The CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH) is a multidisciplinary research program led by WorldFish in partnership with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), James Cook University, the University of Greenwich and Wageningen University & Research. FISH, in collaboration with other research and development partners and a diversity of stakeholders, develops and implements research innovations that optimize the individual and joint contributions of aquaculture and small-scale fisheries to reduce poverty, improve food and nutrition security and sustain the underlying natural resources and ecosystem services which both are dependent upon.

The program has already published their 2018 annual report. In their second year as a program, FISH reports that they developed genomic tools allowing the selection of tilapia based on genetic markers that will enable expanding long-standing genetic improvement research beyond faster growth to introduce selection for traits such as disease resistance, resilience and feed efficiency.

The program also highlights the global threat of tilapia lake virus. To improve biosecurity and disease control related to the virus, they developed and deployed a new online tool for disease risk assessment in Bangladesh, Egypt and Zambia, and worked closely with government agencies to improve aquatic animal health policies in these countries. 

In the face of threats like climate change, sustainable resource use is a key focus for FISH. In collaboration with the CGIAR Research Program on Rice Agri-Food Systems, they brought together over a hundred participants from six countries to discuss opportunities to optimize integrated rice-fish production systems and their nutritional benefits in Myanmar and other parts of Asia. 

Read full report here.