Aquaculture Network for the Americas launched

The Aquaculture Network for the Americas (ANA) was formalised on Thursday (March 25) in Brasilia, Brazil, aimed to foment the sustainable development of aquaculture in countries and the region, stimulating inter-governmental cooperation and favouring food security.

The network boasts the participation of 21 countries, among which is Brazil, set to be the temporary headquarters of the Secretariat for a period of two and a half years. During this time, the South American country will bank on the technical support of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The rest of the countries that conform the Network are: Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, French Guyana, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Haiti and Canada.

According to FAO regional representative Jose Graziano da Silva, this is the first FAO initiative that is funded through a multi-donor fund in Latin America and the Caribbean, in which the main contributors are not developed countries.

During the formalisation of the network, the head of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministry of Brazil, Altemir Gregolim, assured that the Brazilian government will contribute US$1 million.

Over the next 12 months, the multi-donor fund will be able to receive contributions from other countries in the region.

The proponents of the network plan to make a diagnosis of Latin American and Caribbean aquaculture, especially on the state of thousands of producers of limited resources. From this diagnosis, a programme of support will be implemented for the development of aquaculture and the inclusion of small producers.

Another of the contributions of the new network will be to grant regional coordination for its sustainable development. The declines in aquaculture production took place because of the sanitary and environmental crises that affected the main intensive cultivations, like salmonids and shrimp.

The RAA is also expected to dictate annual courses on good practises, including their social dimensions, as well as other production, innocuity, animal health and traceability aspects.