One business which is thriving now is fish farming. This is because as
more people are cutting down on eating red meat, they are going for
healthier choices like fish.
A fish based business could easily generate good returns on
investment. You could easily make a steady income from your home,
using aquaculture fish farming techniques.
However, getting knowledge on how the business runs is very
important.
A fish farmer and consultant, Muhammed Shuiab said before you go
into fish farming, you need to determine whether you want to go into
big or small-scale commercial venture. “Secondly, the pond system to
adopt; whether it is a flow-through system or recirculatory system
using either earthen pond, concrete, or plastic tanks respectively.”
Shuaib explained.
Getting knowledge
There are two types of fish farming, Shuaib said - the “nursery
operations and primary operations. Nursery operations involve the
inducement of the female fish to lay eggs which are then fertilised,
incubated and hatched thereafter. The newly hatched fish are known
as fries. These fries are then nurtured for between three to four weeks
into fingerlings which are the size suitable for use in the fish grow-out
operations,” Shuaib explains.
In between the nursery and grow-out operations is the primary
operation. The primary operation involves the nurturing of the three
weeks old fingerlings for between one to 10 weeks within which they
could grow into post fingerlings, mini juveniles and post juveniles.
These can then grow between four to five months to a table size fish
suitable for sale and ready for consumption.
If you want to start small, you can setup a fish pond right in your
backyard. It is also possible to raise fish in a fish tank in your garage.
You can easily get all the supplies you need to set up your small fish
farm and start fish farming.
Water
“For fishes, water is life,” according to Mr Felix Mbuk, another fish
farmer.
“Water supply must come from a good source e.g borehole, tap or any
spring of water that is flowing around your pond. This will help
guarantee steady water supply for filling the pond and draining waste
respectively. On my farm, I have a reservoir where I store water, so I
don’t lack water,” Mbuk said.
Feeding
Again, feeding the fish is very important. “Without this, they cannot
gain weight. And when they are hungry, they can become wild. So, you
must have money for their food handy at all times. Fish feed is a very
vital component in operating a fish farm. You must feed the fish to
attain required weight gain,” Mbuk said.
Capital to start
“This varies depending on the type of fish farming systems you are
willing and ready to invest on. With a minimum of N150, 000, you can
start the production of fingerlings to grow to three weeks then you can
advertise for sale to other farmers to buy at an average price N30
depending on the size,” Shuaib said.
Know your market
Once you know what your options are and how much money you need,
the next step should be analysing the market. Who are your buyers?
What type of fish is most profitable?
Profit
On how lucrative the business is, Shuaib says yes. “The average cost
of fish in the market is N600, so if you have a pond and you are able
to stock 10,000 fish, I guess you know how much your return on your
investment will total up to. That will be about N6 million,” he
explained.
Source:dailytrust
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