[CubaNews] IMPORTANT: Tilapia Fishing Boom in Camaguey, Cuba

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

GRANMA
July 20, 2007

Tilapia Fishing Boom in Camaguey, Cuba
 
ENRIQUE MILANES LEON
 
Sitting on the grass at the edge of the reservoir, Israel Sanchez Tem
watches his comrades and shares his impressions with a repoter about the
change: "I grew up in the countryside and have never seen anything like
this; there is nothing like progress. The food for the animals is assured
and the fishermen and women don't have to work hard with the nets. In the
cages they already know exactly how much they are going to fish".
 
This worker from Guaimaro municipality in Camaguey province doesn't even wet
his feet at the Cascorro 88 reservoir, but from his job doing maintenance,
he has followed the advances of the fresh water fish program for a decade.
Now, the program is strengthened in a new phase with the start up of
production of tilapia by means of intensive husbandry in cages.

THE LONG TRADITION OF EXTENSIVE FISHING 
WON'T BE ABANDONED; IT STILL HAS MUCH 
TO PROVIDE FOR EXPORT AND THE DOMESTIC MARKET.

While the pink colored fish are "freed" from their cages to boxes in the
boat, rewarding numbers are learned. Here alone 161 cages were set up. The
five already in "harvest" provided an average of 750 kilograms of fish each,
with tilapias that tipped the scales at an average of 400 grams (nearly a
pound) each, more than double the weight required for marketing.
 
"We had never seen them of that size before," said an amazed Israel. In the
water, the overloaded boat looks like a shipwreck reaching the shore of the
reservoir.

SHOOTING FOR EVEN HIGHER NUMBERS
 
For the past two years in Camaguey the talk of the town is no longer about
prolonged drought, but instead about future projects. The long awaited
rainfall has fed reservoirs, and the persistent work of the people has led
to achievements. The successes of the fishing industry workers contributed
to Camaguey winning the venue for this year?s July 26th National
Rebelliousness Day commemoration. Now, they are thinking ahead to future
goals. 

The annual fish production plan for the province is currently 3,393 tons,
but the fishermen at the reservoirs and those at sea, are aiming at no less
than 4,000 tons. That figure would be about 1,700 tons more than the total
obtained during 2006. 

If reached, Camaguey would most likely regain first place at the national
level ?now in the hands of Sancti Spiritus province. Camaguey lost the top
spot during extended droughts that lowered the levels of the reservoirs used
for growing fresh water fish down to as low as only seven percent of
capacity in 2005. The lack of water also prevented plantings and caused big
losses on agriculture.  
 
The first semester of 2007 closed with a total production of 1,876 tons of
fish.
 
CAMAGUEY HAS WIDE REACHING PLANS 
FOR THE INTENSIVE GROWING OF 
AFRICAN TILAPIA FISH IN UNDER WATER CAGES.

Besides the adequate rainfall over the last two years, the reason for the
current optimism in the fishing industry stems from having sufficient fish
food and recently hatched fish to place inside the cages, plus the boats and
other equipment needed, and above all men and women fully committed to their
work.

A drive along the dirt road that surrounds the Cascorro 88 reservoir
verified the water situation. Meanwhile, Alejandro Marrero Galindo, a
co-worker of Israel, with 20 years experience in fresh water fishing, said
?I feed these fish every day, I watch them grow like a domestic animal and I
care for them as if they were mine.?  


 


Pescadores aprovechan el regreso del agua a su tierra

Enrique Milanés León

Sentado en la hierba, en la cortina de la presa, Israel Sánchez Tem observa
a sus compañeros y comparte con el reportero impresiones sobre el cambio:
"Me crié en el monte y no había visto algo así; no hay nada como el
adelanto. La comida de los animales es segura y los pescadores no pasan el
trabajo de las redes; en la jaula ya saben cuánto van a pescar".

Este obrero del municipio de Guáimaro, en Camagüey, no se moja los pies en
el embalse Cascorro 88, pero desde su labor de mantenimiento de la unidad
sigue hace una década el avance del programa acuícola, ahora en otra etapa
fortalecido con la puesta en producción de la cría intensiva de tilapia en
jaulas.

Foto: La gran tradición en la pesca extensiva no será abandonada; tiene
mucho que aportar para la exportación y el mercado interno.

Mientras rosáceos peces son "liberados" de su prisión rumbo al bote y las
cajas, se conocen números halagüeños. Solo en aquel punto fueron ubicadas
161 jaulas y las cinco en cosecha arrojaron un promedio de 750 kilogramos
cada una, con tilapias de 400 gramos de peso promedio, más del doble de lo
requerido para comercializar.

"¿De ese tamaño? ¡No, así no las había visto nunca!", refiere asombrado
Israel mientras, en el agua, la sobrecarga sugiere un naufragio del bote en
plena orilla.

LOS NÚMEROS FUERA DEL AGUA

Desde hace dos años en Camagüey no se habla de sequía sino de esfuerzos. Al
añorado entendimiento entre las nubes y los embalses le acompaña el trabajo
de un pueblo que siempre supo lo que quería, y lo consiguió. Los
trabajadores de la pesca contribuyeron a ganar la sede del acto nacional por
la efeméride del Moncada; en cambio, ahora, pensando en "asaltos" emulativos
futuros, sus metas se elevan.

El plan anual de la pesca en la provincia es, 3 393 toneladas, pero los
pescadores de tierra adentro y mar afuera no se conforman con menos de 4
000, que representarían unas 1 700 más que las capturadas en todo el 2006 y,
con mucha probabilidad, le devolverían a Camagüey su tradicional reinado, en
manos espirituanas desde el año pasado, cuando las sequías precedentes ?que
bajaron aquí el nivel de los embalses del sector hasta el 7% de llenado en
el 2005?, comprometieron las siembras y cosechas agramontinas.

Por el momento, el primer semestre cerró con 1 876 toneladas.

Foto: Camagüey posee amplias perspectivas para la cría intensiva de tilapia
en jaulas.

Piensos, alevines, botes, redes, jaulas y sobre todo hombres y mujeres
comprometidos con su labor, conforman el paisaje pesquero de una provincia a
la que la naturaleza anticipó, por la sede del 26 de Julio, su regalo más
valioso: regresar el agua a su tierra.

Terraplenes adentro, por la presa Cascorro 88, este reportero pudo
constatarlo: mientras su compañero Israel observaba desde la orilla la
cosecha de la tarde, Alejandro Marrero Galindo, un hombre con 20 años
pasados por agua dulce, confesaba entre el aleteo de tilapias rojas que es
verdad, la pesca de una mancha en aguas abiertas es entretenida y retadora
"... pero óigame, a estos bichos los alimento todos los días, los veo crecer
como un animal de la casa y los cuido... como si fueran míos".



To view the current thirty CubaNews messages:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/messages

If this message was forwarded to you, subscription details may be found here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/

To unsubscribe from this CubaNews group, send an email to:
CubaNews-unsubscribe@yahoogroups. 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:CubaNews-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    mailto:CubaNews-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    CubaNews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/