Fish farming for beginners

Farmers inspect a cage fish farm on Lake Victoria. FILE PHOTO

What do I need to start a fish farming business? Aisha Mbabazi

Dear Aisha
Dear Mbabazi, to start a fish farm, you need extensive knowledge about the process of this business and in particular, the species you are going to farm, not forgetting its market potential.
Starting a profitable commercial fish farming business needs substantial investment in land which has good quality surface or ground water, machinery and equipment and running costs like fish seed, feeds and labour.

You can, however, start fish farming as a hobby where you have a small pond or tank in the backyard and are keeping a few fish which you feed as and when you have the time and manage loosely.
Fish can stay without feeds for about two weeks and you will never notice. So it is your responsibility to work out a management programme where you ensure your fish is fed to satisfaction if you want it to grow to the expected size in time.

However, the initial capital will depend on the type of fish farming you want to undertake. Currently you can farm fish using the following methods:
Pond fish farming; a well-known method of digging a pond in a wetland where ground water can come in the dug pond and then you put fish. Cage fish farming; you need to have access to a large water body in which you put the cages.

Tank fish farming; this is a fairly recent technology of aquaculture which can be done in the backyard. However, you have the responsibility of making sure the water is suitable for the cause.
In this case, you need to contact an expert to asses your facility and recommend the suitable type of fish to keep.
It is not advisable to invest money until you have done a fair study of the business, else you will lose all the money invested.
Answered by Charles Mulamata, chairperson, Africa Aquaponics