During 17 to 26 October 2010, representatives from Thailand’s International Cooperation Agency (TICA) and experts from the Department of Fisheries of Thailand visited Senegal, as part of the economic cooperation framework between Thailand and Senegal, to evaluate the potentials in enhancing the capabilities of aquaculture in Senegal, as well as to share valuable information and to extend the cooperation in the said activity.  With aid from the AGENCE NATIONALE DE L’AQUACULTURE (ANA), an important governmental organization in aquaculture of Senegal, the Royal Thai Embassy and representatives from Thailand took their opportunity to visit ANA’s research centers in Ziguinchor and Richard Toll.

                        In visiting the research centers, the experts from the Thai Department of Fisheries studied the potential of incremental development of inland fishery activities both by government and private units, the location and quality of natural fresh water source, as well as the present results in rearing a Thai variant of Tilapia that ANA has received on the 25th of June 2010.  From compiling the studies, the experts obtained inceptions of further cooperation plans that would be most beneficial to Senegal such as development in hatchery facilities, transference of knowledge in the uses of hormones in sex transformation, and demonstration in gene selection to obtain the optimal individual size and mass quantity for consumption in Senegal.

                        Mutually recognizing that aquaculture is an economic activity of significance to the Government of Senegal due to its potential role in food security, benefiting the people of Senegal and humanity in general, Thailand has been continuously supporting this program, including the transference of juvenile Tilapia to ANA.