How To Start Fish Farming Business In Nigeria

 Fish farming or pisciculture involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures such as fish ponds, usually for food. It is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. A facility that releases juvenile fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species’ natural numbers is generally referred to as a fish hatchery. Worldwide, the most important fish species produced in fish farming are carp, tilapia, salmon, and catfish.

Fish farming is your go-to agricultural business. All you need is a professional to help you set up a fish farm in your preferred location. After the set-up, it only needs little maintenance to keeping it up and running. So, even if you have a full-time job, you can successfully combine it with your fish farming business. In addition, the maintenance cost for a fish farming project is low compared to other Agricultural projects.

Types Of Fish Farming (Fish Species)

There are varieties of fishes that exist, but only a few of these fishes can be breed. There are three major fish species that farmers breed on fish farming.

1. Catfish Farming 

Catfish is not the most popular fish in Nigeria, this fish species is by far the most cultivated in Nigeria. Fish Farmers bank on this species of because of it, one major attractive part of this species of fishes that it is one of the easiest species to breed. So, People willingly move to this direction because of the natural ease they found in cultivating the cast fish, fish farming system.

2. Tilapia Fish Farming

Tilapia Fish is the second most popular fish in the Nigeria aquaculture industry. Tilapia fish species live in fresh shallow water.  It produces very rapidly and grows fast, also, it easy to cultivates and is very popular in the Nigerian market. The world aquaculture production of Tilapia Fish farming is 4.2million tonnes with an estimated value of about 3 to $ 3.5billion.

 3. Mackerel Fish Farming (Titus)

This is the most popular eaten fish by Nigeria and most demanded in the market but so sad it’s not farmed. Mackerel is the species of fish popularly known as Titus, All Mackerel fishes are ‘wild caught.’ How can these blue sea water fish survive? Some farmers in Nigeria are considering the possibilities of trying to create salty water similar to the seawater where mackerel can only survive.

Forms Of Fish  Farming

Fish  farming has two forms and they includes: Nursery Fish farming and Grown Out Fish Farming. These two can be operated separately or together.

 1. The Nursery Catfish Farming:

This involves the inducement of the female fish to lay eggs, which are then fertilized, incubated and hatched. Those little fishes are regarded as fries.

The fries are then nurtured into fingerlings in a space of three to four weeks. The fingerlings is the suitable size for use in the Grown Out catfish farming.

2. The Grown out Catfish Farming:

This is dependent on the nursery fish farming because it is impossible to grow fish without the nursery. In between the nursery and grow out operation is what we referred to as the primary operation.

It involves the nurturing of the three or four weeks within which they could grow into post fingerlings, mini juveniles and juveniles respectively.

These can then be nurtured for between four to five month into grow out or table size fish suitable for sale and consumption.

How To Start Fish Farming Business In Nigeria

Fish farming does not contribute negatively to the environment. It is a safe agricultural project you can venture into regardless of your location. As long as you maintain safe water disposal practices, fish production is usually accompanied by little or no pollution. Above all, you do not need to imbibe the use of chemicals in fish farming. It is safe for man, animals, and the environment. Here  is step by step to starting  fish farming business in Nigeria:

1. Get Proper Fish Farming Training

Fish farming training offers a foundational understanding of fish farming. Covering aquaculture systems, feeding and nutrition, disease, and the economic aspect of fish farming, it emphasizes sustainability, environmental responsibility, and regulatory compliance, ensuring a concise, holistic approach. The training equips individuals, from beginners to those seeking advanced knowledge, with the tools for successful and responsible fish farming.

Not the kind of training you get from one day seminars; you need to get attached to a fish farm for proper apprenticeship. For you to properly learn this trade, you need to at least get proper training in fish farming business in Nigeria. The table below show the kind of training and duration you need to become a successful fish farming business owner in Nigeria:

2. Secure a Land

This is the second step in starting this business. You need to acquire at least half plot of land in a suitable location.

The whole future success of your fish farming training depends on the selection of a good location for your fish farm. The layout and the management of your farm will largely be influenced by the kind of land you select. The land therefore will strongly affect the cost of construction, the ease with which the ponds can be managed, the amount of fish produced and, in general, the economics of your fish farming business.

Although, any location is good since fish doesn’t cause any environmental disturbance. Look for land where you can get it cheap and buy. Depending on the capacity you wants to operate on, half plot of land is just good enough for average fish farm.

However, you may go for something bigger like full plot or two if you can afford it probably for convenience sake. If you already have a compound with leftover space you thing can accommodate two or three ponds, you may use it.

When choosing the location, you need to put into consideration access to good road, closeness to market and labor. Once you acquire the land, you need to apportion spaces for the following:

•  The ponds
• The farm house
• Water supply
•  Drainage facility

3. Map Out a Plan

You need to determine whether you want to go into small or big scale commercial catfish farming. Also determine the pond system to adopt; Re-circulatory system, Earthen pond or Concrete/plastic pond or both. Once the pond has been dug and the farm area has been developed, your money can’t be refund. Hence, you need to extensively evaluate before you invest your money.

Your map out a plan will help you know all you need to start your fish farming. It will help you know if:

• You will need a piece of land where you can build a pond, or suitable water areas to build pens or keep cages;
• You will need a supply of water,
• Baby fish to begin and food for your fish.
• You will need time to build a pond and to care for it regularly.
• Pens and cages can also be used for raising fish from the time they are babies until they are big enough to eat or to sell.
• If you have a stream, river, lake or reservoir nearby, you may want to build a pen or a cage and raise fish there.
• If you already have a fish pond, you may want to put in a cage so that you can raise more fish than you could in the pond alone.
• If there is a fish culture station near where you live, you may be able to get help from an extension agent.
• If there is no extension agent you will need to learn many things by yourself.
• You will need to know the type of soil best for your pond,
• You will need to know what kind of fish to raise,

4. Construct Ponds

You need to engage the service of expert pond construction engineer or you go to another fish farm to get the specification and construction requirements. The plumbing work must be properly done to ensure proper drainage.

You need to also determine how large should your fish pond be? It is good to start with a pond greater than 300 square meters. Such a pond will produce enough fish for food. It will also produce fish for sales and additional cash income. For example, if you build a pond 20 by 20 meters, the pond will measure 400 square meters. A square or rectangular pond is easiest to build, but your pond can have a different shape to fit the size and shape of your land.

How to Build a Good Fish Pond

• First mark out a big square on the site you have chosen, about 26 by 26 metres. Mark the corners with pegs and run a string between the pegs to show where the outside of the banks will be.
• Clear the big square of all trees, bushes and grass and take away as many big roots as you can.
• Now mark out a smaller square inside the big square, about 20 by 20 metres. Mark the corners with pegs and run a string between the pegs to show where the inside of the banks will be.
• Take away about 20 centimetres of topsoil from all over the square. Put the topsoil aside. Later you will put it back on the top and outer sides of the banks.
• The bottom of the bank in the shallow part of your pond and along the sides should be about 1 metre from the upper end and sides of the small square.
• The bottom of the bank in the deepest part of your pond should be about 2 metres from the lower end of the small square.
• Now mark out a third smaller area in the centre of your pond, about 17 by 18 metres. We will call this the central area. Mark the corners with pegs and run a string between the pegs to show where the bottom of the banks will be.
• Be sure that all the pegs and strings marking the 26 by 26 metre square, the 20 by 20 metre square and the central area are set up as shown in the drawings.
• Now you are ready to begin digging out soil from inside the central area to build the banks of your pond.
• Ask your neighbors to help you dig your big pond. Then you can help them dig their ponds in turn.
• Shared work is lighter work. When we work together with our neighbors, the work is easier and faster.
• Begin digging inside the central square at the upper end of your pond. Dig about 20 centimeters deep. As you dig towards the lower end, dig a little deeper. When you get to the deepest part, at the 2-metre string marking the central area, you should be digging about 30 centimeters deep.
• As you dig out the soil, put it between the lines marking the 20 by 20 metre square and the 26 by 26 metre square, where the banks will be. Put it nearest to where you are digging. This way, the banks will be higher and wider as you move toward the lower end.

5. Dig a Borehole

Adequate water supply is the lifeblood of fish farm and lack of it may result to disaster because water need to be changed on regular interval.

Naturally available sources of water such as borehole and river water is the most suitable. Rain water and tap water from chemically treated source is not recommended for fish cultivation.

6. Install Overhead Tank

This is the water reservoir from which water is supplied to your ponds. This tank has to be connected to your ponds through plumbing system to make it convenient for water to flow into your ponds when needed.

7. Get Juvenile Fish

Get your juvenile from another farm that specializes in supplying it. You need to go for the high yield specie of catfish or tilapia and make sure you are getting it from a healthy farm.

Benefits of Fish Farming Business In Nigeria

There are several benefits of fish farming business in Nigeria; one of the most vital ones is the ability to meet the Africa growing seafood demands while reducing pressure on wild fish populations.

• Environment-friendly: Controlled environments reduce overfishing, helping preserve natural aquatic ecosystems.
• Food Security: Provides a steady source of protein, contributing to global food security.
• Economic Benefits: Creates jobs and supports local economies, particularly in rural areas.
• Efficiency: High control over production environments leads to efficient use of resources and higher yields.

The growth rate in fish is fast and efficient. You can buy growth enhancement feeds and supplements for your fish to accelerate their growth rate, just like other animals raised for money. It will help you harvest and sell mature fish in a very short time.  If you maintain good fish management practices and feed your fish with growth-enhancing feeds and supplements, you will start to earn revenue within six months. Other key benefits include:

 1. High Demand Of Fish

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.

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. Fast Maturity Rate 

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.

4. Fish Is a Source Of 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.

5. 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.

Challenges of Fish Farming Business In Nigeria

Despite the significant roles of fish farming business in Nigeria, fisheries subsector is faced with huge challenges, such as: decreasing yield, high cost of getting farm space, Insecurity among others, thereby limiting its production potentials.

1. 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.

2. High cost of getting farm space

Getting access to farmland has been a major challenge for most farmers, some of the farmland a far from the market thereby making the sales process difficult. The high cost of getting farm space closer to the cities, these have discouraged most farmers that want to run a large-scale production. For a large capacity production, a bigger farm space is required which will give room for expansion. To mitigate these, farmers should learn to utilize their space properly. A good farm design can help manage the space available.

3. Insecurity

The high rate of theft of farm produces and equipment has left many farmers stranded. Also issues like kidnapping, army robbers and banditry has risen over time thereby making some of the farms inaccessible. With a proper security system in place, it could help curb some of these issues. Most farms employ the services of security personnel and the use of CCTV cameras can also serve to mitigate security challenges.

4. 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.

5. Bad Road Network

Most farms are cited in rural areas due to the lack of available farm space on the urban axis and this area has poor road networks, which pose a great challenge in catfish farming, so making it very difficult to access. Movement of materials to the farm will also be hindered.

6. High Cost of Feed

A major issue in catfish farming is the feed price, especially catfish feed for fish fries to juveniles which is mostly imported, and due to government policies and fluctuating exchange rates, the price keeps increasing daily. Another major challenge the catfish feed is the quality. Since the cost to feed materials has increased, some of the manufacturers reduce the quality of the ingredients used. Most farmers are now going into feed production to reduce the cost of buying feed and also be sure of the quality of feed they are using.

7. 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.