WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2016 53 Fishing in the São Francisco River has been taking place for a long time due to the size and diversity of fish fauna found in this river basin. Tilapia farming in Sobradinho Lake (Fig. 1) began in 2003, encouraged by government programs to develop this activity with fishermen and others farmers. The activity has grown in an unplanned manner and is dependent on government support for its growth. Private enterprises have also emerged and grown independently. The high productive capacity of Sobradinho Reservoir and the great market demand for fish contribute to the sustainability of production. However, the percentage of profit generated is small because of disorganization in the local supply chain. The social impact of the activity in the region is positive, despite the lack of organization by stakeholders. This reality was also observed with tilapia production in Bangladesh (Ahmed et al. 2012). In the Solomon Islands, a study evaluated the supply chain of fish and identified obstacles that constrained production (Cleasby et al. 2014). These studies are examples that prove the need to evaluate disrupted supply chains, especially in regions with a low level of social and economic development to promote its organization and improve productivity and profit for producers. Brazil is 12th in the ranking of countries producing fish (FAO 2014). In the last five years production has been steadily increasing, from 155,500 t in 2010 to more than 207,400 t by mid-2015 (Nunes and Rocha 2015). According to the Brazilian Association of Fish Farmers in 2015, the Brazilian Northeast is responsible for 18 percent of aquaculture production in the country. This finding reinforces the importance and need for studies on regional supply chains as a means of providing structured information to Analyzing the Supply Chain for Fish in Sobradinho Lake, Bahia, Brazil Marco Aurélio Rotta, Lúcia Rejane Madruga, Daniela F. Bacconi Campeche and Rebert Coelho Correa institutions that support projects for small and medium producers, enabling increased income generation and employment, and hence improved socioeconomic status of these producers. Currently, fishing native species and tilapia production surrounding the Sobradinho Lake is fragile. Evaluation of the supply chain structure can support and strengthen planned growth of the sector. The aim of this study was to analyze the supply chain and propose options for intervention to support development, and to serve as a study model for other fish supply chains. It also seeks to complement the activity of identifying baseline problems and technical barriers, analyzing the socio-economic context, and identifying the main limiting factors, critical points and positive aspects of the supply chain. Conceptualizing the Supply Chain Two workshops were held to evaluate the fish supply chains in the towns that surround Sobradinho Reservoir (Sento Sé, Remanso, Pilao Arcado, Casa Nova and Sobradinho). Workshops were held to address three aspects: 1) to understand the farmed fish supply chain in the region, highlighting its details, the role of its actors and the relationship among the links; 2) to identify strategic issues of the supply chain, with implementation of a SWOT analysis and clarification of objectives to be pursued by actors in the chain; and 3) to structure and validate tools for the survey. Topics covered in the first workshop were: • Quality identification and competitiveness of products, • Identification of strategies used for product appreciation, (CONTINUED ON PAGE 54) FIGURE 1. Sobradinho Lake map, Bahia, Brazil. 1 Main Market Main Institucions Main Inputs Feed Industry Fingerling Producer Banks and Financial Agencies Environmental Agencies (Federal e Estadual) Grocery stores and street markets Middleman (buyer) Inspection Ambiental Transportador Middleman and Distributor (cold chamber) Regional Inspection (Municipality) Tilapia Producer and Fisherman Technical Support Agencies Bars and Restaurants Street Markets Government C O N S U M E R Main Clients FIGURE 2. Basic structure of the fish supply chain with the main actors and links.
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