By Adebiyi Abdullahi Olaiya
Fish farming in Nigeria is a very lucrative and fast growing business. And many fish farmers in the country are making big money every month from sales of fish and fingerlings. Catfish farming is one of the fast selling breeds of fish that has a high market demands as well as market value too. Due to this, a lot of Nigerians are trooping into the business to invest in it and make a mouthwatering profit on every market harvest. But as much as the fish business can be profitable it can also put one in a big doom if invested in at the wrong period/wrong time.
As a starter who wants to get into fish farming business here are some of the key important things you must have made available or have already arranged before you embark on the business journey, and they are:
A.A locally dug pond (not a concrete/cemented pond).
B. Make sure you have made findings about the best fingerlings seller
C.Make sure you can provide at least 60% of fish feeds that can feed them for the first 8 weeks of stocking them.
D.Do not overstock fish in the pond (even if you think you have the resources that it takes).
E.As a starter do not start a fish business during the dry season most especially if your mud pond cannot independently produce water without rainfall.
F.Make sure the pond is well constructed with at least one inlet, one outlet, and one overflow (in case of flooding).
All the above mentioned factors are very essential to be put in place before a starter hops on the train of the fish business. You might have enough money and even materials to start up with but without the basic knowledge about; What to stock?, When to stock?, Where to stock?, and How to stock?, will leave you on a very loose end of losing all that you have invested in the business. Answering these questions will give more insight to what the writer have been giving explanations about.
A.What to stock: This regards to the breed of fish you might like to stock as they are varieties of options you can go for but to the best of my knowledge I would recommend the 'Clarias' breed for a starter because they tend to have rapid growth and they're beginner friendly.
B.When to stock: This is said to be the most important factor that determine the future of your investment, it make or mar the end results of the harvest. The raining season is the best recommended time to dwell into the business as the provision of adequate water supply won't be a problem, because the most important thing for fishes to survive is to live in a good water condition, the feeding comes second.
C.Where to stock: Selection of the right farm settlement and the type of pond used has a great effect on the growth and developments of your fish stocks. The mud ponds has greater advantages over the concrete ponds most especially for starters. Research has it that fishes like to live in a natural environment and the habitats of these species indicates that a mud setting is more advisable and would be best to begin with.
D.How to stock: As a starter never embrace the idea to overstock a pond regardless of how financially fit you think you are. Having money to buy enough feeds for fishes is a separate thing and knowing and maintaining the pond capacity standards is another thing entirely. Pond size varies depending on the taste of the farmer but the quantity to stock is not only determined by the largeness but also the depth of it and how independently the pond can produce its own water in the absence of rainfall in the case of mud ponds.
Being able to critically review and evaluate these contributing factors means that you are good to go as a starter in the fish business. Although I would advise that you engage in your personal research and seek help from experts if you encounter any strange experience in the course. You have every right to become a successful fish farmer if you master the best approach to the business.