October 01, 2016

Beyond Impact Factors: Research that Contributes to the Growth and Development of Aquaculture

The aim of the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society (JWAS) is to develop technological innovations and solutions to major issues facing global aquaculture. JWAS represents the part of the World Aquaculture Society's overall mission that is devoted to publishing the latest global aquaculture science to contribute to the development and growth of sustainable aquaculture enterprises of all scales.

What constitutes a positive impact to the growth and development of aquaculture? From the perspective of the owner/manager of an aquaculture enterprise, it is an innovation that results in the farm's ability to produce a better product at a lower production cost. Improvements that contribute to reduced costs per kg typically are those that have resulted in increased growth, higher yield, greater productivity, improved survival, or a lower feed conversion ratio. For the consumer, positive impacts translate into increased availability of better quality, less expensive, tastier, nutritionally beneficial, and safer seafood to purchase.

As scientists, sometimes we become immersed in our own world where our worth is measured by the total number of publications, how often they are cited in the scientific literature, or how often they are read and are downloaded. While citation rates do indicate the degree that a particular author or journal influences other researchers in the field over the short term (the 2-yr impact factor is used most widely), they are not measures of the economic and societal impact of the research. Unfortunately, this valuation is conspicuously missing.

Researchers have developed methodologies to measure the impacts and returns to the investment of public research funding on the agricultural sector (for examples, see Norton and Davis 1981; Cox et al. 1997; Alston et al. 1998; Evenson 2001; Evenson and Gollin 2003; and Renkow and Byerlee 2010). Across this literature, the common conclusion is clear. Benefits from research stem primarily from gains in productivity manifested by increased crop production per unit of land, as well as reduced prices of food for consumers. Other benefits may be more indirectly realized through sociological improvements founded in the reduction of poverty levels (Alwong and Siegel 2003). Research directed to the measurement of impacts of aquaculture research is lacking. Dasgupta and Engle (2000) and Ponzoni et al. (2007) offer noteworthy examples based on research advances in shrimp and tilapia production, respectively. Improvements in feed conversion, yields, and reproductive efficiency were the principal components derived from these aquaculture research programs.

Given the mission of the World Aquaculture Society, the consummate value of articles published in the JWAS lies in the extent to which they address a problem or bottleneck that is restricting or preventing growth and development of aquaculture enterprises. Sometimes production bottlenecks require breakthroughs in fundamental scientific concepts and understanding that then introduce potential opportunities to develop new management technologies to enhance productivity. In other cases, the problem to be solved lies in application that requires rigorous experimentation and field testing. If properly conceived and designed, both basic and applied science work provide value by contributing to the development and growth of aquaculture enterprises.

However, studies that do not focus on real problems of aquaculture enterprises (be they basic or applied) or address an issue nominally and without a comprehensive approach will have little impact following their publication. The results of isolated laboratory studies that fail to be complemented by field/commercial level studies to fully evaluate effects under varying conditions of water quality, stocking densities, or farm management systems, and those that ignore effects on production costs are less likely to yield useful information that will have a real impact on the success of aquaculture enterprises.

For example, Tacon (1995) called for nutrient requirement studies to be conducted under conditions as similar to those of the intended aquaculture businesses as possible, including those related to holding facilities, feed preparation, feeding methods, water quality management, and stocking densities. For a study to provide meaningful results, the growth of experimental fish in the study should be comparable to growth achieved under typical farming conditions (Tacon 1995).

Given its commitment to the growth and development of aquaculture of all scales, and consistent with the articulated need to go beyond impact factors to measure value of research contributions, the JWAS seeks manuscripts that: (1) address critical problems related to growth and development of aquaculture from both basic and applied perspectives; (2) report results from studies that were designed to evaluate effects likely to occur under conditions consistent with the targeted aquaculture enterprises; (3) include potential effects on production costs; (4) identify potential effects on sustainability of aquaculture; and (5) clearly articulate both the problem addressed and its potential contribution to growth and development of aquaculture enterprises.

References

Alston, J. M., G. W. Norton, and P. G. Pardey. 1998. Science under scarcity: principles and practice for agricultural research and priority setting. CABI International, Wallingford, UK.

Alwong, J. and P. B. Siegel. 2003. Measuring the impacts of agricultural research on poverty reduction. Agricultural Economics 29(1):1–14.

Cox, T. L., J. Mullen, and W. Hu. 1997. Nonparametric measures of the impact of public research expenditures on Australian broadacre agriculture. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 41:333–360.

Dasgupta, S. and C. R. Engle. 2000. Non-parametric estimation of returns to investment in Honduras shrimp research. Aquaculture Economics and Management 4(3/4):141–156.

Evenson, R. E. 2001. Chapter 11: Economic impacts of agricultural research and extension. Pages 573–628 in B. Gardner, and G. Rausser, editors. Handbook of agricultural economics, Volume 1 (Part A). Elsevier Science, Amsterdam.

Evenson, R. E. and D. Gollin. 2003. Assessing the impact of the green revolution, 1960 to 2000. Science 300(560):758–762.

Norton, G. W. and J. S. Davis. 1981. Evaluating returns to agricultural research: a review. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 63(4):685–699.

Ponzoni, R. W., N. H. Nguyen, and H. L. Kaw. 2007. Investment appraisal of genetic improvement programs in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Aquaculture 269(1–4):187–199.

Renkow, M. and D. Byerlee. 2010. The impacts of CGIAR research: a review of recent evidence. Food Policy 35(5):391–402.

Tacon, A.G.J. 1995. Application of nutrient requirement data under practical conditions: special problems of intensive and semi-intensive fish farming systems. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 11(3–4):205–214.

Republished from Journal of World Aquaculture Society by permission of the author and publisher

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About Carole R. Engle

Former JWAS Editor in Chief - Carole Engle has devoted more than 35 years to aquaculture research, extension, and teaching. In addition to publishing more than 110 scientific articles, four books, and more than 80 extension publications, she has a combined 49 years of editorial experience, including serving as Editor-in-Chief of Aquaculture Economics and Management. She has been honored with numerous awards from the U.S. Aquaculture Society, the National Aquaculture Association, the Catfish Farmers of America, and the Catfish Farmers of Arkansas. Engle was on the faculty of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) for more than 27 years and, as Director of the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center and Chairperson of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, led it through a period of rapid growth, development, and expansion.

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