TIPS ON INLAND FISH FARMING

Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) has taken steps to provide intervention through the promotion of inland fish farming enterprises by providing technical advice and quality fingerlings to farmers at affordable prices. Farmers can access these services from our strategically located technological transfer centers at Kibos, Yala, Chwele, Lunyu and Borabu.

The support services for inland fish farming offered by LBDA include:

• Outreach and Technology Transfer
• Site Assessment for sustainability determination
• Pond design and construction
• Provision of quality fingerlings at subsidized rates
• Training of organized farmers group
• Training on marketing produce.

Essentials for fish farming 

In order to start an inland fish farming enterprise, the following requirements must be met;

• Availability of good quality water.
• Soil with good water retention capability e.g clay, loamy (Earthen Pond).
• Capital for enterprise.
• Competent personnel.
• Market for produce.

Quality water

The following water quality parameters are very critical for inland fish farming.

Table 1: Optimum water quality parameter ranges for in land fish farming.

Fish is usually fed based on the body weight and age. Feeding frequency should be at least thrice a day  with the young fish being fed on high protein feeds (starter feed) which reduces with age.

Every earthen pond has to be productive. For this to be achieved, the pond water must be limited to correct the PH and fertilized to enhance primary productivity. The two commonly used fertilizers are DAP at a rate of 2g/m2 and UREA at a rate of 3g/m2. Agricultural lime is applied at a rate of 2000kg/ha.

Enterprise budget

In order to culture 1000 pcs of fish to attain table size after six months, the following (table 2) are required where the rearing unit is available. It’s worth noting that the more you grow, the higher the profit surplus.

Table 2: Expenditure- revenue analysis for culturing 1,000 pcs of fish (300m2 pond).