Bogotá, November 3rd 2009. Colombian Agriculture and Livestock Institute, ICA, for the rest of the year will manage the country’s fishery and aquaculture resources, considering that by means of a constitutional court decision, those functions must be taken by the Colombian Institute for Rural Development, INCODER.
However, the two institutions established an agreement where it was determined that ICA will continue the actions that since 2007 it has been developing in research ordering, management and control in fishery and aquaculture in the national territory. However, the agreement mentions that INCODER will keep issuing general administrative paperwork regarding sanctioning processes.
ICA general manager, Luis Fernando Caicedo Lince, highlighted the Institute’s actions that the Direction of Fishery has done nationally, by researching fishery and aquaculture resources and started regional fishery ordering, defining susceptible resources of sustainable use, authorization and giving fish quotes, culture permits, commercialization and craftsman and industrial extraction of fishery resources.
In this matter, the Institute has participated in thirteen projects co financed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, MADR, related with new resources exploration, technological packages in promising species for marine aquaculture like cobia, cherna and pargo lunarejo, marine ornamental fishes (grama Loreto and seahorse) fresh waters, with tilapia genetics among others. To strengthen fishery activity and join technical and economic efforts, it perfected 22 agreements that will allow to give tools for fishery ordering and development in priority zones like Mompox depression and the North Zone of Chocó, identification and evaluation of fishing grounds from the Pacific and Caribbean Oceans among others.
It has given national support for “reactivation and conformation of fishery and aquaculture NODES at national level”, that MADR leads and it is operating 3 stations of aquaculture, destined for native commercial species productions as bocachico (Prochilodus magdalenae), guabina (Rhamdia sp), bream (Caquetaia umbrifera) and red snapper (Lutjanus guttatus) and alien species as tilapia or bream (Oreochromis), tilapia or bream (Oreochromis niloticus), bream (Tilapia rendalli), common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and mirror carp (C. carpio vr specularis).
Other actions done by the Institute are the application of Good Practices in Aquaculture as a tool for accomplishing sanitary requirements and food safety on primary production of cultured fishes, through methodology of Field Schools (ECAS) and repopulating and planting native species fishes in the Guájaro reservoir (Atlántico), Juncal swamp complex and Guaitipan Lake (Huila). From the point of view of aquaculture, ICA has formalized this activity in Betania reservoir, that went from seven culture permits in 2007 to currently more that 37.
Formulation and follow ups of fishery ordering following in Miel River Basing, river Sinú, Urra Reservoir, and community fishery agreements in middle Magdalena and Amazonic trapeze in Tarapoto and Yaghuarca Lakes; fishery participative monitoring in Zapatosa swamps, Betania and Fúquene Lake and design and implementation of fishery program in Mompox depression. At the same time, for the first time it was established an exclusive zone consisting of 2.5 miles for craftsman fishery in the north zone of Chocó.
Having in mind ban periods established for resources as striped catfish, ornamental and consumption fishes, which have applied control and surveillance actions at national level.
Likewise, bans were implemented for resources as shrimp and tuna, looking to guarantee conservation and better usage of these important resources.