HOW TO START A FISH FARMING BUSINESS

[Hassanbenjamin]

Fish is a healthy and nutritious source of protein which is popular around the world. Industrial fish farming, or aquaculture, provides almost half the seafood around the world and this is expected to increase with time as more people are embracing fish farming due to its lucrative nature.
One of the most lucrative businesses one can venture into is fish farming business. Fish farming can also be referred to as aquaculture. Fish farming is one of the most common types of farming.There are so many information on the internet on how to start fish farming especially catfish farming but few are detailed enough to really assist aspiring fish farmer to get started. I will be endeavor to make this write up as detailed as possible and hope that other experienced fish farmer will add to it as we try to answer people’s questions by commenting.
One of the most popular agribusiness is fish farming and for good reasons. Gone are the days when the only means of getting fish is by catching it in the local rivers and ponds through trial and errors. Today, the modern farm practice has made it possible to grow fish in the farms and control the input.
If you are thinking of business to start now, I recommend you start Catfish Farming. If you are an existing farmer and you are looking to expand your farm capacity, I’d encourage you add fish farming to your line of business. Fish farming especially catfish is most compatible with poultry farming as you can use the poultry drops to produce the feed for your fish. There are numerous benefits attached to Fish Farming but I will outline a few of them.
1. Fishery products is by far the most popular animal products in the market, constituting more than 60% of meat produce in the Nigerian market.
2. Fish is Source of Protein
Fish is one of the highest source of protein. It is a low-fat high quality protein that is filled with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin). Fish is also very rich in calcium and phosphorus and is equally a great source of minerals, such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium.
3. Fish Sells Quick
Fish sells faster than any other animal products in the market and is relatively cheaper than meats, making it the number one choice when it comes to affordability.
4. Fish Matures Quickly
Fish grows very fast as practices in fish farming makes it possible for farmers to increase the fastness of their fish growth by giving them certain feeds, ensuring that you harvest and sell within short period of time.
5. Fish Contains Omega-3
Fish is the biggest source of Omega-3 fatty acids which is extremely beneficial to human heart; Omega-3 helps to keep our heart and brain very healthy. Since human body doesn’t produce Omega-3 fatty acids, the only source through which we can get it is by what we eat, that is where fish comes to the rescue.
6. Fish Farming is Profitable
Fish farming is very profitable. With proper planning and good management, N3 million investment in fish farming could easily result to N4 million of pure profit within six months.
7. No Environmental Hazard
Fish farm does not cause any environmental hazard. Unlike poultry farming, you can setup fish farm anywhere, including residential areas. If you have a specious compound, you can easily setup a small fish farm within your backyard without any regulatory precaution.
Risks and Challenges in Fish Farming
1. Sensitive to Manage
Fish is very sensitive to manage and a slight mistake could result to degenerated growth of your fish or even death which may cause massive revenue loss.
2. Capital Intensive
Setting up fish farm is capital intensive, much more than that of poultry and snail farming . Setting up fish farm requires more careful planning and much capital input. A relatively small fish farm may take up to N500,000 to setup, while bigger ones takes millions of naira.
3. Fish is Priced High
Due to the cost of production, fish produced from the farm is priced higher than those caught from the rivers and ponds by fishermen. Therefore, if there are good quantity of fisherman’s fish in the market, you may find it difficult to sell as people would prefer the cheaper ones.
4. No Byproduct
There is no byproduct in fishery unlike poultry where even the drop can be harvested and sold to other farmers and make extra profit. In fishery, all you get is the flesh .
Types Of Fish You Can Farm
Haven seen the benefits as well as the risks involved in fish farming, let’s now proceed to decide which specie of fish we want to farm. Below are some of the most popular fish species that is suitable for Aquaculture.
1. Cat Fish –
Even though Catfish is not the most popular fish many parts of the world, this fish species is by far the most cultivated in Africa. One thing good about catfish is that it is one of the easiest fish species to cultivate. So, people naturally flow to the direction of fish specie they found to be the easiest to cultivate.
2. Tilapia
Second most popular fish in African aquaculture industry, Tilapia is a fish species that lives in fresh shallow water. Tilapia is very easy to cultivate and very popular, it reproduces very rapidly and grows fast too.
3. Mackerel
This is by far the most popular fish in African fish market but so sad it’s not farmed. All Mackerel Fish are “wild caught” but some farmers are considering the possibility of creating artificial salty water that will be similar to sea water where mackerel can only survive. Can this deep blue sea fish specie be cultivated artificially? Only time will tell but for now, you have to focus your attention to Catfish and Tilapia.

 

[Jasz]

Well, I don't see "how to start fish farming" in your post. Nevertheless, I will share some ideas.

When you're starting a fish farming business, there are a lot of things to think about. Where are you going to get the fish? What kind of equipment do you need? How will you store them? And what will you do with them once they're grown?

First of all, let's talk about sourcing your stock. The first thing most people think of is local ponds and lakes, but it's important to consider whether that's the right choice for you. Because many fish species can only survive in certain climates, it's important to know where they came from in the wild and what they're used to.

If you're looking into a pond or lake, try to find one that is clean and healthy. Fish will be able to live longer and produce more offspring if they won't be exposed to parasites and contagious diseases from other fish that are living in dirty water.

Second of all, let's talk about equipment. What kinds of tools do you need for your fish farm? The first thing on your list should be a large metal tank, which can be any size between 5 and 10 cubic feet. The tank should have an attached lid so you can fill it with water without having it spill out while you're transporting it or trying to fill it up

 

[Dasryny]

I'll give you another rod. Have you thought about raising crayfish?

 

[Stena]

Fish is a healthy and nutritious source of protein which is popular around the world. Industrial fish farming, or aquaculture, provides almost half the seafood around the world and this is expected to increase with time as more people are embracing fish farming due to its lucrative nature.
One of the most lucrative businesses one can venture into is fish farming business. Fish farming can also be referred to as aquaculture. Fish farming is one of the most common types of farming.There are so many information on the internet on how to start fish farming especially catfish farming but few are detailed enough to really assist aspiring fish farmer to get started. I will be endeavor to make this write up as detailed as possible and hope that other experienced fish farmer will add to it as we try to answer people’s questions by commenting.
One of the most popular agribusiness is fish farming and for good reasons. Gone are the days when the only means of getting fish is by catching it in the local rivers and ponds through trial and errors. Today, the modern farm practice has made it possible to grow fish in the farms and control the input.
If you are thinking of business to start now, I recommend you start Catfish Farming. If you are an existing farmer and you are looking to expand your farm capacity, I’d encourage you add fish farming to your line of business. Fish farming especially catfish is most compatible with poultry farming as you can use the poultry drops to produce the feed for your fish. There are numerous benefits attached to Fish Farming but I will outline a few of them.
1. Fishery products is by far the most popular animal products in the market, constituting more than 60% of meat produce in the Nigerian market.
2. Fish is Source of Protein
Fish is one of the highest source of protein. It is a low-fat high quality protein that is filled with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin). Fish is also very rich in calcium and phosphorus and is equally a great source of minerals, such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium.
3. Fish Sells Quick
Fish sells faster than any other animal products in the market and is relatively cheaper than meats, making it the number one choice when it comes to affordability.
4. Fish Matures Quickly
Fish grows very fast as practices in fish farming makes it possible for farmers to increase the fastness of their fish growth by giving them certain feeds, ensuring that you harvest and sell within short period of time.
5. Fish Contains Omega-3
Fish is the biggest source of Omega-3 fatty acids which is extremely beneficial to human heart; Omega-3 helps to keep our heart and brain very healthy. Since human body doesn’t produce Omega-3 fatty acids, the only source through which we can get it is by what we eat, that is where fish comes to the rescue.
6. Fish Farming is Profitable
Fish farming is very profitable. With proper planning and good management, N3 million investment in fish farming could easily result to N4 million of pure profit within six months.
7. No Environmental Hazard
Fish farm does not cause any environmental hazard. Unlike poultry farming, you can setup fish farm anywhere, including residential areas. If you have a specious compound, you can easily setup a small fish farm within your backyard without any regulatory precaution.
Risks and Challenges in Fish Farming
1. Sensitive to Manage
Fish is very sensitive to manage and a slight mistake could result to degenerated growth of your fish or even death which may cause massive revenue loss.
2. Capital Intensive
Setting up fish farm is capital intensive, much more than that of poultry and snail farming . Setting up fish farm requires more careful planning and much capital input. A relatively small fish farm may take up to N500,000 to setup, while bigger ones takes millions of naira.
3. Fish is Priced High
Due to the cost of production, fish produced from the farm is priced higher than those caught from the rivers and ponds by fishermen. Therefore, if there are good quantity of fisherman’s fish in the market, you may find it difficult to sell as people would prefer the cheaper ones.
4. No Byproduct
There is no byproduct in fishery unlike poultry where even the drop can be harvested and sold to other farmers and make extra profit. In fishery, all you get is the flesh .
Types Of Fish You Can Farm
Haven seen the benefits as well as the risks involved in fish farming, let’s now proceed to decide which specie of fish we want to farm. Below are some of the most popular fish species that is suitable for Aquaculture.
1. Cat Fish –
Even though Catfish is not the most popular fish many parts of the world, this fish species is by far the most cultivated in Africa. One thing good about catfish is that it is one of the easiest fish species to cultivate. So, people naturally flow to the direction of fish specie they found to be the easiest to cultivate.
2. Tilapia
Second most popular fish in African aquaculture industry, Tilapia is a fish species that lives in fresh shallow water. Tilapia is very easy to cultivate and very popular, it reproduces very rapidly and grows fast too.
3. Mackerel
This is by far the most popular fish in African fish market but so sad it’s not farmed. All Mackerel Fish are “wild caught” but some farmers are considering the possibility of creating artificial salty water that will be similar to sea water where mackerel can only survive. Can this deep blue sea fish specie be cultivated artificially? Only time will tell but for now, you have to focus your attention to Catfish and Tilapia.

When I started my fish farm, I made use of porcelain ponds, about five of them which I stocked with catfish, bongafish and tilapia fingerlings.
I ensured the surrounding of the ponds was clean and void of pests (snakes and cats). I also ensured that I got my fingerlings from a reliable source ( some sources could provide you fingerlings that would take forever to reach a marketable size, lol).
So, things I had to take to cognizance when establishing my fish pond were: the site, security, water supply, stock source, and of course my starting capital.

 

[Carpon]

Fish farming one of the most credible farming businesses even though almost all the farming businesses are credible, it is one that requires very little capital for start up compared to other kind of farming businesses.

I think in starting up a fish farm, the first and most basic things you need to do won't be far away from getting acquainted with all the things attached to the business. You of course won't start something without any prior knowledge about it if you really want to make any progress and maximise profit in the business.

You also need a pond where your fishes will live. It should be very conducive and not exposed to some harsh and threatening factors.

A reliable and fresh source of water is also needed and some people will say that the hard part of fish farming is the kind of habitat they require for survival.

You also need their feed and then the fish itself. There are many people into the business of selling live fishes and so getting some won't be really a hard job.