• Undoubtedly, raising fish is a sustainable project. All rural farmers use some technique for fishing and keeping fish for later use. Traditionally, fish are kept for long periods by salting and drying them. This diminishes their levels of protein and alters the taste significantly. Large fish farms are expensive and more difficult to maintain and harvest.
• Rather than constructing the traditional large fish ponds, we use a system of individual family ponds called “pisciposas” or little fish wells. These small ponds allow individual families to maintain fish alive to grow, conserve, or sell at their convenience.
• These small ponds are approximately 12m x 7m x 1m and have a capacity of up to 750 medium size fish. The ponds also provide a perfect place to use the family’s organic garbage which is just a stone’s throw away from the kitchen.
• To start a group of families making their individual fish wells, we purchase shovels, wheelbarrows, and fiber bags to move soil, and a large fish net to catch fry. The group of families share supplies although each makes their own family pond. The families have “mingas”, which are similar to barn raisings in rural United States, where everyone takes turns helping to build each family’s pond together.

For more information about how the fish farms are maintained and how you can help, contact us.