Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Sudheer Maudhoo, met, yesterday at the LIC Building in Port Louis, Professor John Bolton from the University of Cape Town, along with a delegation of scientists, and the Senior Lecturer from the University of Mauritius (UOM), Mr Nadeem Nazurally.
Discussions focused on a variety of topics, including the roles of microbiomes in Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), systems seaweeds in integrated aquaculture, feeds and nutrition of aquatic organisms and its impacts on humans, as well as on biosecurity, probiotics, disease, and the future of marine aquaculture.
In a statement, Professor Bolton highlighted that the purpose of his visit is to collaborate with African countries to boost aquaculture production and provide them with the necessary support to harness the great potential of the aquaculture industry.
The IMTA, he indicated, represents a sustainable production method that can reduce the environmental impacts of aquaculture, facilitate species diversification and increase production.
The IMTA can be achieved when complementary aquaculture species from varying trophic levels are co-cultured and by-products from one species are recaptured as a resource for use by another thereby reducing waste and providing valuable additional fertilizers, he added.
As for Senior Lecturer Nazurally, he said that the UOM and the National Research Institute for Sustainable Development of France is collaborating on the IMTA under the AfriMAQUA project to improve the environmental footprint as well as for diversification of mono-cultures to multiple species thereby increasing the number of products produced and providing supplementary feed.
The aim, he underlined, is also to establish a healthy and sustainable diet for the species produced, develop an ecosystem-friendly livestock farming systems, and improve the welfare and health of organisms and livestock systems.
AfriMAQUA, launched in September 2019, is a research network that brings together researchers from across sub-Saharan Africa as well as France to exchange knowledge, pool research efforts and strengthen capacities. The overarching goal is to facilitate scientific cooperation for the development of sustainable marine aquaculture in Africa.
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