Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture. Fish farming involves raising
fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food.The most common fish
species raised by fish farms are salmon, carp, tilapia, European seabass, catfish
and cod.
HOW TO START A FISH FARM
Using inexpensive and readily available materials such as an aboveground swimming
pool you can get fresh fish from your back yard. By raising your own fish, you
can achieve a higher level of self-sufficiency and provide a healthier diet for
your family,
FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES
1 Create a business plan and a marketing strategy and map out financial resources.
This will allow you to determine your start-up needs and outline the vision you
want to reach.
2. Choose a business structure, obtain a business license, and register with the
appropriate local, state and federal agencies.
3. Decide on the type of fish and whether you want more than one type of fish. This
will determine how everything is set up around the farm.
4. Build a fish home. Depending on the type of fish you choose, you will need to
build a habitat that works effectively for them. For example, if you have fresh-
water fish that need warmer waters, you will need to make sure you have lakes and
ponds for the fish as well as a way to maintain the water temperature. Many
times, fish farms will filter in water from one main pump that keeps the
temperature at a certain level and keeps everything clean. In relation to this,
make sure that you have enough land to give your fish space to swim.
5. Build a fish system and establish a breeding pond in one area and another area
where you'll keep fish you don't want to breed. In each of these places, make
sure there is a system to keep the water clean, keep the fish fed and pump the
water in and out of the system.
6. Find the market. You will want to find small stores that want fresh fish, as well
as larger stores you can easily ship to. Make sure you know whether you will ship
them live and find the correct tools to get them to the market.
TYPES OF FISH FARMING/AQUACULTURE.
Here are the four aquaculture systems BY SOME SPECIALIST:
Cage Culture.
This aquaculture method provides the simplest means of growing fish
if you have access to a pond, Van Gorder says. He estimates a cage system could
be built for about $100. The only cost is for cage materials, fish and feed.
In this system, a cage or pen made of plastic pipe and rigid netting is moored in
any suitable body of water a pond, lake, stream or millrace and stocked with
fingerlings that are fed until they reach a harvestable size.If you have a farm pond, building a floating cage will provide enough fish to
feed your family year-round and makes a nice sale, Van Gorder says. Channel
catfish is the most common fish grown in cages; tilapia, trout, salmon and hybrid
striped bass are other options.
Irrigation ditch or pond systems;
These use irrigation ditches or farm ponds to raise fish. The basic requirement
is to have a ditch or pond that retains water, possibly with an above-ground
irrigation system (many irrigation systems use buried pipes with headers.) Using
this method, one can store one's water allotment in ponds or ditches, usually
lined with bentonite clay. In small systems the fish are often fed commercial
fish food, and their waste products can help fertilize the fields. In larger
ponds, the pond grows water plants and algae as fish food.remember, control of
water quantity is crucial.
Composite fish culture;
The Composite fish culture system is a technology developed in India by the
Indian Council of Agricultural Research in the 1970s. In this system both local
and imported fish species, a combination of five or six fish species is used in a
single fish pond. These species are selected so that they do not compete for food
among them having different types of food habitats.[3][4] As a result the food
available in all the parts of the pond is used.remember not all fishes are used
in this system. Fish used in this system include catla and silver carp which are
surface feeders, rohu a column feeder and mrigal and common carp which are
bottom feeders. Other fish will also feed on the excreta of the common carp and
this helps contribute to the efficiency of the system which in optimal conditions
will produce 3000-6000 kg of fish per hectare per year.
Extensive aquaculture;
Limiting for growth here is the available food supply by natural sources,
commonly zooplankton feeding on pelagic algae or benthic animals, such as
crustaceans and mollusks. Tilapia species filter feed directly on phytoplankton,
which makes higher production possible.
HOW TO FEED FISHES IN A POND.
The food that you feed farm pond fish is dried fish food pellets which you can
pick up at your local garden or farm supply store.Without fish, the algae in a
pond would grow and take over the pond, making the water smelly and the
pond.nevertheless they do need to be fed supplemental food to keep them healthy
and growing.
STEPS
1
Choose one spot on your pond with water that is at least 3 feet deep to throw the
fish food out.
2
Place the metal pipe in the water. Tap the side of it with the hammer to create
noise for 5 seconds.
3
Remove the pipe from the water and set the hammer and pipe down.
4
Open the bag of fish food and scoop up a cup full of fish food using your cup.
5
Toss the fish food from your cup into your pond.
6
Throw another cup full of food into your pond.
7
Toss two cup fulls of food into your pond once a day from the same spot you first
threw the fish food out.
8
After one week, toss 2 cup fulls of food every 5 minutes for 15 minutes once a
day.
Tips & Warnings
* The purpose of hitting the pipe is to inform the fish it is feeding time and to
come over and eat.
* The fish food is a food supplement for your pan fish, catfish and carp. These
fish will also feed on algae, baby fish and bugs that are already in your pond.
* Do not feed your fish during the cold season when the water temperature is
below 65 degrees F as the fish are less active and not feeding as much.
CATFISH IS A GOOD CHOICE.
BENEFITS OF FISH FARMING
FOR SUPPLY AND DEMAND;
Fish farming allows for large supplies of fish to be farmed according to demand.
Catching fish from the wild may not yield enough product to meet consumer demand
and simultaneously keep the natural ecosystem in balance. The Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that by 2030, about 40
million tons of seafood will be necessary to keep up with demand. The ocean's
ability to produce enough fish has diminished over the years, leaving aquaculture
as the only method to keep up with this increasing demand.
#PRESERVING NATURAL ECOSYSTEM
Fish farming does not require the extensive capture of wild fish. They can be
raised in tanks until they're ready to be sold on the market without having to
strip oceans of entire schools of fish, allowing for better preservation of
marine ecosystems.
#HEATHY BENEFITS
Many farm-raised fish are more nutritious than their wild brethren. On farms,
fish are often fed a variety of protein- and nutrient-rich foods and pellets that
make them far healthier than wild fish, which may have been exposed to dangerous
chemicals or pesticides.
#JOB PRODUCING
Since more than 1 billion people rely on fish as their primary source of
protein, most of them located in developing countries, farming is often an
attractive practice to them, as it supplies food and jobs. In fact, global fish
exportation now earns more money per year than any other food commodity, meaning
TRY THIS BECAUSE IT WORKS.there is money to be made and job positions to fill.
