Announcement About -- Aquaculture Without Frontiers
For those interested in what is being done in philanthropy in aquaculture, see the following for one of the foremost examples in "Aquaculture Without Frontiers."  Dr. Michael New is a Britisher who has had a profound effect in helping many in aquaculture, particularly in Asia.  Years ago he helped us immensely in research on fish feeds, having insights on procedures that no one else had.  We are grateful for having had his unstinting help.   We wish him well in his new adventure.  /.R3, Novalek, Inc.

For the complete article with chart of activities 2006-2007, see http://www.aquafeed.com/article.php?id=1726&sectionid=1
For the "Aquaculture Without Frontiers" web site see http://www.aquaculturewithoutfrontiers.org/
----------------------------------------------------

AQUACULTURE WITHOUT FRONTIERS

Helping the poor to grow food in water
The Next Step: A Plan for Growth

A message from the founder
Michael New, OBE
10/16/2006

I founded Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) after 25 years of public aquaculture service, where I witnessed desperate poverty and developed the certain belief that peoples’ lives could be improved by teaching them to grow food in water. In two years since its founding, my notion that AwF was a vehicle through which this can be done has been confirmed.

However, we can do so much more and this presentation is at one and the same time an account of our achievements,a plan for growth and an appeal for help. We seek pledges totaling $360,000 by April 2007 to enable us to embark on a five-year plan that will alleviate the poverty of thousands of families while teaching them to care for and nurture one of the Earth’s most precious natural resources, namely its water.

Aquaculture is an idea and an ideal in which we share a common belief. That it can provide both fine seafood for connoisseurs and also a basic source of nutritious food for some of the world’s poorest people speaks to what a powerful idea it really is.

However, the full power of its ideal will only be harnessed when those who can benefit from it most are shown how to do it. AwF’s purpose and its goal is to make this possible.

Please help me and AwF’s dedicated volunteers to achieve our goal.

Thank you and sincerely,
Michael New, OBE.

Aquaculture Without Frontiers

The Idea

AwF helps poor people in rural areas in the third world to benefit from advances in modern aquaculture. It does this by teaching and showing them how to provide food for their families by farming in water, thereby improving their health and alleviating their poverty. It is modeled on the well known charity, Médecins sans Frontières, with volunteer experts from the aquaculture community providing help wherever a need is identified.

AwF is the only charity anywhere that specializes in aquaculture and it responds directly to needs and opportunities that its founder, Michael New, OBE, saw during the 25 years that he worked in developing countries for the EU, FAO and other international organizations. It was established in 2004 and since then has completed or is involved in eleven projects that have helped over 500 families at a total cost of only $88,000. Description of some of its projects is provided later in this plan.

 Having proved the concept, AwF is ready to grow, specifically by establishing a base in the USA and setting itself a goal of distributing $1.5 million per year of project funds by the end of 2011. This plan describes why and how this will be done.

The Need

Aquaculture can be defined simply as ‘growing things in water’. This does not mean it is simple to do or that it is a familiar concept, like terrestrial farming, which young people learn merely by growing up surrounded by farm animals and plants. In fact, many people grow up with the idea that water is where they either hunt for their food by fishing or where they dispose of their waste, not that it can be cared for and nurtured to produce food.

Many bodies of fresh and coastal water are some of Earth’s most productive, albeit fragile, ecosystems and, if properly cared for, can yield nutritious food that can materially improve the diets of those who tend it. By teaching people how to grow food in these waters, not only do they learn to provide for themselves but they also learn to care for and protect this precious resource.

There are needs and opportunities for basic aquaculture education in much of the undeveloped world. In many cases, national and international agency programs are already in place to provide education and training at higher levels. However, the structure and the means to extend this knowledge to the grass roots level is often lacking or inadequate.

AwF, by being wholly independent and able to draw on the hugely diverse expertise of its volunteers, is able to meet this need in a way that government agencies and even other

NGOs cannot. In effect it provides a free, specialist aquaculture extension service at the most basic level to those who are most in need.
 
The Mission

The key to AwF’s work is on-the-ground training and guidance provided by people who are not only experts in their field but who also care about the Earth’s water resources and about its people. The volunteers who have promised to help AwF have spent their lives working in aquaculture. Most of them began because of a fascination with water and the creatures that live in it. To want to share this with others and, in doing so, to help them help themselves comes instinctively.

AwF’s mission is to provide the structure and the means to help them to do this. For our volunteers and our benefactors this is enormously rewarding, because it is done through aquaculture, an idea and an ideal in which we all share a common belief.

Operating Principles & Governance

AwF works on the following principles:

• It helps the rural poor.
• The experts it deploys are primarily volunteers.
• Its efforts are focused at the individual family or family group level.
• Projects are vetted by AwF’s Technical Advisory Group.
• All its funding is from donations or grants.
• Administrative expenses are kept to a minimum.

AwF is governed by a board of trustees and a technical advisory group drawn from a group of 31 founding members. As AwF grows, this group will be expanded to respond to new needs and challenges as required.

Further details about AwF’s Operating Principles and Strategies are provided on its website at http://www.aquaculturewithoutfrontiers.org

Biographical sketches of AwF’s board of trustees are provided at the end of this presentation. These people are leaders in the global aquaculture community. Four of them are past presidents of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS), including the founder of AwF, Michael New, who is also a past president of the European Aquaculture Society and was honored by the Queen of England in 1999 for his services to aquaculture in developing countries. Among this group of aquaculture leaders there is vast experience of global aquaculture opportunities and challenges. Few philanthropic organizations have the benefit of having such a distinguished board to guide them.

Projects and Organization

Projects are presently identified in several ways:

1. Requests by individuals, government agencies or NGOs in developing countries for AwF to plan new projects and to implement them.

2. Suggestions from trustees or colleagues of trustees who have identified a need in a developing country, possibly in association with other projects.

3. Requests by companies or individuals for AwF’s help to apply funds to causes they have identified such as a response to a natural catastrophe.

4. Requests by NGOs or other agencies for AwF’s technical assistance in projects on which they are already engaged.

5. Direct calls for applications for AwF support, possibly targeted at a particular location or type of aquaculture (this has not yet been done because of limited AwF funds).
 
Having been identified and planned in outline projects are then vetted by AwF’s Technical Advisory Group which selects those that will be funded. They are then planned in detail and implemented. AwF is fortunate to have board members, advisors, donors and volunteers in many countries, so on the ground pre-project visits can be undertaken cost effectively.

Some examples of AwF projects are described and illustrated below.

Aceh, Indonesia

Following the devastating tsunami on 26 December 2004, there was an unprecedented outpouring of public sympathy. Aquaculture companies involved with the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) wanted to know how they could help affected farmers. In turn, WAS asked AwF if it could help. AwF agreed and within days it was able to channel donor funds for pilot projects to rehabilitate ponds, water supply canals and shrimp hatcheries to allow a small number of farmers to get back to business.

Following this AwF provided a series of workshops on the reconstruction of shrimp hatcheries and ponds and on the development of sustainable coastal aquaculture. AwF’s small bureaucracy meant that while funds and support from many other NGOs and governments were tied up in administrative procedures for weeks and months, AwF was able to respond to a clear and urgent need quickly and efficiently.
 
St. Xavier’s Bishramganj, India

This project has two partners, AwF and the St Xavier’s Bishramganj-India integrated agriculture demonstration farm and training centre. The project has trained more than 50 families to construct or improve existing ponds and shown them how to operate them to maximize output. There is a focus on youth, to create employment and to improve agriculture productivity. The relationship with the NGO has allowed AwF to focus its scarce resources on providing the specialized aquaculture know-how in which it excels.

Northeast Thailand

In cooperation with the World Vision Foundation Thailand, AwF will provide training in fish nutrition, feeding and breeding to allow World Vision to develop new community centers and train poor families in aquaculture. AwF will also collaborate with the Thailand Department of Fisheries who will assist with technology transfer. This project will involve a formal training program and help with the establishment of aquaculture facilities, in particular a feed making facility and a small fish hatchery. AwF will be responsible for providing on-going technical advice, and placement of an AwF-funded student volunteer is being considered.
 
Bangladesh

One of two projects in Bangladesh is being undertaken in cooperation with the Voluntary Organization for Social Development (VOSD) to help women from extremely poor families. They are being taught how to farm Tilapia in floating cages in order to improve their living standards and to empower them in their families. In total, 35 women are being trained. The project activities plan is shown below as an example of specific skills that AwF volunteers teach.

Associated Organization

Presently AwF has agreed to the establishment of an independent autonomous sister organization in Spain, namely Acuicultura sin Fronteras (AsF). Other similar organizations may be formed when AwF volunteers wish to concentrate fund raising efforts in a particular country or region and support nominated projects. Each is independent but must conform to the Mission, Principles and Operational Strategy of AwF. This increases the profile of AwF, spreads fundraising efforts and assists in the identification of suitable projects. With such a large database of volunteers, having several sister organizations increases the chance of volunteers being able to work on projects in their areas that are of special interest to them.

Affiliations and Alliances

There are several national and international government agencies, NGOs and professional organizations with whom AwF interacts or plans to interact. AwF interacts strongly with the World Aquaculture Society (WAS), specific support having been provided to AwF from the US, Asia-Pacific and Latin American chapters. The student membership of the US Chapter has been particularly active in fund raising efforts on behalf of AwF. AwF is also supported strongly by the European Aquaculture Society (EAS). Many volunteers have joined AwF after learning of the organization through WAS or EAS. AwF is also supported by the Fish Culture Section of the American Fisheries Society and the Aquacultural Engineering Society.

 One of AwF’s specific goals and one of the ways in which it has learned that it can be of special value is to provide technical and management training for other agencies (including other NGOs) working to develop aquaculture. In this way it has already helped in two projects with St. Xavier’s Bishramganj-India (a Christian NGO) and two projects in Bangladesh (one with VOSD - the Voluntary Organization for Social Development - and the other with Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organisations working to help the poor and oppressed in over 200 countries and territories).

In its work in Aceh, AwF has collaborated with several NGOs and other organizations, including Professionals International, MercyCorps, the World Wildlife Fund, the Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program of US-AID, the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific and the Government of Indonesia. Three of these projects were illustrated in more detail previously.

Many NGOs have excellent people and resources positioned among poor communities but lack adequate technical know-how. This is particularly the case with aquaculture where many of the farming techniques are simply not known to the people working with the NGOs. In these cases, AwF has a critical role to play in training NGO personnel, who, in turn, can then better help poor families.

AwF also helped the Crawford Fund (Australia) develop and deliver a two-week Master Class on Aquaculture Nutrition at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok. This Master Class trained young aquaculture scientists from developing countries in Asia and the Pacific in fish nutrition and feeding.

Through this Master Class, AwF also linked with the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (part of the Australian Overseas Aid program), the Australian Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and several Australian government institutions including the CSIRO, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and the Western Australian Department of Fisheries. Following the Master Class, AwF will develop a shortened version for people from World Vision and communities in northeast Thailand.

 
Current status and five-year plan

Home Office
AwF is presently operated from an office in England in the home of its founder Michael New. This was always seen as a first step while the concept was proved and experience gained. However, it was always anticipated that a time would come when AwF would need to establish a home office in the USA because philanthropy and support for NGOs such as AwF are much more part of the culture there than in the UK. AwF has already been registered as a private non-profit entity in the USA with this in mind. The time has now come to take this step.

Funding

To date in 2006, AwF has raised approximately $117,000 in donations and invested or committed $100,000 in completed and/or on-going projects. It has therefore been able to manage on an extremely limited budget.

Up to now AwF has depended heavily on financial contributions from its founding members and their colleagues and contacts, most of who are professionals and scientists in the aquaculture community. Limited funds have also been generated by local activities organized by AwF directors and friends that have involved the general public in England and France. However, continued reliance on these dedicated people is unlikely to enable AwF to achieve its growth plan.

However, there is so much more that AwF could do with a stronger funding base, both as regards work in more countries and being able to take on individually larger projects. Accordingly, we are seeking to raise $360,000 before the end of April 2007 in order to expand our present range of projects and to establish the U.S. office. Thereafter, we will seek to continue to grow by appealing for $450,000 in 2008 increasing to $1.75 million in 2011.

These are ambitious targets but we believe that they are achievable, given the need and the cause. To the donors who support us in this endeavor we are extremely grateful.

Michael New, OBE
Chairman

Directors of AwF (USA)

Michael New, OBE

In 2004 Michael New formed AwF having worked in aquaculture for 37 years. During this time he served several international organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the European Commission and worked as an independent consultant. In 1999 he was honored by the Queen of England with the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to aquaculture in developing countries. He has worked in 43 countries and authored over 150 technical manuals and other texts on aquaculture.

He is a Past-President of the World Aquaculture Society (President 1997-1998) and of the European Aquaculture Society (President 2002-2004). In 2005 he was re-elected to the board of the World Aquaculture Society for 2005-2008.

Geoff Allan, Ph.D.

Geoff Allan is the Research Leader for Aquaculture in the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia and the Director for the Port Stephens Fisheries Centre, NSW, Australia. He supervises and conducts research on freshwater and marine fish, mollusks and crustaceans. He is also a Program Consultant on aquaculture for the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and helps that agency develop collaborative research projects to benefit Australia and developing countries. He has coordinated major national and international projects on aquaculture feeds and feeding with a particular emphasis on replacing fishmeal. He is currently a project leader for the Australian Aquafin Cooperative Research Centre for a project on developing feeding technology for temperate marine fish. He is also coordinating a national program to help develop commercial aquaculture industries using inland saline water. Geoff is a past-president of the World Aquaculture Society (2003-2004).
 
John Cooksey, CEM

John Cooksey is the Executive Director of the World Aquaculture Society and holds a Master of Business Administration as well as a professional certification for meeting planners, Certification in Exhibition Management. He has been a professional business manager specializing in meeting management for over 20 years, active in aquaculture meeting organization for over 10 years and worked with several non-profit Boards.
 
Kevin Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.

Kevin Fitzsimmons is Professor and Research Scientist in the Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He was also a Fulbright Fellow and Visiting Professor in 2004 at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand. He is a past president of the World Aquaculture Society and also of the U.S. Aquaculture Society, and has held several offices in the American Tilapia Association. In addition to tilapia cultivation, Dr. Fitzsimmons has published papers on the cultivation of shrimp and edible seaweed.
 
Joe Tomasso, Ph.D.

Joe Tomasso is a Professor of biology and Chair of the Biology Department at Texas State University. He has conducted aquaculture-related research and taught aquaculture related courses for nearly 30 years. His research is focused on stress and environmental physiology of aquaculture animals. He is also a past-president of the World Aquaculture Society.

-----------------------------