National training workshop on aquaculture systems design and operation

Commercial aquaculture in Turkmenistan dates backs to the early 1970s when pond fish culture was introduced to the country, however, production figures indicate that production decreased significantly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The reestablishment of freshwater aquaculture, especially smallholder farming models, has the potential to diversify farmer livelihoods, contribute to food security and resilience, and help to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

A national training workshop on aquaculture systems design and operation workshop will be conducted as part of the FAO project `Development of aquafeed value chain and aquatic animal health management capacity`.  

The principal objective of the training is to provide technical support to farmers to improve their farm designs, production models and protocols. The training workshop provides an opportunity to introduce a wide number of issues that need to be addressed when establishing a successful aquaculture operation. The training will present a synthesis of the types of aquaculture production systems (tanks, ponds, raceways, hatchery, larval rearing and grow-out systems) that can be applied to fish production in Turkmenistan, and outline the rationale for their use under different culture conditions. Concepts of production intensity and associated input requirements will be introduced, and issues of site selection, and the principles of farm design and farm layouts, water reticulation systems and networks, water courses and the basic principles of tank, raceway, pond design and construction will be discussed. A practical review of fry, fingerling and grow-out production techniques, general husbandry and farm management, aquatic animal health and biosecurity, feed management, water quality monitoring, and farm record keeping will be provided.