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2.0 Introduction
Aquaculture is farming of aquatic organisms. According to Khan, (2011) aquaculture is
defined as the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic
plants in water under controlled conditions. Mariculture refers to farming in the marine
environment. Fish farming is the fastest growing means of food production worldwide at an
annual growth rate of 8.8 % (FAO, 2006). Furthermore, 20% and 77% of all the fish
consumed globally in 2009 came from marine and freshwater aquaculture industries
respectively (FAO, 2010). The commonest methods of farming are development of fish ponds
on land and in the intertidal areas usually behind mangroves and salt marshes where the soil is
a mixture of clay, loam and sand and suitable for building dikes, cage farming in the lakes and
oceans, and pens/happas.
The candidate species for aquaculture are chosen based on their tolerance to environment and
diseases, easy availability of seeds/making hatcheries and the market preferences. From the
environmental point of view herbivorous and omnivorous/detritus feeders are preferred
aquaculture species against carnivorous fish (e.g. salmon and prawn) because of the latter’s
higher and costly protein intake as well as poorer food conversion efficiency. Carp is the
leading fin fish aquaculture species in the world in terms of volume followed by tilapia and
milkfish.
While the contribution of Sub Saharan Africa to aquaculture is a mere 0.16% most of the
space suitable for aquaculture outside Africa has been optimally utilized. Further expansion in
aquaculture is synonymous to developing aquaculture in Africa. The main reasons for poor
development of mariculture in Sub-Saharan Africa are the easy availability of wild catch and
consequent low prices of fish. Mariculture in Tanzania is developing slowly due to lack of
awareness of its potential in poverty alleviation, poor technology, lack of hatcheries, small
prices for the products and its low priority in the national plan (Mafwenga, 1994). According
to this author, the main reasons are easy availability of fish from the wild and poor
infrastructure making the marketing of fish as well as development of aquaculture costly
(Author‘s Pers Observ). In Tanzania both of these are changing with the prices changing from
0.5 in the early 2000’s (Dubi et al., 2006) through 1.2 in 2006 (Requintina et al., 2008) to 2
US$/kg (Mmochi, 2011) to date and road networks improving substantially. The prices are
influenced by interalia human population growth, change in eating habits with growing
consciousness on the effects of red meat, growing tourism, increased number of marine parks
and reserves as well as tightened fisheries policies on destructive fishing methods.
The current government policies and strategic plans are towards development of aquaculture
in Tanzania. These include development of directorate of Aquaculture with assistant directors
in mariculture and fresh water aquaculture respectively, development of the National
Aquaculture Development Strategic Plan (NADS) and active sponsorship of aquaculture
activities including Marine and Coastal Environment Management Program (MACEMP) and
Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF). The national aim in aquaculture is to provide
alternative livelihoods, to improve food security and generate income all in line with the
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