Lesotho is a small (30 355 km2) landlocked country with a water area of only ±80 km2. Prior to the construction of a series of reservoirs in the country’s Highlands region under the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), there were no commercial aquaculture activities in the country. Recognising the natural strategic advantage for salmonid farming offered by the new LHWP reservoirs, a successful rainbow trout aquaculture industry was established as a result of private sector driven interventions. This included the development of Highlands Trout, a 2 000 tonne per annum, vertically integrated (hatchery to processing and distribution) commercial rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) farm at Katse Dam between 2010 and 2016 (Figure 1).
Critical elements of the project included knowledge transfer and innovation in technology. International experts in salmonid farming were involved from the initiation of the project, in scoping and feasibility assessments, business planning and systems design, training of local employees to build a technical skills base for aquaculture business development and operations, and initial operations management. Moreover, the repurposing of existing infrastructure and adaptation of available technologies to the remote Lesotho Highlands were prioritised.
These factors contributed to a successful project. As a result of the high quality of Highlands Trout’s production, Lesotho trout was positioned in discerning international markets, including directly into retail outlets in Japan.