A quick guide to starting a profitable catfish farming business in Nigeria

From time immemorial, fish has been a major part of man’s diet and business. The influence of fish as meat/snack cannot be underestimated, from the low budget earners who are only able to afford fish as meat, to those who use fish as a business. The human body demands a reasonable quantity of protein which fish constitute about 41% hence, there is a great demand for fish, by all class, age and status.

Fish is also able to be turned into varieties for business- dried fish, stockfish, fried fish, barbeque fish, grilled fish and etcetera. There are also various types of fish that can be used for various purposes, but the focus of this book is catfish farming- how you can rear catfish business purpose. Modern farm practice has made it possible to grow fish as long as you can find a good space.

If you are an existing farmer, this book will help you know more as well as earn more with the strategies written in this book. If you are thinking of starting catfish farming but don’t know how to, then you have just picked the right book. If you are looking forward to expanding your farm capacity, I encourage you to add fish farming to your farm.

Fish farming remains the most acceptable and healthy source of protein for human consumption, this essential product is not readily available in our locality.

to address the demand of our ever-increasing population. This has resulted in continuous importation of frozen fish to make up for this shortfall, still, the cap in demand and supply keeps widening, giving rise to a huge opportunity for already established and would-be farmers to make the best out of the fish rearing sector.

Apart from the huge profit in catfish farming, there are other underlying benefits like increasing the source of protein in the society at an affordable rate, reduction of unemployment, raising national income and lastly distribution of wealth.

Here’s what I will teach you!

• Why catfish farming
• Fish farming requirement
• Catfish farming
• Farming process
• Fish health management
• Fish mortality
• Fish farm business
• Fish sampling
• Water quality management
• Record keeping

This is a very long read, but you will learn a whole lot about starting your own fish farming business.

Why catfish farming

Catfish is one of the most enjoyable varieties of fish for Nigerians. This is because of its high nutrition rate and the different styles that it can be enjoyed, of which the most popular is catfish pepper soup and barbeque fish.

Catfish can be rated as one of the most popular fish because it is found all over Nigeria. It is enjoyed by almost all the tribe, able to resist harsh environmental conditions, commands good taste, and of course, good profit also. The estimated production rate is over 253,898 metric tons per year.

Apart from the catfish itself, there are other products that can be made from catfish to increase value, this include: catfish oil, catfish soap, catfish body cream and other businesses that can be done alongside catfish business.

According to the Federal Department of Fisheries, under the ministry of agriculture estimates that between 2001- 2012, over 253,898 metric tons of catfish to food security of the nation, making it $846, 326, 667 with additional, $432, 163, 334 from restaurant and eatery operations. An initial capital of N779, 000 could be invested to get a revenue of N1.325, 000 and an annual profit of N545, 000. These data show that catfish business is a profitable business.

Fish is a major source of protein to the human body, and also provides 40% of the dietary intake of animal protein. Because fish and fish produce constitute more than 60% of the total protein of the average Nigerian, it is an excellent source of sulphur and essential amino acids such as lysine, leucine, valine, and arginine. It is also suitable for supplementing diet of high carbohydrates content.

A major source of thiamine as well as an extremely rich source of Omega-3 polysaturated fatty acids, fat soluble vitamins (A, D and E) and water soluble vitamins (B complex) and minerals ( Calcium, phosphorus, iron, Iodine, and selenium). It also have a high content of polyunsaturated (omega iii) fatty acids, which are important for reducing blood cholesterol level and high blood pressure. It also reduces the risk of sudden death, lowers the risk of age related muscular degeneration and vision impairment, and decrease the risk of bowel cancer. Others include:

• The profit margin of fish will always be high as it sell very well in Nigeria restaurant, eateries, Night bars, and for home use. They are various uses of fish; hence, there is steady demand of fish.
• Fish when given appropriate feeding grows very fast so the period of return on investment (ROI) is short.
• You can set up fish farming anywhere. It does not cause any environment hazard. Unlike most other farming practice, you can setup a catfish farm in residential and commercial areas as long as there is space.
• Catfish farming is easy to farm in warm climate like Africa. ∙ Catfish feeds on carnivorous farming like insect, worms and fish feed. ∙ The female catfish lay between 10–90 eggs at a time and hatch them within a week.

Some very important questions to ask before going into fish farming

1. How much capital do I have to invest now? It is very important to know how much capital you are starting with so you can determine your starting scale, whether small or large.
2. How much demand is placed on catfish in my area? It is paramount to know your competition around your vicinity. It is also very necessary to consider the kind of environment you are in. A person who stays close to a market may have it easier to selling his/ her catfish than someone who stays in an estate.
3. Knowledge/time: you may want to put into consideration the amount of knowledge and time you have to put into the business. If you have the time, gain practical knowledge and training on fish farming. If you don’t have the time but have the money, employ a fish farmer to manage your farm for you.
4. Develop your business plan ahead: developing a concrete business plan will help you give a focus to the scale of your operation.
5. With proper farming method and good management practice, a 1 million naira investment in fish farming could easily result in 3 million naira of profit within the first year of farming.
6. Marketing your product will be least of your problem. Fishery products is by far the most popular animal product in the market, it constitutes more than 60% of meat products in the Nigerian market.
7. A fish farmer can integrate fish farming into an existing farm to create additional income and improve its water management.
8. The fish produced in a pond is the owner’s property; they are secure and can be harvested at will. Fish in wild waters are free for all and make an individual share in the common catch uncertain.
9. Effective land use: effective use of marginal land e.g. land that is too poor, or too costly to drain for agriculture can be profitably devoted to fish farming provided that it is suitably prepared
10. Fish growth in ponds can be controlled: the farmers themselves select the fish species they wish to raise.

Types of Fish you can Farm in Nigeria

Now that you have seen the mind blowing benefits of fish farming, let take a look at different fish species that is most suitable for Aquaculture.

1. Catfish: This fish is by far the most cultivated fish species in Nigeria. The main reason been the ease of cultivating it. It reproduces very quickly and grows rapidly. This is the main fish species we will be focusing on.
2. Tilapia: This is the second most popular fish in Nigeria’s aquaculture industry, it’s cultivated in fresh and shallow water.
3. Mackerel (Titus): This species of fish is hardly farmed, it survives mainly in seawater because of its salinity. It is caught in the wild.

Fish farming Methods

Fish farming may range from ‘backyard’ subsistence ponds to largescale industrial enterprises.

1. Extensive fish farming: In this method, economic and labour inputs are usually low. Natural food production plays a very important role, and the system’s productivity is relatively low. Fertilizer may be used to increase fertility and thus fish production.
2. Semi-intensive fish farming requires a moderate level of inputs and fish production is increased by the use of fertilizer and/or supplementary feeding. This means higher labour and feed costs, but higher fish yields usually more than compensate for this.
3. Intensive fish farming involves a high level of inputs and stocking the ponds with as many fish as possible. The fish are fed supplementary feed, while natural food production plays a minor role. This will be our ultimate focus in this book.

Since we are focusing on Catfish, I should tell you a few things about it.

General Characteristics of the African Catfish (Why farm catfish)

• Good Feed Conversion Ratio
• ∙ External air-breathing abilities
• Relative tolerance of below average (sub-optimal) water quality conditions
• High survival rate after the fingerling stage,
• Adaptable to polyculture with Nile tilapia based farming systems
• Good flesh quality
• low in lipid (fat) and high in protein

Other characteristics of the African Catfish are stated in the table below:

Why some Fish Farmers Fall

• Poor Farm Siting: This includes a place with poor water supply; poor soils for pond construction (e.g. may be rocky or sandy); far away from markets and/or supplies; among others.
• Poor farm and facility design: Ponds not compacted properly leak a lot, may be too shallow, and consequently construction and maintenance costs become too high, while optimum yields are not achieved. Poor accessibility to ponds, requiring workers to walk across difficult terrain to transfer fish from pond to vehicle or vice-versa.
• Poor Investment Plan: Several farmers assume that to be a commercial fish farmer one must have several large ponds. Hence, they construct many ponds at once, which constrain their cash flow. Because of this, it takes a while for some farmers to begin production, or they may only afford to start production in one pond after all the investment.
• Start production before knowing what management options are available or how to farm fish. That is, learning by the “trial and error approach”
• Start looking for the market for fish when the fish is ready for sale. Meanwhile, because they are still feeding, the pond attains its maximum loading and fish stop growing. The longer the fish stay in the pond after they have stopped growing, the smaller the profit margin.
• Do not employ the right people: Hiring family members who have little or no desire to learn proper fish farming techniques is a liability because most people find it difficult to dismiss these workers even after it has become apparent that they are the reason for the poor performance of the fish farm. Entrepreneurs must employ the right people.
• Irregular and improper feeding: This ranges from complete lack of knowledge about the nutritional requirements and feeding of catfish to attempts at saving money by using cheap feeds. Some farmers just do not feed their fish because they think fish will grow as long as they are in water. They do not realize that like all animals, best performance would be obtained if the fish have a balanced diet and that the feed needs to be eatable, easily digestible and does not disintegrate into the water before the fish can consume it. Farmers must provide fish with the correct feed of the right quality.
• Do not appreciate that different management levels have different requirements, which consequently affects stocking rates. Stocking rates are a function of the specific management regime.
• Do not keep records and do not assess performance to re-adjust management practices accordingly after each cycle. A farmer is therefore unable to tell whether he or she has made a profit or loss. Having money in one’s pocket after a sale does not imply one has made a profit. Some farmers do not want to keep records because they are scared of facing the harsh realities of a loss. Unless one is able to face the bitter truth and correct his/her management practices, there will not be improvements and the business will eventually collapse.
• Wrong objectives for investing in aquaculture: Some do it simply because their friends are doing it or because they are targeting ‘free’ funds from donors or government. Nothing in this world is free. Always watch out for the hidden costs before making a final decision. Furthermore, pond construction is costly and is not something one should undertake for the sake of it. Changing one’s mind and having to fill in ponds because you have changed your mind is even more costly. Think objectively before you embark on fish farming. Farm fish as a business; as a source of employment and income for yourself and others. Invest in fish farming only if you have identified it as a serious opportunity that can work out into a successful enterprise.
• Lack of technical know-how: Some farmers do not have the practical knowledge of fish farming before entering into the business. Those who seem to have some knowledge often have not undergone complete training on fish production. Some depend on observation and purported knowledge of fish farming, which often is far from the reality. For example, with feeding, the feeder needs skills on fish response to feeding and quantity of feed to give the fish at a given rate, and at a given period.

Fish are greatly affected by the environment in which they are grown. An aquatic ecosystem is extremely dynamic, changing with nutrient inputs, weather and season. Therefore, the fish farmer needs to understand the following:

Fish growth and survival are closely related to water quality. Furthermore, fish are cold-blooded animals. The temperature of the environment directly influences all of their bodily functions.

Thus, while the markets determine aquaculture opportunity, the ecological and economic principles determine the choices for sustainable aquaculture practices and technology.

Therefore, users of this book are encouraged to understand the principles on which this catfish static water-pond-production technology is based upon. This is because the specific environment where the farm is located defines what additional opportunities and constraints in production one is likely to encounter.

Hence, farmers are encouraged to be observant and continue to make adaptations in order to enhance the productivity and profitability of their specific enterprises. This book is only a guide to the commercial production of catfish in ponds.

Questions to answer before you start a fish farm!

You must place emphasis on careful handling, cleaning, processing, packaging, transport and retail sales is paramount to developing your market

• Who will buy my produce?
• Where do I find those that will buy my fish?
• How do I get through to them?
• At what price do I sell my fish? (Considering the competition) ∙ Where am I now and at what stage will I consider an expansion?

SECTION 2

Fish Farming Requirements

Requirements for starting a fish farm

1. Land: construction of ponds, wells, overhead tank and storage is very necessary and requires land.

2. Water: water is very essential to fish farming. It is very important that you ensure that you have a system where you do not lack water. The water should be pure and void of any chemical that will be harmful to the fish. It is also very important that the water temperature is cold because fish is a cold-blooded animal.

3. Capital: your size of capital will require the scale of fish farming you will go into, but large profit, most times, requires large capital.

4. Management: a fish farm requires able management to be able to scale it successfully. Management means someone who has sufficient knowledge of fishes- fish health, disease, feeding rate etcetera.

5. Feed: it is of the utmost importance to get feeds that are very balanced and healthy for the fishes.

6. Fish pond

7. Overhead tank: for water storage

8. Fingerlings/ fish seeds.

Budget/ some of the expenses that will be procured before, during and at the end of the production process:

1. Fish pond- you may need to decide if you want to rent a pond or you want to construct one. Either way, this will incur expense- if you are renting, you may have to pay rent. If you want to construct a pond, you will need to add to your budget:

• Paying a mason
• Buying cement
• Netting (this is to prevent predators from attacking your stock)

Setting/ preparing your pond

Preparing your pond is one of the most vital things when setting your pond. This stage is very important as it determines the extent of the success/ failure of your business. If constructing a new pond, Consideration should be given to depth of the pond, proper passing of pipe for inflow and outflow of water (the stability, thickness of pipe should also be considered)

Depth of pond should also be taken note of as shallow ponds limit the growth of fishes. Catfishes do better in a pond with a depth of between 4- 6.5 feet. Taken note that a pond too deep will put farmers at a disadvantage.

A pond of 7 feet will be too deep to allow sun rays penetrate causing the water to turn black before long. A pond that is too deep will also affect the uniformity of pond temperature, causing the fishes to avoid one part of the pond. Harvesting may not come off easily without pumping out some water and it will lead to the extra cost of harvesting.

Take note: you may want to avoid areas with trees and rocks, and construct your pond where the soil is not too sandy so as to avoid seepage as much as possible.

Pond types

1. Embankment pond: this type of pond is built by cement. It is built above the ground. This type may be difficult to fill with water but easy to drain.
2. Excavated pond: this is the type of pond that is built from digging out soil. Clay soil is advised. This type may be easy to fill with water but difficult to drain.

Feeds: this will include various costs of various sizes of conventional and unconventional feeds. Unconventional feeds are alternative/supplementary feeds for your catfish. Some of the feeds are catfish are:

• Poultry waste (offal and internal organs of poultry) Dead poultry (boil it to prevent infections). Also, make sure it is soft so the fishes can find it easy to eat)
• Cracked/ unhatched/ infertile eggs
• Maggots
• Intestine and other internal organs of ruminants (cattle, goat and sheep) -Meat and bone marrow waste
• Earthworm
• Toad and frogs

Factors to consider when selecting feed for your fish

It is very necessary that a good understanding of available and required feed ingredient so as to enable that your catfishes are healthy, and also to avoid as much possible, low mortality rate. Catfish feed must be cost-effective, palatable and nutritious to meet the basic nutritional needs of the fishes.

i. Cost: feeds can be expensive for a fish farmer, but cost-effectiveness should be only be analyzed against finances alone but the health implication of such feed should also be considered.

ii. Age circle of fishes: the age of your fishes must be considered when selecting feeds for your fish. As the fish increase in age, the use of imported may be reduced for the local ingredient. Also, an ingredient with high energy rate should be selected for fish as they advance in age.

iii. Nutritional composition: the nutrition must be considered. The essence of feed formulation is to meet the nutritional need of fishes at reduced cost without reducing the quality. Nutritional composition of the available ingredient must be given due consideration. Some of the feed additives are not negotiable. Vitamins not found in sufficient quantity in feed ingredients must be provided in synthetic form. Methionine, Lysine, fish premix are non-negotiable.

Section 3

Catfish Feeding

Feeding your catfishes appropriately.

i. Underfeeding/ overfeeding: There is no rule on how to feed your fishes but experts recommend that about 2.5% of the total body weight of the fish a day, depending on its age. Catfish feeding is a skill that every catfish farmer must master. Also, it is very important to understand certain factors that affect feed intake in fish.

ii. Water quality: research has shown that fish feed better in fresh and light green water.

iii. The depth of water: as fishes grow in size, it is very important that their depth is checked. A shallow depth may prevent them from positioning well.

iv. Change in taste: Researches have shown that fishes have a strong taste and can differentiate between feeds of a different taste. Catfish respond to a change of taste by either increasing or reducing their intake. It is also important to not keep feeds for a long period of time, so catfish may likely respond less to them.

v. Catfish species: different catfish react differently to feeds. While some eat more, some eat less. It is important to note the attitude of the fishes when feeding.

vi. Monitoring time interval between feeding: Experts believe that it takes at least 10 hours for well-fed smaller fishes to digest, whereas, it takes longer for big fishes. It is advisable to maintain a feeding pattern. After each 12 hours

3. Logistics: this includes expenses on transportation of feeds, manpower on the farm.

4. Security: your environment will determine if you will need security. Your fish pond may need to be always under watch if your environment is an open place.

5 Cost of fingerlings/ fish seeds: you will need to budget to buy fish seeds depending on how much you have as a budget for starting your fish farm. You should always buy seed from trusted breeders.

Section 4

The Farming Process

Step by step process to Catfish farming

Farming catfish is a profitable venture but to succeed, you must know the proper process of rearing catfish. They can be summarized in three activities of six basic stages.

Pre-cat fish farming.

Step 1

Under this stage, you have identified your interest in catfish farming. Your interest is what will make you have the desire to get the necessary and basic knowledge you should have about catfish farming. At this stage, it is also very important to decide if you will be running your farm yourself or may want to employ the services of a fish farm.

At this stage also, you draw up your budget, business plan and start contacting workmen- masons, breeders, etcetera. The basic knowledge of catfish farming is very important. It is also advisable that you learn from an experienced fish farmer.

You also start to obtain the capital needed for your business. The amount needed depends on the scale you want to start with. It is advisable to start small and expand as time goes by, and you become more experience

Catfish farming

After obtaining finance for your fishing activity, the next step is to find land for your pond. You may have space or lease it. A large space is required so as to enable a sufficient inflow and outflow of water. After you have gotten land, you start to prepare your pond. This is will need demanding, fixing of pipe, liming, netting etcetera.

After getting your land and setting your pond, you should buy your seeds/ fingerlings. Investigate well before settling for any seed. A large extent of your succession catfish farming will be determined by the quality of your fingerlings. At this stage also, you choose from a wide variety of alternative feeds available to feed their fishes. You can introduce local feeds for your fish when they are still young. Don’t compromise on the quality of your feed as it determines the growth of your fish.

Feed your fish two times a day.

Post farming

After your fishes mature, fishes take up to four — seven months. You take your fishes to the market. According to your business plan, you may want to directly supply to eateries, restaurant, night bars as there is a large consumer niche.

Section 5

Fish health management

Health hazards to look out for in catfish farming

It is very important to look out for any little sign in your catfish to avoid large immortality of fish. There are symptoms to look out for, and immediately a symptom is noticed, the fish should be removed from the water and treated. There are many things that can disturb the fish like poor handling, poor water quality, bad feeding, poor feed quality, this can result to diseases for the fish which will decrease the activity in their immune system. Fingerlings and frys are most vulnerable as their immune system is yet to strengthen.

Fish diseases and some symptoms are:

• Fish are static in a vertical position at the surface of the water or show a sluggish swimming position. White spots will be visible on the skin particularly, the mouth and fin. This is known as myxobacteria. In this case, antibiotics such as Chloramphencil, Terramycin or oxytetracycline is applied to the feeds per day for a period of 5- 15 days.
• Saprolegnia is a catfish disease where cotton-like growths are on the skin, mouth and barbels. This fungus occurs when there is an injury on the skin caused by mishandling, or predators. Cotton like growths also occurs on the eggs which may cause high losses amongst eggs and larvae. In this case, fishes and eggs can be treated with malachite green oxalate which is added to the pond water. As a prophylactic treatment, eggs should be disinfected with escodyne for 5–10 mins within one hour of stripping.
• Encapsulated larvae are present in tissues and non-encapsulated worms are found in the abdominal and pericardial cavity. This is caused by Nematode worms.
• A broken head disease shows off a symptom of pop eyes, soft skull and sometimes, deformed caudal fins. The gradual destruction of the arborescence organs occur. The skull may finally break laterally, parallel to the joins of the skull plates. It is always advised in this case that polluted water and bad food quality should be avoided. The pond water should be drained, and the supply of food stopped for a while and replaced with feed rich in vitamins that are distributed in smaller quantities.
• Open belly diseases occur when fingerlings stay in a vertical position at the surface of the water or are swimming actively with swollen bellies. The belly will expand and finally break open. This happens when fingerlings are raised in high densities on artificial feeds. Here, reduce the feeding routine and eliminate all the fish-bearing symptoms of the disease.
• Catfish staying at a feeding spot too long could indicate that they were overfed or underfed. If as a farmer, you don’t have time to check your farm, feeding record must be tracked as soon as you have the time, this will help you decide if you should increase the feeding rate or if you should decrease it. Fishes usually spread out from their feeding spot to show satisfaction.
• If fishes start having a movement that is sluggish, it may give off a sign of a disease. You should be fast enough to remove the fishes so to avoid spreading the disease to other fishes.
• Restlessness in catfishes may be a sign of danger. Either an intrusion in your pond, or a sign of disease, either way, it is important to be observant, and know the cause of it.
• If fishes are breathing on the surface, it may indicate overstocking and pollution, which will lead to exhaustion of dissolved oxygen in the pond. Mature fishes are able to breathe in water as well as make use of atmospheric energy through a well-developed respiratory system to meet oxygen needs for metabolic activity in its body.
• Fish swimming seems bloated. They swim only on top of the water. There are noticeable white spot on the fin, particularly around the mouth.
• Catfish rubbing their head or flanks over the pond bottom. Sometimes, the skin is covered by a greyish-white film.
• Noticeable red-brown worm is present on skin and barbels. This can cause anaemia and stunted growth. This is often caused by leeches and often treated with Dipterex or masoten
• Fingerlings stay in vertical position of the surface of the water or are swimming actively with a swollen belly. The belly may expand and finally opens. Decrease the feeding rate, check all the fingerlings and get rid of the fingerlings bearing that symptom.

Health management of fishes

Your fishes having a disease are not a good sign, it is always very important to note signs in fishes early. When a fish spread diseases to other fishes, there will be a high mortality rate and it will reduce profit for you. Control of catfish mortality is a strategic knowledge every catfish farmer must acquire. Mortality does not just occur, it must have causes or cause, in fact, keen observation is all you need to avoid your catfish dying. But here are some highlights you must keep to avoid fish mortality.

• Always restore the freshness of your water. And ensure that the quality of the water entering your fish is not compromised. If you are not using an overhead tank, ensure to test the water coming in from rivers, or flood.
• Give your fishes quality feed. Feeds may be costly and while negotiating the cost for your fish feed, you may be tempted to reduce the quality of the feed, at this point, it is very important to bear in mind that feed has the ability to affect the health of your fishes.
• Always prepare your pond adequately by observing even the smallest detail in pond preparation.
• Routine medication can be applied to reduce mortality. You can do this by adding mild drugs into your feed periodically. However, it is also very important that you don’t overdo the medication as they may become resistant to it and won’t respond to it when they are sick and the same medication is applied.

Section 6

Fish Mortality

What to do in case of mortality

When you observe that your fishes are dying, here is a list of steps to take to control it;

• Identify the root cause of death through keen observation and laboratory test. You take a lab test through. Water sample, Dead fishes, Feed sample.

Analyze the result of your test to know what exactly you should do, as a cure for feed borne diseases, is not the same as waterborne disease. You may ask an experienced fish farmer for advice, and start applying the treatment recommended to reduce the mortality of fish, and also the disease.

• Drain out the water and replace it with fresh unpolluted water. If the fishes are still very young, ensure to introduce the water gradually to avoid the fishes been stressed.
• If in case you don’t have enough water, you could use salt to sanitize your water as salt contains chlorine. Dissolution of industrial salt into your pond will release chlorine which will gradually treat the fish, however, it is not always effective. The level of water should be measured for equal salt. You always take note to be careful as salt can kill your fishes too.
• Iodine treatment can also be applied to treat your pond. The use of formalin is a treatment, though it may have implications. It is advised to observe a withdrawal period of at least, five months before the fishes are finally sold to the market.
• Feed borne diseases is always treated by immediate withdrawal of feed causing immortality. A farmer should discontinue using a feed that has health implications no matter the cost.
• Appropriate medication should be used. A laboratory test should tell you what drugs should be used and how.

Major causes of immortality in fishes

1. Mortality caused by excessive feeding/ underfeeding: a contaminated floating feed and high level of aflatoxin in certain feed formulation may lead to feeding poisoning. Overfeeding can lead to death in fingerlings and juveniles, in such a situation, a farmer just needs to reduce the amount of feed. The expired feed can lead to fish mortality too. Deficiency in feed can also lead to fish mortality especially when they lack proper nutrients. There are certain amino acids that must be present in the feed, as fishes might be open to external infection

2. Mortality caused by diseases: here, death is caused by infections. The effect can be severe if there are other supporting factors to it. Catfish diseases can be divided into internal and external diseases, and they can be caused by virus, bacteria, parasite, fungus and etcetera.

3. Mortality caused by pollution: water can be polluted by pathogens in a way that affect the health of the fishes. In fact, water is the number one cause of fish mortality as other diseases can begin to raise certain pathogen.

Water pollution can be divided into three:

∙ Pollution from feed waste

∙ Pollution from flood

∙ Pollution from toxins

4. Mortality caused by nature: it is normal for death to occur naturally, but should be looked into when it becomes much.

Section 7

Fish Farming Business

The business of catfish farming

After rearing your fish, your next most important motive becomes sourcing for buyers for your fish. There are many places that you can sell your fish considering that fish farming is in high demand- market women, restaurants, eateries, and etcetera. Apart from selling your catfish directly, there are other businesses that are attached to catfish farming that you can use as a supplementary business. These other businesses can fetch you an extra source of income, and make you an authority in the field of catfish farming, but before that, it is very important that you must have known the onion of catfish farming. Below highlight that will guide you in marketing your catfish

1. Do not stock more than your financial capacity that you are forced to sell when it is not due.

2. Start looking for buyers immediately you notice that your fishes are beginning to get mature.

3. It is advisable to source for as many buyers as possible. At first, you may need to go through middlemen in sourcing for buyers.

4. The art of negotiation is something that is very important in business. Ask other farmers the price range they sell theirs and ask sellers the price range they buy theirs. You can lose if you decide to fix a price without appropriate knowledge.

5. It is also very important to wait for your catfish to mature as more profit is gained than when they are not.

How to prevent loss in your catfish business

Selling your fish before they are mature or due will cause you to experience a shortage of profit in your business or may even cause you to lose completely without making any profit. To avoid this, it is very important to plan from the onset how to intend to go about your catfish farming on which most planning will be hinged on finance. It is very important to be 100% financially ready if you want to go into catfish farming. Your plan should be based on what you have or what you don’t already have. If you are starting very much afresh, it is ok to take the gradual but consistent steps.

- Do not stock under poor pond condition, because repairs in pond require that fishes should not be in the water which may make you sell untimely.

- Feed consist of 60% of what will make your fish grow very well, and so, you must invest in a quality feed. Water quality and quantity go hand in hand to determine the growth of your fish. You may also need to stock your feed on time so you don’t run on a shortage of feed.

- Theft: theft from intruders can make your loose profit in your business. Theft from human or animals

- Buy fingerlings from certified hatcheries

- Store fish feed in a clean and dry place

- You can use pest management protocols to keep out predators — Use signage to inform visitors and personnel of security measures on the farm.

- Mortality is one of the most dangerous threats you may face in catfish farming. You may need to prevent your fishes from death before they even start occurring. This is not to say that death won’t occur, but massive death should be secured against.

- Seek for knowledge from experienced farmers, even if you are not directly involved in the business, basic knowledge of the most important aspect of catfish farming will save you from being used out of your ignorance.

- Join an association of catfish farmers/ ask for help/ guidance.

Other businesses you can do alongside catfish farming

1 Selling of feed/feed mill: if you happen to grow so much in catfish farming, you could decide to own your own feed mill as feed is what farmers can’t do without. You could even make local feed and sell. It will enable cut down your cost of production as well as make extra means of income.

2 Catfish processing: there are other products that could be made from catfish. This includes catfish oil, dried fish etcetera. Dried fish which could be used as stockfish is becoming very popular.

3 Logistics business: you could decide to engage in transport services between farmers and customers.

4 Consultancy services: your knowledge could be very useful in training other people who will want to go into catfish farming. You can also decide to write a book, own a blog or a YouTube channel where you showcase various activities of your fish practically. With time, it will position you as an authority in catfish farming.

5 Selling of equipment/ facilities: selling of equipment like pumping machine, dragging net, covering net, and fish plastic can be a profitable business for you.

6 Pond constructions: if you venture into selling the equipment, you may partner with a construction company and help people who may want to venture into catfish farming construct their pond, or even repair. 7 Exportation of catfish.

8 As a middleman.

Section 8

Fish Sampling

Growth monitoring (sampling) in fish culture

Sampling is the temporary removal of fish from a culture system. The major reasons for sampling are to:

∙ Monitor growth and general performance

∙ Re-calculate feed requirements

∙ Determine when fish are ready for market

∙ Determine the reproductive stage of the fish

∙ Assess the health of the fish

How Best to Sample

The sample taken should be random and truly representative of the total population. During sampling, fish become stressed because they are physically handled, suddenly confined into a small space and removed from the water. In order to reduce the levels of stress one must:

∙ Reduce the time the fish is exposed. Execute the task at hand fast and efficiently.

∙ Only sample a small part of your system

∙ Keep the fish in water all the time or as much as possible. The only time they should be out of water is when the fish basket is lifted to the weighing scale

∙ If fish are stressed during sampling, mortalities can occur for up to three days after sampling.

The Day before the Sampling

∙ Plan and obtain the requirements for sampling in advance. This includes setting the sampling day and determining in advance what materials and personnel will be required.

∙ Do not feed fish the afternoon of the day before and before sampling on the day of sampling. This is to ensure that their guts are empty during sampling. Physically handling fish with a full stomach is stressful to the fish and results in mortality.

On Sampling Day

∙ Set everything needed with personnel inclusive. Everyone should also know before embarking on the exercise, exactly what they are going to do. Practice makes perfect and saves fish.

∙ Sample small portions of your system with good representation from the population.

∙ All the fish caught in the bag should be weighed and counted. It is important to do so, in order to avoid bias

∙ Check their general body condition (e.g., look for wounds, discolouration, etc.).

∙ Weigh a basket/bowl of fish at a time. Do not overload baskets with fish as the fish at the bottom become stressed by the pressure of those above when the fish basket is lifted out of the water. After weighing the fish, return the basket/bowl to the water and count out the fish from the basket as you gently let them swim out.

∙ Obtain the total batch weight and count of fish caught. From these data, calculate the average weight (total fish weight of sample/total number in sample). Do not measure and weigh fish individually, unless there is some specific need for that information and the fish are expendable.

When not to sample

Do not sample when:

∙ Fish are sick and show signs of extreme stress

∙ When there is lightning during a rain-storm.

∙ If it has just rained and there has been a lot of muddy water run-off especially in ponds.

∙ When the water quality is poor (e.g. fish gasping for air; very high and low water temperatures; low dissolved oxygen levels).

Section 9

Water Quality Management

Fish carry out all body functions in water; breathe, feed, grow, reproduce and excrete. Water quality is therefore critical in any fish venture. It affects fish growth health and performance. The quality for operation is therefore what the fish needs and not what the farmer wants or prefers

Signs of poor water quality

∙ Fish gasp at the surface

∙ Fish groups around fresh incoming water

∙ The slow growth of fish

∙ Changes in watercolour: Good ware is greenish while deteriorating water is brownish.

∙ Change in turbidity

∙ A build-up of nutrients such as ammonia-nitrogen

∙ Phytoplankton blooms

∙ Non-fish animals leave the water

∙ Repeated health problems

∙ Poor transparency

∙ Excessive growth of weeds especially in earthen ponds.

Causes of water quality deterioration

• ∙ Use of poor quality feed
• ∙ Overfeeding
• ∙ Overstocking
• ∙ Decomposition of vegetation
• ∙ Increased water temperature.

Advantages of good water quality management.

• ∙ Good harvest
• ∙ Minimized mortalities
• ∙ Minimized vulnerability to fish diseases ∙ Good tasty fish — no off-flavour
• ∙ Increased profitability.

Management of water quality

∙ Regular monitoring

∙ Aeration of ponds where necessary ∙ Removal of wastes such as fish faeces ∙ Removal of dead fish

∙ Regular water change/renewal — ponds

Section10

Record Keeping

This is keeping track of all your input and output to keep track of how much profit you are making and how much you are losing. This is a structure every businessman should have in their business, and it is not excluded from you like a catfish farmer.

It is key to keep track of how much fish you are started with, how much the fishes feed per day or weeks, how many died or how many are eventually going to be sold- how much profit you made. These are what will eventually determine your success rate as a catfish farmer. It will also help you learn from your mistakes, what works for the fishes and what doesn’t work, thus, helping you in the long run to reduce risk and hazard, and cost of production in subsequent times. By reviewing data, the farmer will know how to increase productivity and when to expand.

Keeping records enable the farmer to understand the economic viability of their fishes and even their facility- how much each facility takes to maintain. It helps you improve your planning, enable the fish farmers to track and subsequently, increase the quality and efficiency of their production. And if in the long run, a farmer decides to expand, from his record, he can easily know how to pitch his venture to assess loan from financial institutions

(An example of daily feed record)

There you have it. A quick guide to starting a fish farm business in Nigeria. It will work almost the same way in other African countries if tweaked a little bit.

Meanwhile, some of the figures I have written here will change as economic situation changes.

Should you have questions with regards to fish farming, do well to reach out via DM or you can send a mail to me directly at odionpaulokoduwa@gmail.com.

You can also leave a text message via 2347038280622.

Can’t wait to get your feedback, questions and success stories.

written by paul okoduwa. I know am techy but I love Agriculture also.

enjoy.