The second basic mariculture course of the year, conducted under the "Marine Hatchery Skills Development Programme" with the assistance of the Transforming Fisheries Sector Management in South-West Indian Ocean Region and Maldives Project (TRANSFORM), commenced today.
To pave the way for establishing a sustainable marine aquaculture (mariculture) industry in the Maldives and to build human capacity in the mariculture sector, the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources and the Maldives Marine Research Institute are jointly conducting this programme. The second basic mariculture course of this year is being held in K. Maniyafushi. Fifteen participants joined this course, which will run for a duration of 14 days starting today.
The course will continue until the 30th of this month, and accommodation for the participants during the course has been arranged in K. Maniyafushi. Furthermore, the Fisheries Ministry is arranging the necessary travel between Male' and Maniyafushi for the course, as well as the accommodation and meals for the participants.
The "Marine Hatchery Skills Development Programme" is an important part of the strategic efforts undertaken by the government to develop the fisheries sector, diversify the economy, and facilitate additional opportunities for those interested in this field. This programme is designed to accelerate the country's economic growth while paving the way for sustainable progress in the fisheries sector. Accordingly, the main components taught in the basic mariculture course conducted under this programme include aquaculture systems, live feed production, fish biology, grouper breeding, sea cucumber breeding, Maldivian clownfish breeding, pearl oyster breeding, and seagrass cultivation. In addition, it teaches how to identify and prevent diseases in cultured organisms, and how to protect the environment while conducting aquaculture.
