In developing countries, traditional fishermen are important food contributors, yet technological information and development assistance to third-world nations often focuses on agriculture and industrial fishing, without addressing the needs of independent, small-scale fishermen. This book explores technological considerations of small-scale, primitive fishing technologies, and describes innovative, relatively inexpensive methods and tools that have already been successfully applied in developing countries. It offers practical information about all aspects of small-scale fishing, including boat design and construction, fishing methods and gear, artificial reef construction and fish aggregating devices, techniques for coastal mariculture, and simple methods for processing and preserving fish once they are caught. Fisheries Technologies for Developing Countries is illustrated throughout with photographs of the devices and construction methods described in the text.

The future of traditional fisheries will be shaped by the attention given to their special problems and by the recognition of their unique value. Declining stocks of readily accessible fish, competition from industrial fishermen, high operating costs, less than optimal gear and vessels, poor storage and marketing facilities, and little access to credit all tend to limit development for fishermen in the traditional sector. Many developing countries have ignored traditional fishermen and have concentrated their assistance in industrial fisheries. Developing countries could increase their fish harvest and improve the quality of life for their coastal dwellers by providing traditional fishing communities with access to modest technical and financial resources and by assuring protection for their fishing grounds. The evaluation and introduction of some of the technologies described in this report could initiate this process.

Aquaculture technology has been evolving rapidly over the last two decades, led by an increasingly skilled cadre of researchers in developing countries. Rather than copying, or adapting work done in industrialized countries to their situations, these scientists are moving aquaculture research out of the box to explore species and production systems relevant to their natural resources, economies and social institutions. Studies from India, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa are highlighted in this collection of papers, covering the entire gamut of aquaculture science from comparison of tilapia breeds, novel feed ingredients for indigenous species, improving disease resistance, water-use efficiency, traditional farming systems, spatial planning and economics. More than a how-to book, this volume introduces the researchers and institutions leading the development of aquaculture as it expands into new frontiers. This book was based on a special issue of the Journal of Applied Aquaculture.