zamorano´s outreach magazine

Once the “poor man’s fish,” Tilapia is now responsible for a new

market demand and the further development of aquaculture in

Central America.

www.zamorano.edu4

hen you speak with Dr. Daniel Meyer, professor

of aquaculture and cell biology at Zamorano

University, you quickly discover that this is the

motto he lives by.

firm believer in thebenefits of sustainableaquaculture with over 30

years experience as a researcher and tea-cher, Dr. Meyer has traveled throughoutLatin America and abroad to train smallfarmers in the best methods of produc-tion. He favors the farming of tilapia – afreshwater fish originally from Africa – fora number of reasons including its nutri-tional content, ease of cultivation, andrapid growth rate.

In 1976 Dr. Meyer started training Zamo-rano students in the fundamentals of fishfarming in Latin America, and soon afterhe began studying and raising tilapia oncampus. In 1999 Dr. Meyer and collabo-ratorsfrom Oregon State University and

Inte

grat

ed P

est

Man

agem

ent

(IPM

)

other institutions won funding from theU.S. Agency for International Develop-ment (USAID) through the CollaborativeResearch Support Program (CRSP) inAquaculture. (Consumption of tilapiahas been on the rise in the United Statessince the 1980s, when health expertsbegan recommending that Americanseat more fish and less meat.) Under thegrant, Dr. Meyer and his team promotedtilapia farming in rural areas of Hondurasand sought solutions to the difficultiesfacing regional tilapia producers anddistributors. Dr. Meyer and the Zamora-no team trained representatives andextension agents from non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) to visit farmersthroughout Honduras and provide tech-nical support and instruction in sustaina-ble farming methods based on CRSPresearch results.

To support the CRSP work, Dr. Meyerauthored training manuals with easy-tounderstand instructions, photographs,and diagrams about such topics as thecare and feeding of tilapia, pond cons-

WGive a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.

Chinese Proverb

www.zamorano.edu5

zamorano´s outreach magazine

truction, water chemistry, and waste ma-nagement. Recognizing that small- andmedium-scale fish farmers usually haveto purchase young fish from expensiveand often inaccessible sources, Zamora-no University began to provide technicaltraining on tilapia reproduction tofarmers interested in producing tilapiabrood stock for sale. Today, Zamoranoalso supports first-time fish farmers inHonduras and parts of Nicaragua byselling them quality seed stock.

While his outreach efforts are impressi-ve, Dr. Meyer remains first and foremosta Zamorano professor. “I find the enthu-siasm of the students infectious, andI´m always impressed with their drive todevelop better methods and productionpractices,” says Dr. Meyer. He is an avid

supporter of Zamorano’s “Learning-by-Doing” academic approach and obser-ves that Zamorano students gain newknowledge, practical experience, andgreater self-confidence while workingat the aquaculture station and at otherwork installations around campus. Inaddition, students often live off campuswith small farmers during their pasantías(work-study internships) which happenduring the first trimester of their fourthyear at Zamorano. Students then obser-ve first-hand the benefits of aquaculturefor rural families. Tilapia plays an impor-tantrole in improving the family dietwith quality animal protein, while alsoproviding needed income through sales.The money generated by a successfulfarm provides a better quality of life forthe entire family, which might include

www.zamorano.edu6

access to better healthcare services, animproved and more varied diet, and so-metimes even the purchase of a vehicle.Dr. Meyer often takes groups of studentson fieldtrips to local rivers to obtain andtest different species for possible use inaquaculture production. One local spe-cies, the ¨guapote” (Parachromis mana-güense, classified among the cichlids), isgaining in popularity as a companion fishin tilapia ponds because it is a carnivore.If a pond only contains tilapia, the fishquickly begin to reproduce, crowd oneanother, and remain small and stunted,unsuitable for sale as food. The guapoteeat the young tilapia (“fry”) allowing theolder fish to grow to marketable size.Zamorano teaches Honduran tilapiafarmers how to introduce and maintainmultiple species in their ponds to impro-ve yields. Promoting the diversification of pond fish stocks is one of the many ways that Zamorano fosters economic and dietary improvements to alleviate chronic poverty, a central goal of the university.

Given that Hondurans are not accusto-med to eating fish as frequently aspeople from Asia, North America, andother countries, the CRSP-funded tilapiaproject also had to find ways to encoura-ge local consumption. The Zamoranoteam realized that the observation ofLent – a two month period prior to Easter when Catholics generally abstain from eating red meat – provided an opportu-nity when farmers might make inroads into the market. Thanks to this insight and to competitive pricing measures, some tilapia farmers now generate suffi-cient profit during Lent to sustain their operations for the entire year.

Meanwhile, among some Hondurans,there is still a perception that tilapia can-not compete in the United States market

Zamorano has provided more than100 qualified professionals that now

have key positions in aquaculture companies in Central and South

America, including more than 25 in Ecuador, another “hot spot” for

tilapia production.

www.zamorano.edu7

zamorano´s outreach magazine

against fancy fish such as salmon andtuna. Dr. Meyer disagrees and notesthat the United States already imports$60 million worth of Honduran tilapiafillets each year and this number is onthe rise. Further, the tilapia fish farmsand packing plants provide jobs andlocal income in support of many Hondu-ran families. For these reasons, manycountries in Latin America are now fo-llowing suit and initiating tilapia farmingprograms of their own.

The Zamorano project has seen impres-sive growth and improvements in tilapiaproduction in Honduras and other Central American countries. Dr. Meyeremphasizes, however, that tilapia aqua-culture may not be the right answer foreveryone. Zamorano focuses on smallland holders with the right combinationsof resources for successful fish farmingand emphasizes that environmentalsafeguards are paramount for the healthof the farm, the family, and the naturalenvironment. Tilapia farms are designed

as closed systems within which wastewater is repurposed for activites, such ascrop and fruit tree irrigation.

Once the “poor man’s fish,” tilapia isnow growing in demand regionally.Almost all supermarkets in the regioncarry tilapia in their seafood displayscases, and most restaurants have tilapiaon their menus.

Zamorano has provided more than 100qualified technicians that now have keypositions in aquaculture companies inCentral and South America, includingmore than 25 in Ecuador, another “hotspot” for tilapia production.

Dr. Meyer observes, “With time andcontinued support from Zamorano, wewill likely see a day when most Hondu-rans and other Central Americans enjoythis fish as part of their regular diet.” Inthis way Zamorano helps people to eatnot just for a day, but for a lifetime.

www.zamorano.edu8

www.zamorano.edu9

zamorano´s outreach magazine

In April 1974, Dan Meyer arrived at Zamorano as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer. Within two weeks he was

teaching classes and working with the Zamorano administration to expand and fortify its curricula. In 1976 he founded the aquaculture program at Zamorano, and in May 1977 he became a full-time employee of the university, where he has been teaching since.

Prior to his arrival in Honduras, Meyer earned his B.S. in biology and an M.S. in zoology at Clemson University in South Carolina; his masters thesis focused on the ecology of fresh water animal spe-cies. Subsequently he earned a Ph.D. in Aquaculture at the University of Auburn in Alabama, where the subject of his dissertation was the effectiveness of methyl-testosterone on the sex reversal and early growth of several tilapia spe-cies and a hybrid.

Today, in addition to running the Aqua-culture program and teaching classes in aquaculture and cell biology, Dr. Meyer also directs the general curriculum and directly supervises instruction in diverse areas, including history, chemistry, phy-sics, biology, and English-as-a-second-language.

Daniel Meyer

Dr. Meyer has developed and conduc-ted numerous training programs related to aquaculture and the commercial production of tilapia and other fin fish species. He has presented workshops and consulted in a number of countries, including Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicara-gua, the United States, and Venezuela, and has managed aquaculture outreach programs for institutions including the U.S. Agency for International Deve-lopment (USAID), the Public Welfare Foundation, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and several agencies from Germany. His research interests include small farm aquaculture, mana-gement protocols for tropical fin fish and crustacean production, the assessment and reduction of environmental impacts of aquaculture, and the evaluation and improvement of genetic stocks used in aquaculture.

Thanks to Dr. Meyer´s leadership, the Zamorano Aquaculture Station now includes 27 earthen ponds and more than 90 concrete and fiberglass tanks for the production and care of fin fish and shrimp. The station also maintains a water quality laboratory, a “wet lab” for experimentation, and concrete and fiberglass tanks in several greenhouses.

Biography

Zamorano is a not-for-profit educational institution incorporated in the state of Delaware in the United States of

America, and registered with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a

(501)-(c)-(3) organization. In many Latin American countries there are tax benefits

for individuals, companies, and other groups providing support to Zamorano.

Front cover: A Zamorano student checks the mouth of a female tilapia for eggs as part of a fourth-year thesis project.

www.zamorano.edu/solutions

zamorano´s outreach magazine

LUIS SALAZAR MARTIN SCHWARZ

LEE SHANEDAN EDSON

ADRIANA RODRIGUEZLIGIA ROMERO

NAHUM SAUCEDACourtesy of PROMIPAC

ALEXIA FRANKSDON POUCHER

Creative DirectorSupervisorWriterCopy Editor (English)TranslatorCopy Editor (Spanish)Graphic Design & LayoutPhotographyContributorsConsultant

EDITORIAL TEAM