Green Mussel,Perna viridis,Farming in Kerala,India – Technology Diffusion Process and Socioeconomic Impacts

The technology diffusion process of green mussel, Perna viridis, farming in Kerala, India, was studied by analyzing the adoption pattern, socioeconomic profile of mussel farmers, differences in farming methods, profit variations, development of trade and downstream industries, and the social factors responsible for the growth of this new industry. The farming practice has been adopted by villagers from 1996, and because of its rapid growth, India has risen to one among the top 10 farmed mussel producing nations in Asia, with an annual production of 10,060 tonnes, worth $US1.79 million at farm‐gate level. Three types of farm ownerships were observed: individual ownership (IND), family ownership (FAM), and ownerships by self‐help groups (SHG). The adoption curves are such that there were only a few adopters initially followed by an increasing rate of adoption in the subsequent years because of the demonstration effect. The study indicated the deep‐rooted “risk aversion” attitude widely prevalent among technology adopters. Age could not be significantly related to technology adoption, while education and occupation of the respondents significantly (P < 0.05) influenced the technology adoption process. The biggest outcome of mussel farming in Kerala was the empowerment of women with 87% of the SHG farms owned by women. The successful diffusion of mussel farming is the result of a combination of factors, chiefly, the availability of suitable water bodies; high rate of education; proximity of mussel markets and high degree of mussel consumption in the area; and a unique synergy between technology developers, promoters, and credit advancers. This development scenario can work as a role model for developing nations.     

Transaction costs in contract farming models for mussel and oyster farming in South Africa: Organisational and management implications

Abstract

This study examines transaction costs faced by small mussel and oyster growers to elicit the appropriate organisational design of contract institutions. The theoretical premise is that high transaction costs essentially constrain the participation of small growers in mussel and oyster mariculture. Transaction cost analysis is applied to contract farming models and this approach is first discussed conceptually. Experience with contract farming by small growers in a developing context is synthesised and used in guiding the design of contract farming models. This is followed by a brief overview of the mussel and oyster industries, which is used to gain insight into transaction costs associated with contract institutions. Contracting models and implications are assessed separately for each industry. For mussel mariculture, four farming models are examined and the appropriate model is subsequently selected. For oyster mariculture, the transaction costs of contract fanning are examined to assist in organisational design.     

烟台四十里湾浅海养殖生物及附着生物的化学组成、有机净生产量及其生态效应

对四十里湾养殖海区一些双壳贝类和藻类收获时的化学组成和有机净生产量进行了分析，不同双壳贝类软体有机碳含量差别不大，而N含量差异较大，栉孔扇贝软体N含量最高（12．36％），而牡蛎，毛坩相对较低（8％－9％），贻贝和菲律宾蛤仔贝壳N含量最高，为0．55％和0．56％，而栉孔扇贝壳则较低（0．1％），且贝壳，C，N，P在扇贝C，N，P总含量中所占的比例分别为6．2％，7．5％和6．9％，海带和石莼元素组成说明海区营养元素N的不足，海带的不同部位N含量差别很大，且在不同海区有较大变化，贻贝贝壳C，H，N和P含量在整个贻贝中占有相对大的比例，分别为30．4％，30．2％，31．8％，29．6％，菲律宾蛤仔，长牡蛎和中国蛤蜊等贝类贝壳中这些元素的相对含量也较高，布扇贝贝壳却较低，四十里湾海区每年因贝类和藻类的养殖，海区将至少减少850tN和78tP，其中贝壳的营养损失占据着相当比例，在海水交换受到一定限制，营养不很丰富，海区，养殖生物收获本身也会对海区的营养状况产生影响，根据贝壳N，P的含量，笔者认为在营养不很丰富的沿岸海区，贻贝，牡蛎最好不养或尽可能少养。     

Prolonged Culture Period on Production Cost and Factor Input: A Case from the Pacific Oyster,Crassostrea gigas,Farming Industry in Yunlin County,Taiwan

The Yunlin coastal area is the largest oyster culture in Taiwan; however, the oyster farmers reported the negative impact of a prolonged oyster culture period and an increased operating cost in 2010. This study uses the translog cost function to consider the possibility of an oyster culture period extension to estimate oyster cost elasticity, own‐price elasticities, and cross‐price (substitution) elasticities, to evaluate whether the oyster farming industry in Yunlin County has economies of scale, and to assess the relationship with a substitution of inputs. We found that the Yunlin oyster culture has economies of scale, and that the oyster farmers can expand production scale to reduce costs. The own‐price elasticities of demand for inputs are less than 1, indicating fairly inelastic factor demands in oyster production. The oyster farming industry displays strong substitutability between the prolonged culture period and capital input, suggesting that the oyster farming industry is more responsive to a higher prolonged culture period cost, in terms of capital input.     

Development and distribution of the non-indigenous Pacific oyster (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Crassostrea gigas</Emphasis>) in the Dutch Wadden Sea

Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were first observed in the Dutch Wadden Sea near Texel in 1983. The population increased slowly in the beginning but grew exponentially from the mid-1990s onwards, although now some stabilisation seems to be occurring. They occur on a variety of substrates such as mussel beds (Mytilus edulis), shell banks, dikes and poles. After initial settlement spat may fall on older individuals and congregate to dense clumps and subsequently form reefs. Individual Pacific oysters grow 3–4 cm long in their first year and 2–3 cm in their second year. Many mussel beds (Mytilus edulis) are slowly taken over by Pacific oysters, but there are also several reports of mussel spat settling on Pacific oyster reefs. This might in the end result in combined reefs. Successful Pacific oyster spat fall seems to be related to high summer temperatures, but also after mild summers much spat can be found on old (Pacific oyster) shells. Predation is of limited importance. Mortality factors are unknown, but every now and then unexplained mass mortality occurs. The gradual spread of the Pacific oyster in the Dutch Wadden Sea is documented in the first instance based on historical and anecdotal information. At the start of the more in-depth investigation in 2002, Pacific oysters of all size classes were already present near Texel. Near Ameland the development could be followed from the first observed settlement. On dense reefs each square metre may contain more than 500 adult Pacific oysters, weighing more than 100 kg per m2 fresh weight.     

EXTERNALITIES,INSTITUTIONS AND THE LOCATION CHOICES OF SHELLFISH PRODUCERS: THE CASE OF BLUE MUSSEL FARMING IN THE MONT-SAINT-MICHEL BAY (FRANCE)

ABSTRACT

Most marine aquaculture activities remain strongly dependent on coastal ecosystems. In the case of shellfish farming, this dependency is related mainly to water quality and to the various ecological interactions resulting from the dynamics of coastal food webs. Such ecological constraints have influenced the overall evolution of blue mussel farming in the Mont-Saint-Michel Bay, leading producers to negotiate collective arrangements regarding production capacity and techniques and to develop production strategies at the farm level. This article presents an analysis of the location choices of mussel farmers in the Mont-Saint-Michel Bay based on an empirical investigation conducted in 2002. A typology of farms with respect to their land structure is developed in which some farms choose to concentrate their activity in a single part of the bay while others distribute their activity more widely. Determinants of the location choices of each farm category, including distance to port, natural productivity differentials, and predation of mussel stocks, are analyzed. The role of the institutional arrangements allowing mussel farmers to develop these location strategies is also discussed.     

THE COORDINATING ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SMALL-SCALE HOUSEHOLD POND AQUACULTURE IN CHINA 1979–2011

Small-scale household pond aquaculture development has significantly contributed to Chinese food security, poverty reduction, and improved livelihood of farmers. Before the onset of the economic reform in 1979, markets were non-existent. We address the question of the importance of the part played by decentralized government in coordinating the economic activities from a planned to a market-directed economy in the aquaculture sector. In this case study, we have interviewed farmers and officials and used secondary official data in Shandong province. We find that coordination by local government has been crucial in developing small-scale household agricultural and aquaculture production in transitional economy, and enabling the market to become the driving force in the development of household pond aquaculture in rural China. The Chinese experience may bring valuable lessons for other developing countries, where hunger are endemic, and the smallholder farmers are the key target in poverty reduction.     

Sea cucumber habitat differentiation and site retention as determined by intraspecific stable isotope variation

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹³C/δ¹⁵N) were assessed as a means to ascertain the recent in situ feeding history of the common New Zealand sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis in relation to nutrient enrichment from a longline green‐lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) farm in Northern New Zealand. δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotopic signatures and the ratios of sea cucumbers sampled from within the impact footprint of the mussel farm were compared with those of sea cucumbers residing on adjacent natural reefs. Sea cucumbers from beneath mussel farming longlines had significantly different δ¹³C stable isotope signatures in comparison with sea cucumbers collected from neighbouring natural reef habitats. This difference supports the hypothesis that sea cucumbers in the same bay maintain distinctly different feeding histories, with those residing beneath mussel farming longlines deriving tissue carbon from sediment impacted by farming activities. This hypothesis is further supported by the finding that the isotope signature of sediment collected from beneath the mussel farm is consistent with the expectation that sea cucumbers were feeding on and consuming sediment enriched with bivalve waste (faeces and pseudo‐faeces). In contrast, the nitrogen stable isotope signature (δ¹⁵N) was found to be similar between sites for both sea cucumbers and assumed food sources. Both findings lend support to the viability of future sea cucumber/green‐lipped mussel farm polyculture systems. Sea cucumbers in different locations (mussel farm, natural reef) possessed distinctly different isotope signatures, suggesting that mixing of sea ranched sea cucumbers with natural reef populations would be negligible or non‐existent. Similarities between the isotope signatures in low metabolic tissue of sea cucumbers residing at the mussel farm site to that of mussel farm‐impacted sediment suggest that cucumbers beneath mussel farms appear to have high rates of retention at the farm site.     

Contribution of Fish Production to Farmers’ Subjective Well‐being in Vietnam – A Logistic Model

There is a growing awareness of the importance of food fish production on human nutrition, employment, poverty, and recreation. However, the role of aquaculture in livelihoods of fish farmers has not been considered rigorously. With 120 farmers interviewed in a field survey and a cumulative logistic model, this study identifies some determinants of subjective well‐being of small‐scale fish farmers in Vietnam and examines the role of earnings from fish production in generating their happiness. The results confirm that the farmers receive satisfaction from their farm working. Subjective well‐being of the farmers increases with their job satisfaction and cash earnings from fish farming. A doubling in cash returns from fish culture relative to household income raises a farmer’s happiness probability by an estimated 10.6%. Education also affects farmers’ life satisfaction. For better educated farmers, when their satisfaction from fish culture increases by one level, happiness probability is estimated to increase by 0.23%. Wild fish plays an important role in Vietnamese farmers as a doubling in relative income from wild fish captures raises their estimated probability of happiness by 139%.     

Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to Identify Constraints and Opportunities to the Development of Freshwater Prawn Farming in Southwest Bangladesh

A conceptual framework, drawn from an approach to poverty reduction known as the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA), is applied to understanding the role of freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, farming in gher (modified rice fields with high, broad peripheral dikes) systems in southwest Bangladesh. Gher farming potentially allows incorporation of a wide variety of crops together with prawn, fish, dike crops, and rice culture. The analysis shows how, in a gher farming context, sustainable livelihoods are achieved through access to a range of livelihood assets, which are combined in the pursuit of prawn farming strategies. The study used the SLA framework as a diagnostic tool to identify ways of strengthening the livelihoods of the prawn farmers.     

褐菖鲉幼鱼对贻贝养殖生境的利用规律初探

嵊泗海域规模庞大的贻贝养殖生境发挥着养护幼鱼的海洋牧场功能,而探查当地趋礁鱼类在幼体阶段对该生境的利用规律可为当地海洋牧场的设计提供重要参考,为此2018年5—7月对舟山北部枸杞岛贻贝场的褐菖鲉幼鱼、附着生物进行了逐月调查,使用自制网具采集目标生物样品,应用相对密度指数和相关分析法分析了褐菖鲉幼鱼在该生境中的栖息密度、栖息方式和空间分布特征,采用胃含物分析法确定其食性特征,并结合耳石轮纹探究其利用该生境的生长周期。结果显示,褐菖鲉幼鱼的栖息密度时空特征上,5—7月在养殖区贻贝串上的栖息密度分别为(10±6)、(7±5)和(5±5)个/串,时间上呈现逐月递减趋势,随时间的推移养殖区外侧幼体逐渐迁移至内侧近岸区直至消失。栖息方式选择上,褐菖鲉幼鱼栖息数量与贻贝串孔隙大小和附着海藻生物量之间皆呈正相关,但并不显著。饵料利用上,养殖区褐菖鲉幼鱼总体维持较高的摄食强度,各月份平均摄食强度皆高于对照区,主要摄食对象为麦秆虫和钩虾,重量百分比为70.9%和28.3%。栖息周期上,养殖区内褐菖鲉幼鱼耳石平均轮纹数为(57±12)个,其利用养殖贻贝串的周期一般约为2～3月,且该生境中幼鱼耳石纹路间距均匀性和条纹清晰度均明显优于岩礁生境。研究表明,枸杞岛的贻贝养殖生境成为褐菖鲉幼鱼额外的栖息环境,在增殖养护褐菖鲉资源方面发挥了积极作用,因此嵊泗海域在建设海洋牧场时可依据贻贝养殖生境的资源养护原理,通过设置浮体结构强化海洋牧场的饵料场和庇护功能,以提高褐菖鲉种群的补充量,为当地休闲海钓的持续发展提供部分保障。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Xenostrobus securis </Emphasis>(Lamarck, 1819) (Mollusca: Bivalvia): first report of an introduced species in Galician waters

The presence of the non-indigenous species, the black-pygmy mussel Xenostrobus securis, is reported here for the first time in an intense shellfish farming area off Galicia (NW Spain). Very high concentrations of this mytilid bivalve have colonized estuarine waters located at the inner part of the Ria de Vigo. The invasive role of X. securis is discussed in the context of the wide ecological tolerance of the species and the recent finding of settlements of this species on numerous colonies of the economically-important blue mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. The mode of introduction of the black-pygmy mussel is also discussed in relation to human management activities.     

PERI-URBAN OYSTER FARMING IN THE UPPER GULF OF THAILAND

Oyster farming is an important source of income in many coastal communities throughout Asia. Little is known, however, about the productivity of the farming systems used and the challenges faced by growers. This paper presents the results of a study undertaken in the small peri-urban coastal community of Ang Sila on Thailand's eastern seaboard. The community is located in one of Thailand's most important oyster production areas, and is dominated by small farms that use simple semi-traditional culture techniques. Farm attributes together with the personal characteristics and opinions of farmers were obtained from a survey of 30 oyster farm owners. A typical farm of 100,000 strings was found to produce a net profit of approximately 90,000 baht ($2250 USD). A high level of female participation in farm ownership was also identified that benefits women with relatively low levels of education and limited economic opportunities. Peri-urban coastal areas in Thailand cannot currently produce export quality shellfish owing to water quality concerns. Improved growing water management techniques and the introduction of seafood safety protocols could, however, improve the quality of oysters sold to domestic consumers and provide a basis for developing export opportunities in the future.     

Assessment of household risk management strategies for coastal aquaculture: the case of clam farming in Thaibinh Province,Vietnam

Clam farmers have experienced different types of risks that have been further exacerbated by the rapid expansion of clam farming areas, increased growing densities, and increased market difficulties in recent years in the Thaibinh Province of Vietnam. Most farmers have been seriously affected by production risk, market risk, and financial risk, while a number of others have met with success in almost all of their clam-raising cycles. This study applied a differentiating comparative analysis method and multiple discriminant analysis method to discuss the differences in risk management strategies between and among clam farming households and the impacts of those differences on their success/failure rates. In general, the tactics are related to increase in farm size, the application of technical innovations, diversifying livelihood activities, and accessing secure financial sources all provided better conditions for clam growth, diminished losses, and led to speedier recovery from shocks. To support farmers in managing risks, several government interventions are needed: (1) better re-zoning of clam farming areas in parallel with an increase in the farm size of each household, (2) promoting sustainable linkages between the farmers and the formal financial market and output market, and (3) investing more funding into research and extension related to sustainable clam farming practices and to the improvement of farmers’ skills in cooperative works and management.     

Commercial marine fish farming in Singapore

Commercial marine fish farming in Singapore is mainly the culture of economically important foodfish species in floating cage nets. There are 84 licensed fish farms occupying 46.5 hectares (ha) of coastal waters. Production from these farms accounts for the bulk of aquaculture production in Singapore, being 3554 tonnes (‘metric tons’, t) in 1995, or 98% of total production of 3625t. The commonly cultured species are the green mussels, Perna viridis L., which form the bulk of production (70.4%), finfish like the groupers, Epinephelus tauvina Forsskal and E. malabaricus Schneider, Asian sea bass, Lates cakarifer Bloch, and snappers, Lutjanus johni Bloch and L. argentimaculatus Forsskal, and crustaceans like the mangrove crab, Scylla serrata Forsskal and spiny lobster, Panilurus polyphagus Herbst. The basic farm structure for fish and mussel culture is the floating wooden raft. In finfish farming, polyethylene cage nets are attached to the raft in which popular foodfishes are cultured. The mussel raft is a structure to which polyethylene ropes are attached to collect and grow out green mussels from natural spatfall. Fish seeds for farming are mostly wild-caught. Only the Asian sea bass and the banana shrimp (Penaeus merguiensis de Mann) are produced by commercial hatcheries in Singapore and the region. The fry of pompano (Trachinotus blochii Lacepede, and T. falcatus Klausewitz & Nielsen) are imported from Taiwan. Trash fish is still the main feed used for the farming of finfish and crustaceans like the mangrove crab and lobster because it is cheap and readily available. This paper also reviews the economics of commercial finfish and mussel farming in Singapore today.     

Impact of aquaculture feed technology on fish income and poverty in Kenya

ABSTRACT

The impacts of improved agricultural technologies on smallholder households in Africa are well documented in the literature. However, the literature on the welfare impacts of aquaculture technologies, especially in the context of smallholder households, is very scanty. This paper applies the propensity score matching technique to household survey data to examine the impact of improved feed technology on fish income and poverty in Kenya. After controlling for observable household characteristics, the results indicate that improved feed technology increases aquaculture income and reduces poverty among fish farming households. Specifically, the income effect of the technology is 23–37%, with resultant poverty reduction effect of 19–23% points. Evidence from the study indicates that the likelihood of adopting improved feed in Kenya will surge with improved extension service delivery, access to government subsidized feed, and easy market access for purchasing improved feed and sale of mature fish.     

Oyster greening by outdoor mass culture of the diatom Haslea ostrearia Simonsen in enriched seawater

Oyster greening was first described in the seventeenth century as a natural phenomenon. However, it has recently been discovered that the diatom Haslea ostrearia Simonsen causes greening by synthesis of a blue pigment designated as ‘marennine’. This phenomenon, which involves massive proliferation of H. ostrearia in oyster ponds, was not understood or controlled by oyster farmers in the Marennes‐Oléron region (Atlantic coast of France). As greening oysters improved their market value, they tried to develop empirical methods to guarantee oyster fattening and improve profits. In this context, the present study investigated the feasibility of mass culture of diatoms outdoors in 10‐m³ ponds, using enriched seawater. Different biotic and abiotic parameters were monitored daily to determine the influence of the day–night temperature range. After 8 days, H. ostrearia was the dominant diatom species (66%), reaching a mean cell concentration of 2 × 10⁵ cell mL^?1 and a marennine concentration of 3.4 mg L^?1. Although intensive greening was obtained, further studies are required to optimize the production stages before this technology can be transferred to oyster farmers.     

Modelling current speed and carrying capacity in long-line blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) farms

The development of the mussel (Mytilus edulis) farming industry in Norway is based on suspended long‐line culture, and large areas of the coast are potentially suitable for farming. Norwegian fjords and coastal waters are regarded as oligotrophic environments in comparison with sites where most studies on mussel feeding on natural seston have been carried out. High mussel culture densities in oligotrophic water may cause seston depletion, resulting in low growth or tissue wasting due to reduced feeding and negative net energy balance. In this paper we present a carrying capacity model based on rate conditional processes, balanced against flushing and with emphasis on flow reduction as a function of farm design. The model is based on assumptions that friction forces are a function of geometric shape of the channel made up by the suspended mussel ropes as vertical boundaries and it quantifies carrying capacity according to information of farm length, space between long lines, seston concentration and background current speed and the relative importance of these factors. Estimates of how stocking density in mussel farming can be optimized in relation to the food supply (i.e. carrying capacity) are crucial to production management decisions, and the model may provide predictors for decisions regarding new site selection or expansion of existing operations.     

The determinants of detecting veterinary drug residues: Evidence from shrimp farmers in southern Viet Nam

While export-oriented shrimp farming has become an important source of income for many small-scale farmers in developing countries, the rate at which products are rejected at the ports of developed countries has remained high mainly due to the overuse of antibiotics. To reveal what determines the overuse of antibiotics, we interviewed 201 shrimp farmers in Viet Nam in 2015 and collected shrimp samples from each household’s pond for the screening of residual drugs. These tests revealed that residual drugs exceeding acceptable limits by Japanese standards were found in the samples of 40 farmers. We conducted cross-sectional Logit and Tobit regressions to examine whether results of the residue tests are significantly associated with farmers’ characteristics and management practices. This study finds that: (1) receiving BMP training has a significant and positive effect on reducing residual drugs; (2) if farmers know multiple extension officers, these relationships have significant and positive effects on reducing residual drugs; and (3) farmers with experience of shrimp disease outbreaks reduce use of antibiotics. Overall, this study contributes to revealing the determinants of detecting veterinary drug residues in shrimp farming in multiple (social, economic and psychological) dimensions.     

农户农地流转行为及影响因素实证研究——以山西农村固定跟踪观察户为例

本文运用山西农村固定跟踪观察户的资料,对农户农地流转行为及影响因素进行研究。研究结果表明：营地户减地行为总体强于增地行为,与此对应,营地户呈现强化包出行为而弱化包入行为的趋势,但现阶段包出力度仍低于包入力度;家庭拥有耕地的规模与零碎度、家庭收入水平、家庭劳动者接受培训的比率、家庭经营非农化程度、家庭人口数量等是影响农户农地流转的主导因素;农户在农地流转中表现出了较高的经济理性,尤其表现在高收入户、高文化户、受培训户和有声望户。