The CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH) is a multidisciplinary research program led by WorldFish, in partnership with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), James Cook University, the University of Greenwich and Wageningen University & Research. A fish agri-food system is an interconnected and interdependent system involving components of fish production, through to processing, marketing and consumption. FISH, in collaboration with our research and development partners and a diversity of stakeholders, develops and implements research innovations that enhance the role of aquaculture and small-scale fisheries to reduce poverty, improve food and nutrition security, and sustain natural resources and ecosystem services upon which people and the fish agri-food system ultimately depend.
The CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH) is a multidisciplinary research program led by WorldFish, in partnership with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), James Cook University, the University of Greenwich and Wageningen University & Research. A fish agri-food system is an interconnected and interdependent system involving components of fish production, through to processing, marketing and consumption. FISH, in collaboration with our research and development partners and a diversity of stakeholders, develops and implements research innovations that enhance the role of aquaculture and small-scale fisheries to reduce poverty, improve food and nutrition security, and sustain natural resources and ecosystem services upon which people and the fish agri-food system ultimately depend.
Message from Nigel Preston Chair of the Independent Steering Committee
FISH is achieving that goal with global impacts on improving the income, empowerment and nutrition of hundreds of thousands of individuals in low-income countries.
Message from Michael Phillips Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH)
In 2020, these golden eggs are now showing real potential for impact. With further nurturing, the golden eggs will thrive beyond FISH and provide the foundation for long-term impact.
Highlights from 2020
85 private sector partnerships:
37% increase from 2019
85 private sector partnerships:
37% increase from 2019
291 active partnerships:
60 new in 2020
291 active partnerships:
60 new in 2020
406,136 people received short-term training,
of which 66% were women
406,136 people received short-term training,
of which 66% were women
307,032 households adopted
improved fish breeds, aquaculture or fisheries management practices.
307,032 households adopted
improved fish breeds, aquaculture or fisheries management practices.
506,419 vulnerable women, children and men have increased fish consumption and dietary diversification due to aquatic foods interventions.
506,419 vulnerable women, children and men have increased fish consumption and dietary diversification due to aquatic foods interventions.
1,607,958 hectares of water were brought under improved fisheries co-management and aquaculture management.
1,607,958 hectares of water were brought under improved fisheries co-management and aquaculture management.
28 improved policies and investment decisions at various levels.
28 improved policies and investment decisions at various levels.
415,88 people were assisted to exit poverty.
415,88 people were assisted to exit poverty.
FISH research contributes directly
to 10 SDGs
FISH research contributes to aspects of 3 other SDGs
The outcomes from FISH are looking very positive. An independent review commissioned in 2020 by the CGIAR Advisory Services looked at our past and current accomplishments, resources, inputs, networks and collaborations and concluded that we will continue to deliver a high quality of science and effectiveness for the duration of the program and that the experience will provide the foundations for future work within One CGIAR.
The review of FISH was conducted in late 2020 to assess our quality of science, effectiveness and future orientation. The reviewers posed three questions: 1) To what extent does FISH deliver quality of science? 2) What outputs and outcomes have been achieved and what is the importance of those identified results? 3) What evidence exists for future effectiveness within the life of the program?
According to the reviewers, FISH has a high quality, extremely hard-working, dedicated scientific team with a mixture of skills, experience and training. The research is enhanced by strong multi-disciplinary approaches. The reviewers praised FISH germplasm outputs and, for example, noted that GIFT tilapia are gaining 8% faster growth or more per generation. They also highlighted the high-quality, award-winning tools and technologies. High quality science, and capacity building and policy contributions have helped FISH make significant progress along the Theory of Change (ToC). FISH work has helped improve income, empowerment and nutrition for hundreds of thousands of individuals in low-income countries.
The reviewers were able to extract some lessons learned from FISH, which can no doubt be applied to future work:
• Involving communities in fisheries management can be highly effective in sustaining and increasing a natural resource that ultimately impacts the income and nutrition of low-income communities.
• Partnering and involvement of medium and large enterprises in technology transfer to the poor can increase the likelihood of successful dissemination of innovations with benefits to the entire value chain.
• Facilitating communication between men and women can break down barriers, resulting in greater empowerment and participation of women while increasing their income and self-satisfaction.
• Retention of knowledge and performance of outputs and tools must be measured.
The reviewers concluded that FISH can provide a sound foundation and starting point to the future One CGIAR. Most of the flagships, clusters and cross-cutting themes are highly impactful and should be continued to derive full benefit from the strong foundation that has been laid. This includes our work in genetics, aquaculture feeds, fish diseases, nutritious ponds, micronutrients, small-scale fisheries, rice-fish refuges, policy contributions, and gender and youth.
Where we work
FISH pursues an integrated body of research in six focal countries. Three are in Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia and Myanmar) and three are in Africa (Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia). In addition, the Program focuses on Egypt as a research hub and training center for our aquaculture capacity development in Africa, and Solomon Islands as a hub for our learning networks on small-scale fisheries governance in the Pacific.
Africa
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Informal trade across Africa plays a hidden but key role to supply fish widely across the region. Our research seeks to better understand and facilitate improvements in trade and market systems for fish and aquatic foods. Our research supported the inclusion of fish among the products that can be easily traded between Kenya and Uganda through the One Stop Border Post in Busia. Three-way trade among Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe likewise benefited from investment in the COMESA Green Card process, which certifies for traders that their smoked and dried fish meets sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
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To facilitate internal trade in Malawi, we worked with the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) to standardize quality evaluations of dried fish from small-scale fisheries. MBS is now able to certify fish dried in solar tents as safe for human consumption, allowing women fish processors to supply safe and nutritious fish to supermarkets.
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Our project on the Sustainable Transformation of Egypt’s Aquaculture Market System came to an end with significant sector-wide improvements. Almost 4500 households adopted Better Management Practices, as a result of which an additional 400,000 metric tons of fish were supplied with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. Jobs and higher incomes benefitted 26,032 farming households, and amendments were proposed to law 124/1983 to permit integrated aquaculture on agriculture farms.
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Another project in Egypt, Youth Employment in Aswan Governorate, has led to demonstrable gains in incomes and empowerment for women, who gained new skills in processing and selling fish. Fish waste has been reduced and fish made more accessible to the general public. In consultation with the General Authority for Fish Resources Development and local fisheries associations, a management plan was prepared to cover 500,000 hectares of Lake Nasser behind the Aswan Dam.
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The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Aquaculture Compact continued to be a key partnership for scaling aquaculture research innovations in Africa. FISH worked with the government of Ghana to support the preparation of a loan from the African Development Bank to invest in aquaculture and fisheries and to support the Aquacultural Association of Kenya to formulate a petition that advocates for greater independence of the fisheries sector. Uganda’s government is also finalizing its National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy. Our research provided technical input to the National Aquaculture Policy draft, which will support a much-needed growth in aquaculture as well as internal and export trade.
Asia
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Fish health is of huge importance to aquaculture globally. The Lab in a Backpack innovation will help to diagnose, monitor and treat outbreaks of fish diseases in small and larger-scale aquaculture farms. The effective management of aquaculture health also requires supportive policies. Our research provided scientific evidence on fish health management to the development of Bangladesh’s National Fish Health Management Strategy during 2019.
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Cambodia is developing a ten-year strategic plan for fisheries conservation and management. Our research has demonstrated that co-management of community fish refuges can enhance fish production, nutrition, water security and resilience to climate change. In one year, the amount of fish caught increased by 30 percent and the proportion of young children under five eating small fish increased by 50 percent in communities adopting the community fish refuge innovation. Cambodia is now taking these results into account as the new strategic plan is finalized.
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Myanmar too is making progress in incorporating community fisheries management innovations into legislation. The 2019 reform of the Ayeyarwady fisheries law accepts the legal standing of community fishery associations, using findings from FISH research. Future research will help to ensure that fisheries are sustainably managed and that benefits are distributed fairly and equitably. At the same time, our research helped the government of Myanmar to extend the Nay Pyi Taw Agreement in furtherance of its Agricultural Development Strategy. As a result, small farmers can now convert part of their rice paddy to rice-fish production more easily, with state and regional governments now promoting such conversion and farm diversification.
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FISH pond polyculture innovations being scaled in Odisha State in India have demonstrated an increase in production of fish for market and the home, with concomitant increases in women’s incomes and family fish consumption. It is also creating a demand for improved fish seed stocks. We helped the Fisheries and Animal Resources Department in Odisha prepare an application to establish a multiplication center and hatchery for genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT). In 2019, construction of the USD 225,000 facility began at the government’s fish farm in Kausalyaganga, to begin operation in 2020.
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Efforts to improve the formulation of locally sourced fish feed continued with research in Bangladesh, Malaysia and Myanmar, as well as Egypt, Nigeria and Zambia in Africa. In partnership with the global feed company Skretting, we are analyzing existing and potential feed ingredients with a view to compiling an open access database for low-cost feed formulation of tilapia feeds. In future, information on digestibility will be included to further improve feed formulation, and incorporated into a digital tool to help farmers adopt better fish feeding practices and overall improve fish pond productivity.
Pacific
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Small changes in technology post-harvest can reduce fish loss and waste and improve women’s empowerment and incomes. In the Solomon Islands, we have worked with women and solar-powered freezers. The freezers overcome the problems associated with the geographical isolation of small island villages. With them, women can store fish in good condition, improving the profit from sales and even rent out freezer space to others. The Provincial government now wants to extend similar initiatives to other communities within the country.
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The Coral Triangle is a hugely important but little understood fisheries resource. Working with the Coral Triangle Initiative, we have supported Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste to create an independent Coral Triangle Atlas, building from WorldFish’s global ReefBase. The new database provides governments, NGOs and researchers within the region with access to open source geospatial solutions for greater decision making and resource sustainability.
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Data management on a smaller but no less important scale is vital to manage small-scale fisheries. Our integrated data pipeline for small-scale fisheries won the Inspire Challenge of the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture in 2018. That enabled us to pilot the devices, which track the location and activities of more than 300 fishing boats in Timor-Leste. As a result, Timor-Leste adopted the system, which went on to win the scaling-up award in 2019. The project is now being extended to small-scale fisheries in seven additional countries.
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Community leadership and empowerment is essential to local actions to sustainably secure small-scale fisheries and manage the challenges of climate change. Using FISH learning from our co-management research, we worked with the Pacific Community and other partners to develop a guide, A New Idea for Coastal Fisheries: Asking the Right Questions to Enhance Coastal Livelihoods. The guide collates experiences from the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste to outline a practical and gender-sensitive participatory approach to guide conversations on enabling new livelihood opportunities in coastal fisheries communities.
Innovations and Impact
Gender transformative approaches address root causes of gender inequality
Gender transformative approaches complement and go beyond traditional gender approaches. While traditional approaches work around gender barriers, transformative approaches shift underlying social norms that perpetuate inequalities. GTA can contribute to more potent and longerterm gender outcomes.
Re-integrating fish into multi-functional rice landscapes
FISH has been adapting rice-fish production practices first used 2,000 years ago to bring fish back into the rice fields. Rice and fish can be integrated using a variety of innovations that can make efficient use of increasingly scarce water and land. The innovations not only address environmental and nutrition concerns but can also improve the livelihoods of rural farmers.
Digital tools for decision making and investment in fish agri-food systems
Digital tools and innovations can help record fishing activities, improve access to aquaculture finance and markets, improve efficiency of management and conservation planning, and identify fish pathogens. Actors involved in aquaculture and small-scale fisheries need to be able to anticipate and respond to changes in systems quickly and appropriately.
New generation co-management approaches
FISH has supported a bundle of innovations to improve outcomes of co-management, including innovations that increase equity and inclusion in co-management establishment, implementation and review. Fisheries co-management is widely adopted globally as the preferred approach to govern small-scale fisheries.
Faster-growing and more resilient tilapia and carp
Pioneering selective breeding techniques in fish have helped enable aquaculture to now provide half of the global fish supply. Genetically improved farmed tilapia are now in their 17th generation and grow 100% faster than they did before the breeding program started.
Sustainable aquaculture growth through better management practices
FISH has packaged the most promising innovations into an integrated set of better management practices (BMPs) for aquaculture, to increase profitability, reduce negative environmental impacts and enhance social benefits. BMPs involve replacing less efficient production systems by implementing technical innovations to facilitate continuous improvement in aquaculture practices.
Nutrition-sensitive approaches to fish agri-food systems transformation
FISH has been addressing micronutrient deficiency by expanding production of small indigenous fish species, increasing productivity and reducing waste and loss in fish value chains and developing improved feeds to enhance the nutritional value of fish.
Communications and Knowledge Sharing
Communications and Knowledge Sharing
Communication is a way for us to share knowledge and deliver research evidence to a variety of audiences, including fishers, farmers and traders, policymakers, extension agents and the scientific community
We focus on three areas, with the aim of enabling others to translate our science into action:
Practitioner guidance to enable adoption of technologies and management practices, for example on improved fish feeds or measures to reduce loss and waste in the value chain.
Evidence, learning and exchange on technologies and innovations shared via peer-reviewed literature, outcome stories and evidence-based narratives focused on FISH generated science. For peer reviewed research publications, we encourage our scientists to publish in open access journals. In those instances where publishing in fee-paying journals is preferred, FISH endeavors to cover open access costs. Of the 78 peer-reviewed articles published in 2020, 59 were open access.
Policy dialogue demonstrating the value of fisheries and aquaculture to address national and regional food and nutrition security and poverty reduction goals, and evidence to support the analysis of policy alternatives, including foresight modeling and scenario analysis.
Supporting quality science dissemination
We regularly share our knowledge and research evidence at scientific conferences and other strategic events. To support our scientists, who are the (co-) producers of our research and ambassadors of our brand, we developed a suite of FISH-specific tools and materials that ensure we are making the case for fish in agri-food systems in the strongest possible way. Our 2020 communication products included a quarterly newsletter, various factsheets and video abstracts, reports, infographics and posters. In addition, our top stories from the year were featured in the news media such as the Scientific American reaching 3.3 million people and published in blogs and press releases. In total, 234 media outlets carried FISH stories, reaching 232 million people, garnering over 11,000 likes, shares, comments, and retweets on social media.
86,390
unique pageviews
of the FISH website
13.4 million people
reached through traditional media
2.19 million
people reached on
social media
16,149
downloads of FISH publications
61%
increase in total followers on Facebook and Twitter
81
peer-reviewed articles published:
62 Open Access
Publications
Our Partners
We work with an extensive network of partners, including international, national, regional and local governmental institutions, universities, private sector organizations and NGOs, who share our commitment to creating positive change for the millions who depend on fish in the developing world.
In 2020, FISH was engaged in 291 active external partnerships, 60 of which were new. A substantial percentage of these were with academic and research organizations (19%). However, there was significant growth in partnerships with the private sector (29%), and national agriculture research systems and governments (15%), which reflects greater attention to delivering innovations and outcomes with partners at scale through policy contributions, commercialization and capacity building partners.
240 active partnerships
Of which 98 new in 2019
Investors and Financials
The 2020 financial plan provided USD 5.56 million of W1/W2 funding, which combined with a 2019 carryover provided FISH with USD 6.21 million of W1/W2 funding for the year. The expenditure of W1/W2 funds for 2020 was USD 6.04 million (97%), and the W3/bilateral expenditure was USD 18.22 million. A total of USD 170,466 W1/W2 funds were carried over to 2020. The sourcing of bilateral funds increased in 2020, providing a planned budget of USD 23.10 million, of which about 79% was spent during the year. The allocation of bilateral funding represents an increase beyond that predicted in the FISH proposal. A significant proportion of these bilateral funds were oriented toward “development” investment, allowing in particular enhanced investment in outcomes and impacts across FISH.
| Planned budget 20201 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| W1/W2 | W3/bilateral | Total | |
| FP1 (Sustainable Aquaculture) | 2,157,000 | 18,452,043 | 20,609,043 |
| FP2 (Sustaining Small-Scale Fisheries) | 927,000 | 4,648,326 | 5,575,326 |
| Cross-program investments | 1,520,000 | 1,520,000 | |
| Carry over and contingency funding | 825,086 | 825,086 | |
| CRP management and support costs | 756,000 | 756,000 | |
| CRP total | 6,212,086 | 23,100,369 | 29,312,455 |
| Actual expenditure 20202 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| W1/W2 | W3/bilateral | Total | |
| FP1 (Sustainable Aquaculture) | 2,411,200 | 14,525,197 | 16,936,397 |
| FP2 (Sustaining Small-Scale Fisheries) | 1,130,831 | 3,693,443 | 4,824,274 |
| Cross-program investments | 1,891,268 | 1,891,268 | |
| Carry over and contingency funding | |||
| CRP management and support costs | 608,321 | 608,321 | |
| CRP total | 6,041,620 | 18,218,640 | 24,260,260 |
| Difference | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| W1/W2 | W3/bilateral | Total | |
| FP1 (Sustainable Aquaculture) | (254,200) | 3,926,846 | 3,672,646 |
| FP2 (Sustaining Small-Scale Fisheries) | (203,831) | 954,883 | 751,053 |
| Cross-program investments | (371,268) | (371,268) | |
| Carry over and contingency funding | 852,086 | 852,086 | |
| CRP management and support costs | 147,067 | 147,067 | |
| CRP total | 170,466 | 4,881,729 | 5,052,196 |
2 Source: Audited lead and participating center financial report.
Governance and Management
FISH governance involves members of developing and developed country institutions, such as national research institutes, the private sector, fisher organizations and international organizations. The Program has a wide upstream and downstream reach that includes participants and institutions with a key role in defining the fisheries and aquaculture development agenda.
INDEPENDENT STEERING COMMITTEE (ISC)
The Independent Steering Committee (ISC) is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the FISH Program. This includes science quality and priorities, risk management, budget allocation and identification of new investment, partnering and funding opportunities to grow and sustain the Program and enhance impact. Membership consists of scientists, practitioners and representatives from end-user bodies that represent a balance of disciplinary expertise, gender and national diversity.
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (MC)
The Management Committee is responsible for timely and effective planning, budgeting and reporting of FISH. The committee is composed of representatives of the five managing partner institutions and the flagship coordinators and is chaired by the FISH Director. The committee reviews the annual work plans and budgets developed at regional and global levels to ensure consistency, integration and appropriate budget allocation across the Program. Once cleared by the FISH Management Committee, work plans, budgets, strategies and other program implementation documents are submitted to the ISC for approval.
FISH People
INDEPENDENT STEERING COMMITTEE (ISC)
Nigel Preston, ISC Chair, University of Queensland, Australia
Editrudith Lukanga, Environmental Management and Economic Development Organization, Tanzania
Gareth Johnstone, WorldFish, Malaysia
Ian Cowx, University of Hull, United Kingdom
M.A. Sattar Mandal, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh
Marian Kjellevold, Institute of Marine Research, Norway
Mark Smith, International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka
Cristina Rumbaitis del Rio, WorldFish Board of Trustees
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (MC)
Michael Phillips, MC Chair, Director, CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems and Aquaculture and Fisheries, Sciences, WorldFish
Cristiano Rossignoli, Monitoring and Evaluation Leader, WorldFish
Cynthia McDougall, Gender Research Leader, WorldFish
Essam Yassin Mohammed, Climate Change Research Program Leader, WorldFish
Johan Verreth, retired Head of the Chair Group Aquaculture and Fisheries, Wageningen University & Research
John Benzie, Sustainable Aquaculture Program Leader, WorldFish
John Linton, Commercial Director, Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich
Marion Barriskell, Director of Finance and IT, WorldFish
Michael Akester, Country Director, Myanmar, WorldFish
Philippa Cohen, Resilient Small-Scale Fisheries Program Leader, WorldFish
Shakuntala Thilsted, Value Chains and Nutrition Program Leader, WorldFish
Sonali S. Sellamuttu, Head of Southeast Asia Office, International Water Management Institute
Tana Lala-Pritchard, Director of Communications and Marketing, WorldFish
Terry Hughes, Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
Managing Partners Institutions
