Freshwater crayfish production for poverty alleviation

摘要

The production of aquatic species, in aquaculture or fisheries, has a number of significant roles in rural development in developing countries. Aquatic species production provides food security, nutrition and poverty alleviation through a wide range of benefits including inter alia high nutritional value food, employment opportunities, and income. A significant number of international organizations encourage the sustainable production of aquatic organisms as a contribution to rural development. Passer (2000) outlined the species traits that are required for successful inland aquaculture. They were marketability; ease to breed, such as an easily managed life history; rapid growth; tolerance to suboptimal or poor water quality; disease resistance; harvestability; tolerance to crowding and handling; and easy feeding requirements, such as being omnivorous and accepting formulated diets. Freshwater crayfish, and especially the Australian species, red- claw (Cherax quadricarinatus), were identified as possessing significant potential for development and/or increased production. The features hold true in the specific case of inland aquaculture in rural areas of developing countries where, as well as semi-intensive aquaculture developments, there may be great importance of small farmer systems involving hand dug ponds through to village ponds. Due in part to the extreme vulnerability of the rural poor, and the features of their farming systems, there is increased relative importance on the ease of breeding; tolerance to poor water quality; disease resistance, including easy and effective disease avoidance measures; and an omnivorous diet. Those particular characteristics are strong in freshwater crayfish.