Fishy business

Posted: December 30, 2009   By: Sarah Pate

HAITI – Fishing is what Prophet does best. But in recent years, getting a good catch has been next to impossible, leaving families like his, whose lives depend on it, struggling to survive.

Prophet lives with his wife and 8 children in a small mud-and-straw hut on the sandy shoreline of Lake Azuei, Haiti’s largest lake.

Their only source of potable water is 5 miles away, access to healthcare is extremely limited and the salt-bleached soil in the area leaves them with no means to farm and provide nutrient-rich food to their children.

Now changes to the environment, such as the rising water level of the lake and declining numbers of fish, are directly impacting the livelihood of Prophet and other fisherman in his community.

“The few fish that are left are living too deep to catch and we don’t have the materials to fish,” Prophet said. “But our biggest problem is poor health.”

But those challenges are soon becoming a thing of the past thanks to an innovative project: Floating fish farms.

Operation Blessing is partnering with Caribbean Harvest, a local hatchery, to provide families with a large 6’6” x 6’6” x 3’11” cage, 2,400 tilapia fingerlings (young fish) fish feed and training on how to raise them.

The cages containing the tilapia “float” in the lake and are anchored in place by heavy concrete weights.

Every day, the fisherman boat out to the cages 3 times a day to feed the fish. In just 4 months, the tilapia are fully grown and can be sold in markets.

One harvest of fish generates enough income to restock the cage with new fingerlings and provide the families with a healthy profit, giving them food to eat, helping them send their children to school, and even afford health care.

To date, 20 families, including Prophet’s, have received a cage and already earned a successful profit from their first batch of tilapia. As more funding becomes available, Operation Blessing plans to sponsor an additional 40 families in need.

“I would like to thank Operation Blessing for its dedication and for all the wonderful work they are doing to help the people of Haiti,” said Valentin Abe, founder of Caribbean Harvest.

To see video, photos and more about this and other life-changing projects in Haiti, go to www.ob.org/haitiprojects and find out how you can take part in helping families and children in need.