The Potential Role of Air-Breathing Fish in Enhancing Climate Resilience for Small-Sale Fish Farmers

In freshwater ecosystems, predicted effects of climate change include more extreme temperature fluctuations, hypoxic events, and degradation of water quality.  Small-scale fish farmers will be affected by these changes as they pose a threat to their income and overall wellbeing by eventually creating environmental conditions too harsh to continue with current practices.  The AquaFish Innovation Lab has been investigating the contribution of air-breathing fish (ABF) to local economies and the potential for increased cultivation to improve climate resilience.  This diverse group of fishes has developed the ability to utilize atmospheric oxygen for respiration, allowing them to survive in aquatic environments with low to no oxygen, low water levels, and poor water quality, presenting unique advantages for aquaculture.  Exploring some of the challenges to ABF aquaculture, such as high protein diets required by some species, this research includes techniques such as alternative feeding and polyculture practices.  As many ABF species have not been well studied, this exploratory work is providing insight into the existing role of ABF in local communities and opportunities for diversifying and optimizing practices to improve the climate resilience of small-scale fish farmers.