Institut des sciences de l'évolution de Montpellier - UMR ISEM

Joint Research Unit (UMR) PERSYST Department
Aquaculture provides half of the fish consumed worldwide, and demand is growing, hand-in-hand with demands from consumers and society regarding product quality requirements and production ethics. Within the Conservation and Domestication (ConsDom) Department of UMR ISEM, a team from CIRAD is working to design and foster fish farming systems capable of coping with the food security challenges of the future, in terms of both quantity and safety, while respecting the environment and the health of human societies.
Pisciculture en étang de tilapia. Guinée Conakry".  © L. Fertin-ISEM
Pisciculture en étang de tilapia. Guinée Conakry". © L. Fertin-ISEM

Fish farming in tilapia ponds, Guinea Conakry © L. Fertin-ISEM

Three questions underlie its main research topics:

  • How can we optimize the use of fish genetic resources, ensuring their conservation and limiting their environmental impact?
  • How can we develop agro-ecological fish farming?
  • How can we develop family fish farming based on local individual initiatives that take into account the technical, biophysical and human constraints and op

The unit takes a holistic approach regarding the interactions between multi-trophic fish farming and the natural, economic and social environments of the territory concerned.