Hard at work 2...

Even thought it looks like a huge undertaking to begin a aquaculture program here in Benin (I'm looking to get a center running to produce Talapia fry as well as run experiments to determine optimum harvetsing cycles as well as fertilization and feeding rates and frequencies) I'm very excited and motivated to start. In the past, aquaculture in Benin has been seen as a hobby for rich people, since in order to have a functional fish farm you needed equipt., ponds or pools, in addition to stocked fingerlings (baby fish). PC, FAO (the agricultural development arm of the UN), USAID, UNICEF, and numberous other organizations have been trying for decades to build sustainable small-time fishery programs in Africa with variing degrees of success...most tries are a distinct shade of failure. Reading about past fishery development and extension programs developed by PC confuses me on my role here. Past fishery vols, in addition to being far more numberous than 1, had access to motos or trucks for travel between sites and transportnig fish, scales, tools, nets, scientific instrements to measure things like water Oxygen levels, fertilizer levels, and soil/water acidity levels. In addition, fishery vols recieved training state-side on fishery science before they even arrived in country. I have a bike and a Mech Eng. degree. Despite the problems I have really studied all I can and now I'm at least semi-competent in warm-water fish culture. At least competent enough to recognize that my work partner has a faulty and inefficient harvest sched. for his Talapia pools. While I know progress will be mild at best, I am very excited to start my real work here. In addition to all of this, I have already visited 2 schools in my area and I plan to hold english/enviromental group meetings there with interested students!