THE ULTIMATE CATFISH FARMING BUSINESS GUIDE

KNOW YOUR STEPS, YOUR PLAN AND YOUR PROFIT

By Charles O. Osuigwe

BONUS:
My Complete Feasibility Study On How To Earn a Monthly Income of One Million Naira
Catfish Farming

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THE ULTIMATE CATFISH FARMING BUSINESS GUIDE

KNOW YOUR STEPS, YOUR PLAN AND YOUR PROFIT

By Charles O. Osuigwe
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THE ULTIMATE CATFISH FARMING BUSINESS GUIDE © 2019 by:

CHARLES O. OSUIGWE

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be used without the written permission of the
publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts in magazines, articles, reviews, cartoons, etc.

For further information

RIGOR MORTIS VENTURES

+2347035630272
www.agriculturalbusinessmanagers.wordpress.com
rigormortisventures@gmail.com

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Contents
1 ​Introduction
2 ​Fish Farming Systems
3 ​Fish Farming Business
4 ​Planning Catfish Farm Startup
5 ​Planning Methods for Catfish Farm Setup
6 ​The Planning Document
7 ​Conclusion
8 ​Appendix

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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
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This book will show you how to start a Profitable Catfish Farm.
This book will give you an idea of the profitability of this business and takes you through the
process of starting a Fish Farm.

From the information contained in this book, you would be able to adequately plan the setup of
a Fish Farm depending on your capital and land space.

What is Fish Farming?

Fish Farming is the main form of aquaculture, with the other methods coming under marine
culture. Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms including Fish, Mollusc, Crustaceans
and Aquatic Plants.
Fish Farming involves raising fish commercially especially for food, in a controlled environment,
with intervention through regular supply of food, proper stocking densities, protection from
predators and theft.

Why Fish Farming

Fish Farming is the fastest growing Animal Husbandry in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

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Catfish and Tilapia are the most cultured species in most African countries due to their rugged
nature and their ability to adapt in different varying water qualities.

With an increasing human population there is going to be an increase in demand for food fish.
While the natural water bodies like streams, rivers, and lakes are being exploited beyond their
maximum sustainable yields.
Catching fish in the wild entails removal of fish from the water without replacement and this
causes massive shortages in supply.
This problem therefore needs an urgent solution which is Fish Farming.

The demand for fish in Nigeria is 2.66 million metric tonnes while only 1.4 million metric tonnes
is available and
the country imports 700,000 metric tonnes (FDF 2007).

This shows that there is a shortfall of 1.26 million metric tonnes, not counting the 1.4 million
metric tonnes imported.

This proves that the market for food fish is still in it's growth stages, making it the right time to
invest.

46 percent of the total fish production in the world is from Fish Farming, while the remaining
54.3 percent came from captured fish.

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CHAPTER TWO
FISH FARMING SYSTEMS
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There are many different kinds of systems used in the rearing of Catfish, but we will concern
ourselves with those directly affect our localized methods of Catfish Farming.
These different systems have their optimal stocking density and depending on the literature or
Farmer consulted, the stocking density will vary.
It is safer for new Catfish Farmers to stock at very low densities to effectively manage water
quality and avoid mortality.

Some Systems Used In Catfish Farming

Includes;
- Recycling System (Completely Closed System)
- Flow Through / Raceway System (Semi-closed System)
- Floating Cage System / (Open System)
- Earthen Pond/ Dug-Out System)

Recirculatory System (Completely Closed System)

This is an intensive, sophisticated, high cost and high density system of fish production. The
system uses less water for fish production by filtering and reusing the water available without
much additional water from water source.
The high cost of production is compensated with a high volume of fish production.
The stocking density of Recirculatory System is 150 - 300 Fish per cubic meter.

The Flow Through/Raceway System (​Semi-closed System)

Running water is let into the fish pond to maintain acceptable water quality.
This is the most common type of fish farming system in Africa and Nigeria in particular.
Fresh water is let in while the degraded water below is drained out to maintain acceptable water
quality.
A more refined method now is to allow the water to stay some days till completely degraded and
then the water is flushed out and fresh water is then added.
The stocking density for this system is 50 - 100 Fish per cubic meter.

The Pond System

This is the system of rearing fish in semi natural environment like earthen pond where the pond
is dug out of the ground and filled with water from a water source.
There is no need to remove the water jor add fresh water once the pond is stocked except when
necessary to replace evaporated water or water lost through sipage.
To increase the natural food availability of the pond, it is important to fertilize the pond with
animal waste.
The stocking density of this pond system is usually low at 20 - 100 fish per meter cubic, due to
lack of water change.

Floating Cage System (Open System)

This is the rearing of fish in already existing large bodies of water like lakes, rivers and streams
using cages, nets with sticks, floating badges etc, with some water enclosure.

This system removes most water quality associated expenses and fish is stocked at 150 to 300
pieces per cubic Meter.

Chapter Three
The Business of Fish Farming

The business of fish farming is divided into 3 broad categories. They are;
1. Fingerlings Production
2. Food Fish Production
3. Fish Feed Production
A farmer may decide to go into the three categories of fish farming business producing for his
farm use and selling the excess to other farmers or he may decide to concentrate only on one
aspect.
This book is mainly focused on the Food Fish Production, but will briefly mention the others as
we go along.

The Business of Fingerlings Production

Fingerlings production as the name implies are tiny finger-like fish which grows into the juvenile
stage and is bought and stocked by the farmers for food fish production.
Fingerlings are produced from the eggs of mature female catfish which is injected with
hormones and stripped by pressing the eggs out and mixing it together with sperm from the
male and spraying it on top of the hatchery incubators to hatch out the tiny fries which grows to
fingerlings in three to four weeks time.
This book is not for teaching the process of hatching and breeding fingerlings.

The Business of Fish Feed Production

Fish feed is the most expensive item in fish farming business and the ability of a farmer to
manage it will go a long way to determine his success or otherwise in food fish production.
Fish requires specific nutrients in their Feed for maximum performance and the mixing of
various available local feed ingredients is what is known as feed fish production.
Fish feed could be sinking or floating depending on the method and machine used in producing
the feed.
A lot of various types of produced fish feed are in the market now.
This book is not focused on how to produce fish feed.

The Business of Food Fish Production

Food fish production is the system of raising fish from fingerlings to table size.
It involves the stocking of fingerlings, feeding it, managing it, until they are ready for sale when
they grow to edible sizes called table size.

Chapter Four
Planning Catfish Farm Startup

This place deals with the kind of facilities that need to be in place before the startup of a catfish
business. The difference is on the goal of the farmer, his finances and the farm location.
We are going to be educating the farmers on what needs to be in place before the
commencement of the fish farm business.
We will do this by asking some questions and through answering those questions the farmer will
be able to know how to solve his peculiar problems.

The questions to answer when planning a catfish farm are;

1. Land and structures
- Is the land rented or bought?
- Is the structures going to be temporary or permanent structures?
- Is there accommodation for staff and / or security?
- Is there a store for feeds and other materials?
- Are the structures properly build to avoid collapse when business commences?
- Is the structures properly placed to ensure free flow of people and goods?
2. Water
- Do you have access to a reliable source of water supply?
- Is the water of good quality?
- Do you have access to a good drainage system for wastewater?
3. Location
- Is the location secured and are the fish protected from predators and pilfering?
- Are you in close proximity to market?
- Is there access to already prepared fish feed or raw materials for feed production?
4. Feed
- Is the cash readily available to feed the number of fish you decide to stock, not hoping
for cash to come, but readily available?
- Are you producing your own feed, purchasing readily available feeds or having a mix of
the two?
5. Staff
- Would the business be run by you directly?
- If staff are to be employed, how trustworthy are they?
- What checks are in place to avoid pilfering?
6. Sales
- Who is your intended market?
- Do you plan on further processing the fish or selling live?
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LAND AND STRUCTURES

To answer these questions above and know what structures need to be in place, you first need
to understand the different catfish farming systems, pond types and other structures needed on
the farm.
The knowledge of these would assist the farmer in making constructive decisions on what would
suit his particular need.
When planning the setup of a catfish farm, these structures need to be in place before the
actual farming operation commences.
The structures on the farm comprise the following:
- Storage
- Accommodation
- Ponds
- Office space (if necessary)
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Storage:
This is the place where feed and other farming materials would be kept. It is essential for both
small and large farms, as feed not properly stored would cause spoilage.

Accomodation:
The living quarters of the staff need to be built on the farm premises. At the very least, a worker
should reside on the farm to avoid any unforeseen circumstances that might happen whilst they
are around.
For smaller farms, the staff could double as security on the farm, but for larger farms,
accommodation for security personnel should also be provided.

Ponds:
The ponds needed for fish farming vary depending on the finance, location, type of fish cultured
etc. In Africa, there are various types of ponds being used to culture catfish.
We would look at their advantages and disadvantages.
Some of these ponds are;