an alliance of aquaculture with-agroecology
greatly strengthens this new paradigm
(Lightfoot 1990). Similarly, aquaculture
in the coastal zone, capture fisheries,
industry, tourism and shipping all interact.
Land-based activities (agriculture, forestry
and industry) have profound effects on
aquatic ecosystems (Chua et al. 1989a,
1989b). Moreover, most coastal
aquaculture depends upon terrestrial
resources for construction materials and
other inputs, particularly feeds.The Status of Developing-Country
AquacultureGeneral Considerations
Aquaculture is underdeveloped
throughout the developing world. Much
has been written about Asia being a region
of strength and various countries being
advanced in aquaculture. In comparative
terms this is true. As a statement on the
status of aquaculture vis-a-vis other
sectors, it is highly misleading. Even in
Asia, the number of farmers and coastal
dwellers involved in part-time or full-time
aquaculture is almost certainly below 1%
offood producers. Most developing-country
aquaculture is still the farming of
undomesticated organisms in poorly
understood systems. The supportive
research base for developing-country
aquaculture is weak (Pullin and Neal
1984). For enhanced fisheries it is very
weak.Recent Statistics
Table 1 summarizes aquaculture
production in the developing regions in- The predominance ofAsia (especially
China) is obvious. Table 2 gives the global
picture in terms of aquatic environments.
It is complex and dynamic (Csavas 1988)
and there is little or no correlation between
the growth ofaquaculture and GDP (Table
3).
FA0 (1989b) concluded that recent
growth of aquaculture had been less
dramatic than had been forecast in the
mid-1970s: especially in developing
countries where, apart from the
spectacular rise of the shrimp culture
industry, there had been little change in
seaweed or mollusc production and a
decline in African aquaculture production.
A further conclusion was that growth in
production ofhigh value produce had been
greatest and that "rural small-scale
integrated aquaculture" had grown more
slowly than had been anticipated.
Shrimp culture has indeed expanded
in Asiaand Latin America, largely because
technology was available and there were
sites to be occupied, albeit often at high
environmental and social costs (see below).
Seaweed culture has also prospered. Such
operations have validated to some extent
the philosophy that emerged from the
1976 World Conference on Aquaculture in
Kyoto, that aquaculture could, and should,
be developed through production-
orientated research, parallel to which
more basic research would also expand.
However, the result is a developing-
country aquaculture sector in which a few
subsectors have prospered but the majority
still lack reliable technology likely to
attract new entrants, especially those of
low-income groups.
Statistics currently available for 1988
(FA0 1990b) focused on a global increase
of1 9% in the value bf aquaculture produce
over 1987. Much of this was due to a 16%
increase in production in China.
Elsewhere, where research and
development have been well supported,
progress has sometimes been rapid in
relative terms though still limited in
absolute terms. For example, in MalaGi,
small-scale pond culture has increased
from a very low level pre-1980 to several
hundred ponds at present and expansion
is continuing (ICLARM-GTZ 1991).
However, the total national annual