All you need to know about fish farming in Nigeria
Fishes naturally live in rivers and other natural water bodies and so fish farming (also known as pisciculture) refers to the entire processes involved in the rearing, breeding or artificially transplanting fish for commercial purposes. More often than not, this entails the building of earthen, fish tanks or ponds, the fertilization of the pond, the careful stocking of the fingerlings in the freshwater and their careful feeding till they grow big enough for sale.
Fish farming in Nigeria is booming for several major reasons. For one, Nigeria has an estimated 12,478,818 hectares of inland water and some 741,509 hectares of brackish water, most of which are suitable for aquaculture. For another, fish is relatively cheaper than meat here and is so well-loved that about 41% of our total animal protein intake is obtained from fish products.
The fish market in Nigeria, therefore, is not to be trifled with. There are various species of fishes to be farmed here. Still, most of the species of fish are not suitable for fish farming business in Nigeria, either because of their nature, their low demand in the fish market, the non-profitability of their species, or all of these reasons.
If you’re new in the fish business, you probably want to know as much as possible about the fish farming business in Nigeria. It is always a good business decision to first investigate your market, understand the demand, price, your competitors and how you`ll outsmart them. All these will influence your decision as per, where to situate your fish farm, the cost and the likely profit.
So whether you’re planning to start a small scale fish farming or gigantic commercial fish farming in Nigeria, all you need to know to get started can be summed up in the following guidelines:
1. Location
Do you want to start your fish business on a small scale, or would you rather go big?. This is an important question to answer because it will give you the best idea of where your ideal business site should be. In the Nigerian fish farming industry, location is everything.
If you’re starting a small scale fish farm, you may decide to start in your backyard with a tank, but if you’re going big, you would have to buy or rent one or few fish ponds (earthen or concrete ponds) outside your home. How close is your location to the nearest market? How far is it from your ideal customers?
Whether you choose to start big or small, you need to select a good land area and get this right; you can either buy it or use your land. Take into consideration your future plans for your business. Size is important here because it will help you grow and expand your business in the near future. Big enough also means enough fish to farm.
Also, select a place with high-quality soil. This is because the soil’s quality directly affects the quality and quantity of the fish you get. The soil should also have no or little rocks. Your ideal soil for fish farming should contain a minimum of 20% clay. If possible, go for land that is relatively level because this will mean that your fish farm will not be easily flooded. This will also help in preventing dirty water from getting into the bond.
2. Good Water Supply For Your Fish
How important is water to a fish? Fishes by nature do not survive outside water so it’s fair to say that a good water supply for your fishes is just as important as oxygen is to you. Successful fish farmers in Nigeria know that the constant supply of good water makes a huge difference in this industry. Unreliable water supply (regardless of how clean) translates into low production, poor growth and poor quality of your fishes so before you commit, ensure that your farm is sited in a place with uninterrupted sources of fresh and clean water.
Also, understand that what we humans consider “Good Water supply ” might be harmful to your fishes. For instance, most Nigerians drink government treated water in their homes, but such water could be poisonous to the fish because of the chemicals used to treat the water for human consumption.
Your intending fish farm’s size determines the quantity of water needed, but its quality should always topnotch. If you’re starting a small scale fish business, you may be comfortable with a nearby well. However, you’re starting fish farming in Nigeria as a big business venture; then, you’ll need a strong well, your borehole or even a strong water storage tank.
3. The Right Pond or Housing For Your Fish
Your fish needs a comfortable place to live. A fish pond, or fishpond, is a controlled pond, artificial lake, or reservoir ttocked with fish and used in aquaculture for fish farming or is used for recreational fishing or for ornamental purposes. The more natural and comfortable your fish pond is, the better for them.
In Nigeria, fish pond sizes vary, and their costs vary, depending on your environment and your business needs. The pond design is equally important. The design however, depends on the type of species that you want to rear.
Regardless of the species you want to rear, you must ensure that the water flows in and out of the fish ponds constantly and at the right rates. The reason for this is simple: if the water flows out too quickly, favourable algae from your ponds can be flushed out, and this can adversely affect the fish. If the water is retained for too long in the pond, it may result in oxygen depletion, leading to unhealthy fish.
It is therefore important to always monitor the level of water in the pond. Cover all the inlets and outlets properly to keep away insects and predators. Spaces should also be left in between your ponds to serve as feeder roads.
If you’re just getting started here, my advice would be to visit fish farms around you as possible before constructing your ponds. Visit successful fish farmers and ask them as many questions as possible. The people already in this business in your neighbourhood will give you the best advice that can be useful to you in that environment because they already operate within your vicinity.
4. Deciding The Right Species of Fish For You
This can be a challenge for any potential fish farmer because there are so many different types of fish species. These various fish species thrive best under various conditions (climatic and otherwise) and so in making this decision, there are many factors that should be well thought-out, which, if not taken into consideration, would adversely affect the success of your business.
In the Nigerian fish farming industry, the two commonly farmed fish species are tilapia and catfish. Tilapia is a freshwater fish that is very easy to keep. It grows fast, reproduces rapidly, does best in warm water and takes approximately two years to mature sexually. Tilapia fishes are also relatively easy to feed because they feed on phytoplankton and algae (which can grow naturally in the pond)
When considering fish farming in Nigeria, tilapia is an ideal investment for you. When farming tilapia fish, earth ponds are the most preferred for commercial fish farming. In addition to the availability of consistent water supply and favourable soil, when farming tilapia go for a location with enough sunlight for your pond; this will facilitate the growth of algae.
In some cases, tilapia multiplies too fast. Pay attention to this because if unchecked, it can result in overpopulation which will, in turn, give rise to food competition amongst your fishes and eventually lead to the stunted growth of the weaker fishes.
Asides from tilapia farming, if you want fish that you will harvest quickly, catfish farming is the most appropriate for you. Its demand in Nigerian markets is very high, and there are many species of catfish to choose from. They require little effort, and even though big ponds are ideal here, they can be comfortably reared in ponds of any size.
Like tilapia, earth ponds are also the most preferred for commercial catfish farming in Nigeria. Catfishes grow quickly and feed on readily available foods such as rice and soybeans, making them a stress free investment that is very profitable.
5. Getting Healthy Fingerlings Or Juveniles
You can start your fishpond with some fingerlings or juveniles from a reputable dealer. To provide you with more context here, fry is the development stage of fish immediately after the larvae stage, at an age of less than a week.
Fingerling is the development stage of fish following the fry stage and continuing into the first three to four months of life. Yearling is the development stage of fish following the fingerling stage and lasting until approximately one year of age. While the juvenile stage lasts until the fish is fully grown, sexually mature and interacting with other adult fish.
Most fish farmers in Nigeria prefer to buy juveniles because this saves them the headaches of high mortality rates rampant in fingerlings. If you decide to go this route as well, I would advise you to seek out fish reputable fish farmers so as to avoid getting an unhealthy juvenile.
6. Feeding Your Fish
Now that you have selected and kept the right fish species, let us see how you feed them. When feeding your fish, both quality and quantity have to be taken care of. Feed them well and with quality fish feed. There are two major means of food for your fish: the natural and the supplementary fish feed. The natural fish feed comprises detritus, bacteria, plankton, worms, insects, snails, aquatic plants and other fish found naturally in the pond.
The supplementary fish feed is usually materials sourced locally such as terrestrial plants, kitchen wastes or agricultural by-products. Just like human beings, fish need to feed well so as to grow healthy and rapidly. This means that buying them supplements will increase their productivity.
Tilapia mostly feed on algae, manufactured fish feeds or water insects. You can spur the growth of algae in the pond by simply adding some chicken droppings or fertilizer. They will grow rapidly, hence providing additional food sources. For your catfishes, you can buy pellets that are either made of soy, maize, vegetable product and rice. Providing proper care and feed for your fish will definitely make them gain weight rapidly and grow fast.
Feeding is best in the morning and afternoon. Make sure that you don’t allow any uneaten food to remain in the fish pond for many hours. This is because it may become toxic and contaminate your fishes water once it rots.
7. Harvesting Your Fish
This is best done using either a net or draining away all the water volume in cases where you are harvesting all the fish. Different species of fish are harvested at different stages and to provide quality fish to your customers, you should ensure that they are harvested in the right way and at the right time.
You can harvest a few of your fish at two or three different times. You can do this by draining part of the water from your pond and collecting only some of the fish on the first day you harvest. When you have used, sold or preserved these fish, you can harvest some more. When you are ready to harvest the last of the fishes, you can then drain all of the water from the pond, harvest the remaining fishes, clean out the pond and prep it for another farming season.
Conclusion
From the foregoing discussion, it is clear that fish farming goes beyond being known as profit making. Even though it has so many benefits, we cannot overlook the challenges and risks involved. For instance, there is competition from fish fetched from rivers, lakes and oceans, which are much cheaper than fish grown in a pond. There is also no by-products and more capital is required for fish farming in Nigeria as compared to rearing say poultry.
The game-changer is to be as practical-minded as possible. When you make your business plan for your fish farm, budget for it from the start and make provisions for unforeseen contingencies. This will ensure that you will not quit on your dreams out of the blues due to insufficient finances regardless of whatever hurdles you face.
