The inland water fish and fisheries contribute to nourish millions around the world with the low cost animal protein sources supplementing human food and nutrition, ecosystem services, recreation based commerce, trade, livelihood, industries and economy. Asia is a hub of inland water fisheries and aquaculture. In major fish producing countries surprisingly inland fish production plays major role over total fish production, demonstrating the potentiality of the inland fish and fisheries for economic development.  In year 2014, according to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)the global contribution of inland aquaculture in total fish production was 63.82%.

Nepal is a country of rivers endowed with 6000 small and big rivulets comprising three basins and one river system having numerous lakes, wetlands, swamps covering about 5% of total area of the country, where rich fish biodiversity is known to thrive with 232 species and 16 endemic species. These facts inspire to conserve the fish diversity and develop inland aquaculture using the potential fishes thriving in these rivers. All rivers flow down from north Himalaya to southern plain as the “Life-Line” to Nepalese economy. The occupation of fishing in these rivers had very ancient roots in Nepalese culture, especially in mid hills and southern tarai.  The mountain peak (Mt. Everest) of the world in the north representing the Himalaya as the highest watershed of the world, while the lower most location in the country representing by 64 m elevation in eastern Nepal.

Nepal has ever growing market demand, farmer’s interest, initiatives and government plan to develop its aquaculture.  The modern aquaculture was started about 6-8 decades before with carp based subsistence farming. However, with rapid communication, modernization and intervention by government agencies, donors, academia, farmer’s initiatives, and market partners per annum growth rate of aquaculture is one of the highest (8-9% per annum) for national economy contributing about 0.98% of total Gross Domestic Production, and 2.0% of Agricultural GDP in the country.

Fish is low cost but high nutritive animal protein food. Despite of the fact, approximately 41% of children, especially girls are malnourished facing the problems of retarded growth, unequal height and weight ratio.  Malnourishment has especially impacted the women.  The cost of malnutrition becomes high in national economy.  The per capita fish consumption worldwide is about 12 kg, while it is about 2 kg in Nepal. Government of Nepal emphasizes consumption of 30 g of animal protein including that of fish per day per person. These suggest that Nepal need to develop her capability of the fishery and aquaculture sector substantially to achieve the target of supply animal protein diets.

Recently, Agriculture Development Strategy (2015-2030) has emphasized strengthening the sources of animal protein by diversifying the fisheries and aquaculture production technologies. Considering the agro-ecological conditions of Nepal towards achieving the self-reliance in fish production, the diversification seems an urgent need. Some of diversification in aquaculture technologies from carp to tilapia, pangas, rainbow trout, and ornamental fish has been initiated with further endless potentialities in Nepal. Demand of shell fish (Gastropod, Shrimp, Crab and Mussel) production technologies are increasing up in market places.

Now, fish farming are moving from subsistence to neo-commercialization types. Earlier initiated from pond aquaculture, but now rice-fish, cage, enclosures, raceways, aquaponics system are diversifying rapidly.  Such diversification would be necessary for sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture. Therefore, to review the present status of sustainable inland fisheries and aquaculture diversification for food and nutritional security, gender balance to access the income and livelihood, the proposed 2nd NEFIS convention has been designed. 

The organizers and co-organizers thus would like to extend invitation to experts, scientists, extensionist, subject matter specialists and entrepreneurs to share their experiences on promoting inland fishery and aquaculture in Nepal. The present inland water fish convention would be a meeting place for sharing expert’s views for sharing knowledge on fishery and aquaculture from various parts of the world.

The coverage of the theme in the convention could be fish feed, nutrition, water quality, anatomy, physiology, genetics, breeding,  aquaculture system, climate change, environment, warm, cool and cold water aquaculture in ponds, cages, raceways, rice-fish-vegetable-livestock integration, commercial fisheries, recreational fishing, value chain, fish processing, marketing, economics, food products such as shell fish, pearl culture, aquaponics, fish biodiversity, damming, environmental flows, high altitude fishery, aquatic plants and various aquaculture technologies in relation to socio-economical dimensions, poverty alleviation etc.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM COVERS THE LATEST RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The technical programs would cover divers themes across the inland water fishery and aquaculture. The detail program would be published in forthcoming updates.