Project summary

Fish welfare is increasingly recognized as a critical component of sustainable aquaculture, yet practical welfare assessment tools adapted to African catfish production systems in Nigeria remain limited. While farmer sensitization and training have improved awareness, adoption remains constrained by the absence of simple, measurable, and locally relevant Operational Welfare Indicators (OWIs).

This project proposes a collaborative research and consultation initiative with the Centre for Aquaculture Progress (CAP) https://centreforaquacultureprogress.org/ to co-develop and validate Operational Welfare Indicators for African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) farming in Nigeria.

The project will combine stakeholder consultation, farm-based validation, and cluster-based farmer training to ensure practicality and adoption. The recently published Fish Welfare Training Guide in Nigeria https://afiwel.com/resources/fish-welfare-training-guide-nigeria-2025/ during my fellowship with African Fish Welfare (AFIWEL) under One Health Development Initiative (OHDI) will serve as the core training resource for farmer capacity building.

The project seeks to bridge the gap between fish welfare knowledge and implementation by developing practical welfare assessment tools Nigerian farmers can integrate into everyday farm management.

This project will have three independent goals and will cost $52500 to execute the three goals

However due to funding constraints, the project can prioritize the first goal which is the development of the Catfish Welfare Operational indicators with the budget of $15,500. This is a unique intervention that will shape Aquaculture in Nigeria as there are no documents or resources on Catfish OWIs in Nigeria or Africa.

The three goals will be conducted for a period of 18 months

Goal 1: 6 months

Goal 2: 6 months

Goal 3: 3 months

Monitoring and Evaluation:3 months

Total: 18 months

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

Goal 1: To develop context-specific Operational Welfare Indicators (OWIs) for Nigerian catfish systems

Activities: We will;

• Collaborate with the Centre for Aquaculture Progress https://centreforaquacultureprogress.org/ on the development of the OWIs for African Catfish

• Conduct stakeholder consultations involving:

Fish farmers

State Ministries of Agriculture

Researchers

Extension personnel

Aquatic animal health professionals

• Identify practical welfare indicators covering:

Water quality

Fish behavior

Mortality trends

Fish Health and Disease Management

Nutrition and Feeding Practices

Handling and transport practices

Slaughter

Stocking density

• Pilot and validate indicators on selected catfish farms.

Goal 2: Improve farmer adoption of fish welfare practices

Activities: Using the Fish Welfare Training Guide in Nigeria as the primary training tool. We will;

• Develop simple welfare assessment templates and field monitoring checklists.

• Implement cluster-based farmer training systems.

• Establish farmer learning clusters for peer learning and sustained adoption.

• Conduct practical demonstrations on farms.

  Goal 3: Generate evidence for wider fish welfare scaling in Nigeria

• Activities: We will

• Conduct baseline and post-training assessments.

• Measure farmer adoption levels.

• Document barriers and opportunities for fish welfare implementation.

• Develop recommendations for future policy and scaling efforts.
  

How will this funding be used?

1. Research and Consultation

• Technical collaboration with Centre for Aquaculture Progress

• Stakeholder consultations

• Operational Welfare Indicator development and validation

Budget: $15,500

2. Farmer Training and Capacity Building

• Cluster-based training implementation

• Printing and dissemination of training materials

• Demonstration activities

• Farmer learning session
  Budget: $16,000

  3. Field Activities

• Farm visits

• Data collection

• Monitoring and evaluation

  Budget: $8,000

  4. Project Coordination

• Research assistants

• Field coordination

• Reporting and documentation

  Budget: $5,000

  5. Knowledge Sharing

• Scientific Publication

• Dissemination meetings

• Policy engagement activities

  Budget: $7,000

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

Project Lead

Dr. Sherifat Adegbesan

Senior Lecturer and Ag. Dean, School of Aquaculture and Marine Technology, Edo State College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Agenebode, Nigeria.

Relevant expertise

• Sustainable aquaculture and fisheries

• Aquatic animal welfare

• Gender-responsive aquatic food systems

• Fish welfare capacity building

• Policy engagement and stakeholder consultation

• Ocean governance

• Climate adaptation and sustainable aquatic systems

Track record

*Led fish welfare awareness and capacity-building initiatives in Nigeria.

*Developed and published the Fish Welfare Training Guide in Nigeria.

*Experience designing and implementing stakeholder engagement activities.

*Research leadership in fisheries and aquaculture development.

*Experience working on sustainable aquatic food systems and welfare-related interventions.

*Experience coordinating training programs and farmer-focused extension activities

Collaborating Institution

Centre for Aquaculture Progress (CAP)

Technical consultation and collaborative support on Operational Welfare Indicator development and fish welfare assessment systems.

Additional stakeholders

Edo State College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Agenebode

State Ministries of Agriculture

*Fish farmer clusters

*Extension personnel

*Aquatic animal health professionals

*Fisheries associations in Nigeria

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

Potential causes

• Limited farmer participation

• Low adoption of welfare assessment tools

• Resource constraints

• Insufficient stakeholder engagement

• Operational challenges during field validation

Potential outcomes

• Limited uptake of fish welfare practices

• Reduced evidence generation for welfare scaling

• Slower integration of fish welfare into aquaculture systems

• Missed opportunities to strengthen sustainable fish production

Mitigation measures

*Cluster-based farmer engagement model

*Practical and simplified welfare tools

*Stakeholder consultation throughout implementation

*Continuous farmer support and follow-up

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

I haven't raised any money for this collaborative research project