PROPOSAL FOR AN OPERATIONAL PROGRAM GRANT TO SUPPORT A PILOT FISH PRODUCTION PROJECT, SAN, MALI.

ACTIVITIES ALSO AIM AT INCREASING THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF PROTEIN AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL CONSUMPTION AND AT ASSISTING RURAL FISHERMEN TO ADD TO THEIR CASH INCOMES. FIVE AFRICARE AND PEACE CORPS FISH CULTURE EXTENSION VOLUNTEERS(PCV) WILL WORK DIRECTLY WITH COUNTERPART MALIAN FISHERIES AGENTS AND TECHNICIANS AT NATIONAL, REGIONAL, AND LOCAL LEVELS, AND WITH VILLAGE FISHERMEN. THE STATION WILL CONSIST OF 10 SMALL ONE-HUNDRED SQUARE METER PONDS FOR FINGERLING PRODUCTION AND EXPERIMENTATION AND SEVEN FIVE-HUNDRED TO ONE-THOUSAND SQUARE METER PONDS FOR PRODUCTION. ONE POND WILL BE HARVESTED PER MONTH. FOUR SMALL CEMENT HOLDING TANKS (5M X 1M) WILL BE CONSTRUCTED TO KEEP FINGERLINGS, BETWEEN THE TIME PRODUCTION PONDS ARE DRAINED AND TRANSPORT CAN BE ARRANGED, TO THE STOCKING SITE. SOME RICE FIELDS WILL BE CONSTRUCTED TO PERMIT EXPERIMENTATION WITH RICE-FISH CULTURE. A SYSTEM OF SCREENS WILL PREVENT WILD FISH FROM ENTERING THE PONDS AND RICE FIELDS. THE DOGON PLATEAU BARRAGES WILL BE DOCKED, AND MORE WORK WILL BE DONE TO FIND A SPECIES OF FISH OR OTHER BIOLOGICAL MEANS TO CONTROL SCHISTOSOMIASIS-CARRYING SNAILS. THE PCV WILL UNDERTAKE THESE TWO ACTIVITIES IN ADDITION TO HYDROBIOLOGICAL LABORATORY WORK AT MOPTI. DUE TO WATER SCARCITY, THE PCV AND COUNTERPART WILL LIMIT THEIR CULTURE WORK TO LARGE RIVERS AND FLOODED RICE PERIMETERS AND WILL WORK WITH RICE FARMERS INTERESTED IN RICE-FISH CULTURE. SHORT-TERM BENEFICIARIES WILL INCLUDE 100 FAMILIES OF FISHERMEN AND COUNTERPART EXTENSION AGENTS.