FISH FARMING

Pond stocking

Go for most available and desirable fish species

Go for fish which will not cost the farmer much but prefered most by customers

Fish that is easy to culture.

Avoid hypophysiology fishes easily fed, bred and adapted

Consider fish density to avoid overstocking in terms of space, BoD, feeding problems

Average stocking rate varies between 5 to 10 fingerlings for every 5m2. Fertilized ponds for every 100m2 of

pond should hold 200 fish

Fish transportation

Certain chemicals may be used to inactivate fish but not desirable

Transport them very early hours of morning eg 5.00am brain still in sleep

It is advisable to lower the drum in the pond till temperature balance at the destination

Never pour fish into the pond since they can be shocked due to sudden change in temperature.

Nb tubs can also be used

2. Polythene method

Make a wooden crate and subdivide it Enclose

water in bag leaving space for oxygen Dip the

bags in the crates

Crates prevents turbidity of water.

The growth of fish is directly related to the amount of food in the pond.

Fish do not need the same kind of food.

Different species eat different types of food, and fish eat different foods depending on the stage of their life.

Newly hatched fry eat from their yolk sac. The

fry then eat the smallest phytoplankton.

The farmer must know what his fish will accept before he puts the fish into the pond.

Supplementary foods are better at encouraging growth.

Always feed the fish at same time in the same pond at regular intervals during the day.

Feed the fish from the shallow end of the pond where one can see them eat and determine how much more

to feed

Do not overfeed. Excess food will decay in the pond.

Feed only 6 days each week.

Ensure that pond is well fertilized, so that it produces its own food.

Provide compound feeds in form of pellets for easy collection by fish in water, also to reduce

disappearance of feed. Pellets- proteins prepared in proper levels in factories.

Summary on fish feeding: “Four Fixes:”

feeding platform.

Harvesting and post- harvesting handling

Harvesting is the collection of fish from a pond for sale at the market or for cooking and preservation for

family use. To have efficient harvesting, you have to learn their feeding habits. Always active when feeding

during sun-rise and sun set or at night since they are attracted to light hence use light. Take care not to

injure the organisms.

Equipments used in harvesting.

• Gill nets.

• Seine nets.

• Hooks and line-time consuming.

2. Active gears –examples, seine nets, perse nets, trolley lines, angle lines trawl nets. They are

activated to catch fish.

Electric fishing- fish are immobilized using electric currents move from Anode (+) to Cathode (-), hence

fish will get attracted to the anode pole.

Graft – are vessels from which gears are operated from. E.g.sesse boats, dugout canoes, ships.

Harvesting/Capturing methods

to draw out of water.

In culture system, fish are put in sorting trays. The fish are separated in this manner:

Diseased and injured fish.

Small and big healthy fish.

Fingerlings to be put in a separate pond.

This is because different categories of fish attract different prices.

Preservation methods.

1. Sun- drying – open the fish and dry it to have the environment not favouring micro-organisms’

growth. It’s efficient on small size fish.

2. Smoking- cut open and smoke them on a wire mesh over a drum on flame of fire. This put a

smoke coating that prevent micro-organism’s growth.

3. Salting- cut into smaller portion and apply salt that has dehydrating effect and prevent bacteria

entering into the fish.

4. Brine- a saturated salt solution, the fish are dipped into.

5. Chilling –cold rooms and ice are used.

6. Canning – fish is first mixed with spices, cooked and then preserved in cans.

50 kg, for example in semi-intensive settings, arrangements can be made with a buyer.

Harvesting should be done regularly to satisfy the customer’s needs, even if the amount they buy monthly

or weekly is very little. This is called a “niche market,” i.e., a market where the seller is assured of a small

but regular outlet for their produce.

You may also sell fish to restaurants or institutions such as schools or hospitals. It is advisable that small-

scale producers form marketing groups, which will assure them a regular market.

Marketing studies

Before beginning a fish farming enterprise, a farmer should conduct a market study to help determine:

• The type and size of fish preferred by consumers (fingerlings, whole-fish, fillets, etc.)

• The quantity of fish required by the market.

signal back to the farmer telling them “produce more because I am ready to buy your product.”

• If the consumer stops buying, the trader will also slow down on purchase of your fish. If this

happens, they could be passing on information about the price of your product, the form of your

product (fresh, frozen, or otherwise), or the quality of your product.

• A marketing system enticing consumers or traders to buy more fish from you is best.

What do consumers want?

• A marketing system that provides high-quality fish on demand at the lowest cost.

• Efficiency in the delivery of services.

• Reliability or assurance that the product will be there when needed.

Some basic marketing principles

• The efficient transfer of fish and fish products from the fish farmer to the consumer is vital in any fish

marketing system.

• Fish is a perishable commodity and must be transported to the market quickly to avoid spoilage. If the

market is not readily accessible, the product should be processed promptly before it loses quality.

NB. Transportation and storage costs, which are directly related to physical handling of fish products,

must be considered.

NB. Storage of perishable commodities such as fish is more expensive than storage of

nonperishables because of the cost of refrigeration.

• When fish are ready for sale, harvest and send them to the market immediately.

• You can increase the value of your product by doing some basic processing, either of the whole fish or

of parts of the fish. Some possibilities include:

• Deep fry the whole fish, starting with the smaller fish. This willprolong the shelf life of

relatively lower prices than to store them for sale the next day.

NB. Fish held for too long may spoil, becoming smelly or even unsafe, discouraging potential customers,

and giving you a bad reputation. It will be difficult to overcome any negative perceptions that consumers

develop about farmed fish, and all farmers in a given market area may suffer.

• You should keep track of current consumer preferences and market prices for your product.

• It is often useful for farmers to organize themselves into cooperatives or use marketing agents;

cooperatives have better bargaining power than solo operators.

• A useful rule of thumb is that fresh farmed fish whose source is known and whose quality is assured

will fetch better prices and will out compete wild caught fish in Kenya

Fish are forced to breed

1. Artificial fertilization method

Wet method and dry method

Normally uses a technique known as stripping

Fish are stripped to get eggs and milts

Wet method

Water is put in a bow/ basin

Then take male and fimale fish and simultenously strip them and both gametes will meet in water

Stir the water to create a chance of fertilization

Normally it is advisable for fish with sticky eggs for easier fertilization.

Dry method

Female fish is tripped of eggs to a dry bowl

Realized by Brazilian in 1934

Mainly used for cyprinidssppeg carps

Scalp removal method

The upper part is then removed to expose the brain, use cotton to clean, grey matter and fatty tissues

Brain is normally at front part by olfactory nerves and optic nerves

Clear both nerves

Use bone cutter to remove excess cervical bones and condyles, foramen magnum hole will be seen

Use forceps to detach the brain anteriorally from the optic and olfactory nerves Pull

Absolute alcohol

Put in the vial

Alcohol has to be changed atleast once in 24 hours

Alcohol dehydrogenase defattens it, should be put in vial and air tight Dessicator

with anhydrous calcium chloride can be used to absorb any moisture Weigh within

Pituitary extract are usually prepared before injection

the weight of breeders to acertain to amount of glands to prepare

Use of tissue homogenizer

3mg should be dissolved in 0.1ml of gland

Pituitary extracts dosage

Beware not to give lower or excess dosage.

Should be administred on body weight basis 2-3mg/0.1ml/kg bwt

Ensure that a favourable environment for administering the extract exists

Ovaries are reffrered to as hand roe with rough texture while testes are called soft roe with soft texture

places where breeding is possible.

Government fish farms

Select more males than females so that when a female is ready to spawn at least there is aready male