Model Small-Scale Greenwater Tilapia Hatchery Facility

Project Overview

FW07-036
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2007: $9,969.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2009
Region: Western
State: American Samoa
Principal Investigator:
Joseph Fuamatu
Email

Commodities

  • Animals: fish

Practices

  • Animal Production: housing
  • Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, mentoring, networking, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research
  • Sustainable Communities: new business opportunities

    Proposal summary:

    Joe Fuamatu, high chief of Afao village on American Samoa, will use his Farmer/Rancher grant to develop a model hatchery for tilapia culture.

    Fuamatu, one of 16 tilapia farmers in American Samoa and vice president of the American Samoa Sunfish Tilapia Cooperative, currently integrates agriculture practices with his culture of tilapia. Fish waste from two earthen ponds and one square tank is channeled into patches of taro and banana. These existing facilities will be modified by adding breeding hapas, larval rearing nets, plumbing, aeration and larval rearing jars. Once modified, the model hatchery will be used to teach sex identification, spawning practices, larval rearing, feeding and broodstock management.

    Fuamatu and his technical advisor, John Gonzales, aquaculture extension agent with American Samoa Community College, will conduct workshops and schedule appointments for site visits to teach others about the development and operation of a tilapia hatchery.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.