How
to own a mega fish farm begins with knowing the necessary condition for sitting
up a fish farm business. Everything in life once has a beginning, and beginning
a thing that has a future must begins with a focus mind. Before you could own
and manage a fish farm, there are some sine qua non that must be put in place
before venturing into it. Some of these are;
Location
Availability of water
Pond
Availability of fish seed
Size
Availability of fish feed
Availability of market
Availability of labour
Hatchery location
IN CARRYING OUT FEASIBILITY STUDY IN AN AREA THIS
CONDITIONS MUST BE SATISFIED.
LOCATION
In
fish farming the area or location plays an important role in deciding the type
of pond to be constructed. For example an area with swampy environment is
useful in fish farming but the suitable pond to be constructed is earthen pond.
When the site located for fish farm is swampy, earthen pond will be the most
fitted. When the site located is not swampy but the soil has a high water
retaining capacity, earthen pond can also be ideal for such site.
A bushy forest with lot of trees may cost a lot of money and must be avoided if the chosen site has water, it will be of more advantage.
Earthen pond is cheaper to construct and has high productivity in terms of fish culture. When there is a nearby flowing stream close to the site can be diverted and as water source and can be built a flow through pond system which is more intensive and has high production level in terms of fast growing of the cultured fish.
A bushy forest with lot of trees may cost a lot of money and must be avoided if the chosen site has water, it will be of more advantage.
Earthen pond is cheaper to construct and has high productivity in terms of fish culture. When there is a nearby flowing stream close to the site can be diverted and as water source and can be built a flow through pond system which is more intensive and has high production level in terms of fast growing of the cultured fish.
AVAILABILITY OF WATER
For you to
own and manage a fish farm effectively, water must be considered first. Fishes
are aquatic animals and they depend on water for their survival. These water
can come from; rivers, stream, lake, spring, boreholes or even wells. Always
remember that the quality of the water must be put into consideration (that is,
must be free from pollutant, colour, small and taste) before establishing a
pond.
POND
A pond is an artificial habitat made by man to culture aquatic life. In the contact of fishery, it is an artificial habitat made my man to culture aquatic animals (fish). It is properly designed and constructed to suit the domestication of fish.
If you are choosing a water logged environment as a result of high cost of land acquisition, it is necessary to use the earthen pond system because it is cheaper and more economical. Concrete pond can be constructed or built in any chosen site apart from heavy swampy area to avoid high cost in construction. In building or constructing concrete pond, the farmer should make provision for bore hole for water supply or alternatively buy water. A little or total shade must be provided.
AVAILABILITY OF FISH SEEDS
Before going into the fish farm business, you must consider the availability of seeds. There are different types of fish seed (fries/ fingerings) that are available in the market or even in the natural environment. The choices are dependent on the kind of fish you want to culture.
Note: The fish seeds must be the fast growing type so that you can start making sales at least by seven months time for maximum return (profit)
SIZE
The size of your fish farm is dependent on the availability of fund you can input. The bigger the input the greater the output (income) you earn.
AVAILABILITY OF FISH FEED
For your fish to grow well, they need adequate feed. Farm should be located in an area where there are availability fish feed will not be a problem.
AVAILABILITY OF MARKET
Fish farm should be located in an area where marketing of harvested fishes will pose little or no problem to the producer. Areas where there are high populations will provide a faster and a better market for the producer.
NOTE; if you site your fish farm in a rural or underdeveloped area, the producers will be faced with marketing problem. The buyers from developed city may not want to pay the going market price for your product. Some many even insist that for them to come and buy from you, you will bear the cost of transportation, or provide the transport for evacuating the fish to the market. This is an additional cost that will further reduce your profit. During raining seasons, it may become more difficult for buyers to get to the location. So, it’s better and more profitable to site your fish farm in a developing or developed city for maximum profitability.
AVAILABILITY OF LABOUR
The type of fish farming system you are operating will determine the number of laborers’ that will be needed. A modern fish farm does not need too much people.
HATCHERY LOCATION
The hatchery location should not be too far from the farm, especially when the farm is not into hatchery or spawning. Fingerlings are very fragile and these leads to death when moving fingerlings from the hatchery location to the nursery pond.
SOURCE: CHRIS FARM NIGERIA
eBook on, ‘‘how to own, manage and make millions from catfish production’’ by Christopher Kelechi Chima. Published originally at INFORMATION LIBRARY
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