Friday, September 20, 2013

20/9/13: Dengue-eliminating fish; illicit fish farms; Trinidad aquaculture investment

Fish have been enlisted by the Punjab government in an unlikely new front of India’s war on dengue fever.

Authorities believe that fish from the Rawal Dam hatchery can solve the rising number of cases in Rawalpindi without the use of anti-mosquito chemicals. They’ve been released into ponds and fountains in the hope that they eat larvae from the mosquitoes that carry the virus.




Feed residue from illicit fish farms is threatening the operation of a power station near Manila, reports Philippines news organ The Inquirer.

The coal-fired plant, largest in the Philippines, says fish feed is entering its water intake and jeopardizing the area’s electricity supply. Agricultural authorities say fish farmers should keep their cages 400m away from the plant perimeter at all times, but currently many are at a quarter of that distance.

In 2008-9 the plant was forced to shut down after typhoon damage allowed fish to escape their cages and swim into the cooling system.



Aquaculture in Trinidad and Tobago will receive a boost after its government announced a $3.6m investment in the industry.

The money will be spent on new farms and technology, as well as research and training for the fish farmers of the Caribbean islands. Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj hopes the investment bring some commercial clout to aquaculture in his country.

“Approximately 75 per cent of fish farmers can be considered to be subsistence or backyard farmers who, for a number of reasons, are unable to achieve economies of scale and hence commercial and economic viability,” said Maharaj.
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Farmed tilapia are being transported to the Sea of Galilee in a bid to replenish its fish population, reports the Times of Israel.

The continuing project, which this year will introduce approximately one million of the fish to the lake, also aims to balance its ecosystem as the tilapia will filter out toxins produced by seaweed.

The dengue fever-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito [photo credit: Wikipedia]

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