of fish in the country’s lakes and rivers has been dwindling.

TFishermen_damhe tilapia, which is indigenous in Shire River, is scientifically called Oreochromisshiranus.

As a government centre, NAC aimed at promoting fish farming through the increase of fish production, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.

This improved fish variety has the potential to produce twice as much per annum as compared to the current production, which stands at 1.2 tonnes per hectare per annum.

The scientists have noted that wild varieties are early maturing; hence, using little energy, which is supposed to be for growth in reproduction.

The improved variety, however, according to the scientists, will be a late maturing, as opposed to the wild variety. This will enable this variety to use much of its energy for growth.

Head of NAC Dr Hastings Zidana, speaking about this on-going project, said this improved variety will aid Malawians to access an increased availability of relatively low-cost, high-quality animal protein from the increased yield.

At the same time, he said, there will be increased employment within the expanded aquaculture sector and possible foreign exchange earnings in the long-term.

“Farmers are bound to gain substantial socio-economic benefits from the adoption of this improved variety,” he said.

The seed of this developed fish variety can be accessed at NAC and the Department of Fisheries office at Domasi Fish Farm in Zomba.

Experts contend that the rapid drop in the lake’s water levels, pushed by population growth, climate change and deforestation is threatening its floral and fauna species with extinction.

People who depend on fish for their livelihoods are also threatened with the ever dwindling fish stocks.

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