Fisheries and water productivity in tropical river basins: enhancing food security and livelihoods by managing water for fish Patrick Dugan 1 , Madan Dey 2 and V. V. Sugunan 3 1 WorldFish Center, Africa and West Asia Office, 6 th Floor, 3 Abu El Feda Street, Zamalek Cairo, Egypt 2 WorldFish Center, Jalan Batu Maung, Batu Maung, PO Box 500 GPO 10670 Penang Malaysia 3 Challenge Program on Water and Food, 6 th Floor, 3 Abu El Feda Street, Zamalek Cairo, Egypt Abstract Faced with growing pressure upon freshwater resources, increased water productivity in agriculture is essential. Efforts to do so however need to consider the wider role of water in sustaining food production. This paper considers the importance of water management in sustaining fish production in tropical river basins, and the potential for enhancing food production and income to farmers by integrating fish production into some farming systems. Specific examples from selected river systems and irrigated farming systems in Africa and Asia are provided. These highlight the benefits of integrating the water requirements for fish into water allocation decisions. In some cases these benefits can be realised without any reduction in the water available for other purposes, while in others a trade-off needs to be considered. The nature of these trade-offs needs to be better understood for better decision making in water management. Media summary Fish is an important food crop, and the water requirements of fisheries need to be factored into water management decisions. Examples of how this can be done through win-win approaches for fisheries and other water uses are provided. Key Words Fish, Fisheries, Aquaculture, Rivers, Introduction The past decade has seen growing recognition of the crisis facing the world's water resources and the need for concerted action to use these more efficiently. In this context the work of national and international agricultural research centres to improve water productivity in crop agriculture is of immense importance. In moving forward to develop the technological and institutional innovations required to achieve this, it is however essential to ensure that the wider role of water in supporting food production and sustaining household incomes is recognised, and the water requirements to sustain this incorporated fully into water management decisions. Foremost amongst these concerns is the role of water in sustaining fish production, the principal source of animal protein and income to large numbers of low- income families in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The present paper examines these concerns and reviews approaches to improving food production by incorporating fish into water management from basin to farm levels. Freshwater fish – the protein of the poor Over large parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America, freshwater fisheries are a crucially important resource for poor rural families. Rich in protein and minerals, fish are a high-value food. Many are also rich in healthy unsaturated fatty acids that play an important role in the development of bones, nervous system, and brain in children. Most small fish are eaten whole and contribute significantly to calcium intake. Teutcher (2001) reports that small whole fish tend to contribute far more to dietary balance than do prepared portions of larger fish. In contrast to the marine fisheries of developing countries, most of which are the focus of a technology intensive multi-million dollar international industry, the majority of inland freshwater fisheries are harvested using a range of comparatively simple, low-cost, technologies ranging from traps to clasp nets and spears. In this way, these resources are widely available to millions of people, including to women and children who frequently harvest small but nutritionally important quantities (Thilsted et al., 1997, © 2004 "New directions for a diverse planet". Proceedings of the 4th International Crop Science Congress, 26 Sep – 1 Oct 2004, Brisbane, Australia. Published on CDROM. Web site www.cropscience.org.au 1