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CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
Fish Production (Aquaculture) Management II. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
in Nigeria III. WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT
By IV. HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION PRACTICES

Dr. Umar rilwanU V. FISH FEEDS AND FEEDING

Associate Professor
(Principal Fisheries Extension Specialist)
VI. FISH HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND BIO-SECURITY
VII. HARVESTING AND GRADING FISH PRODUCTS
E-mail: aquafingers@gmail.com
VIII. PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION OF FISH PRODUCTS

NAERLS,ABU ZARIA. IX. MARKETING OF AQUACULTURE PRODUCTS

March to April 2024 X. CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION
Definitions and Explanations
INTRODUCTION
• Fish culture involves the controlled cultivation and
harvesting of fish for either family consumption or
sales in the market.
• A fishpond is an enclosure (earthen or concrete) built
to retain water for the purpose of growing fish.
Growing fish in ponds allows feeding, breeding,
growing and harvesting of the fish in a well-planned
way.
• A wide range of practices exists in culturing fish. Fish
can be cultured in marine water (seawater), brackish • Plate 1b: Tilapia
water (mixture of sea and freshwater i.e. lagoons) or • Plate 1a: African Catfish Oreochromis niloticus
freshwater (rivers, streams and lakes in the inland). The Clarias gariepinus
African Catfish and Tilapia are the most cultured fish
species in Nigeria (Plate 1a and 1b).

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INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION
Fish Culture Systems Integrated Culture
When species combinations are taken into consideration,
culture systems can be of different types.
• Monoculture is the rearing only one type of fish in a pond
e.g. Catfish
• Polyculture is the rearing of two or more species of fish
together in the same pond e.g. Catfish and Tilapia
• Integrated culture is the rearing of fish with either plants or
animals within the same culture environment e.g. rice-fish,
cattle-fish or poultry-fish (Plates 2 and 3). Tilapia and
Catfish are suitable for culture with poultry or rice.
• Plate 2: Poultry - cum- Fish • Plate 3: Fish-cum-
• Each of these systems are practiced in Nigeria Rice

INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION Levels of Management Practices
Depending on level of management practices, aquaculture systems
Other Fish Farming Systems are classified mainly into three.
• Extensive System: In this system cultured fish are exclusively
• Water-based systems (cages and pens, dependent on natural productivity with little or no
supplementation of feeds. There are no health management
inshore/offshore). schedules or water quality monitoring.
• Land-based systems (rain-fed ponds, irrigated or • Semi-Intensive System: Food supplementation in pond is a
major management practice in this system. Commercially
flow-through systems, tanks). compounded feeds are routinely fed to fish at recommended
rates. Water quality and fish health are occasionally monitored.
• Recycling systems (high control enclosed Fish yield are high in this system.
systems). • Intensive System: In this system, feed supplementation, water
quality monitoring and health management are routine
management practices. Fish yields are higher than in the semi-
intensive system. Culture facilities include earthen ponds,
concrete ponds, plastic tanks and fibre tanks.

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INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION
Criteria for selecting Fish Species for Culture
For a profitable venture, the fish farmer’s ideal candidate Commonly cultured fish species in freshwater ponds
species must have these qualities: - in Nigeria include
*i. Fast grower e.g. Heterobranchus (Red mud Catfish) • Oreochromis niloticus - Tilapia
ii. Accept and utilize properly, supplementary feeds e.g.
Tilapia
• Sarotherodon galilaeus - Tilapia
iii. Must be hardy and resistance to disease, e.g. Clarias • Clarias gariepinus – Mud Catfish
iv. Must be tolerant to poor water quality e.g. Clarias • Cyprinus carpio – Common Carp
v. The fish must be easy to breed in captivity. E.g. Tilapia
• Synodontis filamentosus – Upside down Catfish
vi. It must attract low production cost (Tilapia/Clarias)
vii. Acceptable and marketable to consumers, e.g. Carp, • Heterobranchus bi-dorsalis – Red mud Catfish
Heterotis, Tilapia and Clarias • Heterotis niloticus – Bony tongue

INTRODUCTION PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES

Requirements for Fish Pond Site Selection 1. Drainable and un-drainable Ponds
• Adequate water in quality (free from pollutants) • Pond structure can be drainable, that is, water
and quantity ( always adequate) can be easily drained from inbuilt structure or un-
• Suitable soil with adequate loam (sand: clay of drainable, that is, no inbuilt water draining
40:60 in proportion) structure, but water can be flushed out through
• The water sources: river/stream, spring, well or pumping machine or manual bailing.
borehole. 2. Flow through System
• The land should not be too hilly or too flat. A • Flow-through systems are generally used for the
slightly depressed marshy land is preferred. intensive production of fish. A flow-through
• Adequate Security system may include earthen ponds, tanks or
• Market availability for products raceways. They require considerable quantities of
water to operate

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PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
3. Re-circulating aquaculture system
• Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) have
limited water exchange (typically up to 10% per
day) and re-use of the culture water (Plate:4).
• Mechanical and biological water treatment is
used to maintain water quality. RAS generally
requires less area and water than conventional
aquaculture, allows higher stocking densities and
provides greater control over the culture • Plate 4: Re-circulatory tanks for fish culture
environment.

PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
Fish Culture Facilities
These include
1. Earthen Pond – Plate 5
• Concrete tanks-Plates-6
Plastic Tanks – Plate 7
• Tarpaulin Tanks - 8 • Plate 5: Earthen Pond
• Fibre Tanks
• Pens – Plates9
• Cages – Plate 10
• Plate 8: Mobile rectangular
• Plate 7: Reinforced plastic tank tarpaulin tank

• Plate 6: Concrete Pond

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PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES Production Technologies

Plate 9 b and c: a Liner pond and a concrete pond

• Plate 9: Series of Pens • Plate 10: Floating

Cages

WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT

• Water quality is the most important factor affecting fish • Survival range of fish in tropical water is sustained in
health and performance in aquaculture production temperature range of 8-380C
systems.
• Good water quality refers to what the fish wants and not • Water pH and Acidity: Pond water may be acidic,
what the farmer thinks the fish wants. alkaline or neutral. Depending on this, water will
• Fish are totally dependent on the water they live in for all react in different ways with substances dissolved in
their needs. it.
• Tropical fish species have specific range of water quality • The measure of the alkalinity or acidity of water is
aspects within which they can survive, grow and reproduce expressed by its pH value. The pH value ranges from
(Temperature: 8-380C, pH: 6.5-8.5, dissolved oxygen: 5-
8mg/litre) 0 to 14, with pH 7 indicating that the water is
• It is very important for fish producers to ensure that the neutral.
physical and chemical conditions of the water remain, as • Values smaller than 7 indicate acidity, while those
much as possible, within the optimum range of the fish
under culture all the time. greater than 7 indicate alkalinity.

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HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION

Brood-stock selection Identifying the male and female brood-stock
• Breeders can be collected from the wild or from fish • The male and female of the African catfish can be
easily recognized.
ponds. The capture of wild brood fish is
recommended during breeding season when mature • The male has a distinct sexual papilla, elongated and
located just behind the anus. This sexual papilla is
catfish aggregate in or towards shallow spawning usually red at the tip for sexually ready males.
grounds or dry season when they are relatively
• A gentle press on the belly of the female fish towards
concentrated in their reduced natural habitats the genital opening releases the ripe eggs indicating
especially small pools and streams. the readiness and viability of the female.
• An alternative to capturing brood fish from spawning • A sexually ready female has a swollen, usually
grounds or natural habitats, is the rearing of reddish genital opening. A view from the top also
fingerlings up to breeders in fish ponds. At harvest, gives a female African catfish away since either side
breeders are selected and transferred to the holding of the belly appears swollen (Plate 11).
unit in the hatchery, or to a special brood fish pond.

HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION

• Individual brood fish of weight 0.5–1.0 kg is
preferable. They have a substantial quantity of
mature eggs and are easy to manipulate.
• The size of the male brood stock depends on
the number of males required for each
artificial propagation and the number of
artificial reproductions per year.
• Males need to be dissected for the
• Plate 11: Male and female brood stock procurement of milt.

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HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION

Injection of brood-stock • Withdraw the syringe
• There are different hormones available that can be carefully and gently rub
used to induce ovulation in gravid broodstock the area with finger to
examples are ovatide, ovaprim, Ovulin etc. allow even distribution of
the hormone.
• 0.5ml is usually given per kg of fish.
• The fish is then returned
• Before administering the injection, the head of fish is
to the prepared
covered with a towel to reduce agitation. receptacle where it will
• The injection should be inserted at an angle of 30 to be left for about 10 to 12
45 in the dorsal muscle in the direction of the tail hours before stripping. • Plate 12: Injection of female
(Plate 12).
fish
• The hormone is injected within the fish muscles

HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION

Collection of milt from male
• Milt can be collected by sacrificing the male, this can
be achieved by placing the male fish on its back and
by using a pair of scissors the abdomen is cut open to
expose the testes, and care should be taken not to
damage the testes.
• The intestine should be moved aside to allow ease of
removal of the testes, cleaning of the testes of blood
smear should be done using filter paper; contact with
water should be avoided as this will inactivate the
sperm cells, and the testes should always be removed • Plate 13: Collection of • Plate 14: Stripping of
before stripping of the eggs (Plate 13). milt from male the female

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HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION

Stripping of female Fertilization of eggs
• This is the removal of the ripe eggs from abdomen by
gently pressing several times until a high percentage of the • To the egg mass collected in the plastic bowl the
eggs are removed. sperm cells in the testes is evenly distributed.
• This should be done when the eggs are already running • This is followed immediately by addition of saline
which is usually between 10 to 12 hours depending on the
temperature (Plate 14). solution (0.9%) to enhance motility of the sperm
• The fish is carefully caught from the receptacle; two people cells and fertilization of the eggs.
are required during this operation, and a wet towel is used • Fertilization is completed when clean water is
to handle the fish at both the tail region and the head.
added to the eggs and sperm cells; the water is
• The abdomen is gently pressed from the anterior end
several times, while the eggs are carefully collected in a also used to rinse eggs off the milt before
clean dry plastic bowl. incubation (Plate 16).

HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION

Incubation of fertilized eggs
• After fertilization, it is expected that the fertilized
eggs are incubated in an incubating unit provided.
• The eggs are evenly spread on the spawning mat and
a constant water flow of rate of about 1 to 3
litre/minute is allowed to flow through in the
incubating unit.
• Depending on water temperature the eggs will hatch
at about 20 to 24 hours. Incubation should be
• Plate 16: Incubation of monitored at regular interval to check overflow of
• Plate 15: Fertilization of fertilized eggs
eggs water and subsequent loss of hatchlings (Plate 16).

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HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION HATCHERY AND FINGERLINGS PRODUCTION

Rearing of hatchlings/larvae
• The hatchlings are small and needle like with light green Rearing of hatchlings/larvae
coloured globe yolk sac, at this stage feeding is not • Active feeding commence soon
required until about three days after absorption of the yolk after absorption of yolk at this
time artemia or other fry feed
(Plate 17). available can be given to the fry
for about 2 to 3 weeks.
• It is required that the shell and the aborted eggs removed
by careful siphoning to prevent contamination • This is then followed by
predisposing the hatchling to infection by bacteria and formulated feed with at least
fungi. about 40 to 45% crude protein.
This feed is given until they reach
• Aeration is very necessary as fry are very active and require fingerling stage i.e. 6-8 weeks
a lot of oxygen but where aeration is not available constant old.
water flow is very important as this will not only aerate but
also remove faeces and uneaten food which can easily • Plate 17: Rearing of fish
contaminate the water. fry

FISH FEEDS AND FEEDING FISH FEEDS AND FEEDING

Importance of Good Feeding
Types of Feed
• Feeding of fish during culture aims at producing the maximum • Fish under culture can be
weight of marketable fish within the shortest time at least cost. maintained solely on natural
• The feed should supply the energy for movement and all other foods in a pond or on artificial
activities the fish engages in. It should also provide nutrients for (formulated) feedstuffs or a
combination of the two (Plate
body maintenance, growth and reproduction.
18).
• Feeding increases fish growth and makes fish farming • The natural foods in a fish
profitable. Feeds must be nutritious and economical in any pond include mainly
farming system and must be properly managed to be effective. phytoplankton, and also
• The nutrients needed by fish include carbohydrates, fats, zooplankton, detritus, insect
larvae, etc. The abundance of
protein, vitamins and minerals. Fish diet must contain all the • Plate 18: Imported Floating
phytoplankton in a fish pond is
nutrients in the right proportions to bring about growth. feed bags
shown by the extent of
greenness of the pond water.

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FISH FEEDS AND FEEDING FISH FEEDS AND FEEDING

Feed and Feeding Practices
Types of Feed
• Formulated or compounded feeds may be
• The growth of phytoplankton in pond water can
given to fish in the dry, moist or wet form.
be enhanced by fertilization of the water, using
Dried compounded feeds can be presented to
inorganic or organic fertilizers.
fish as powder, pellets, or crumbles.
• The most commonly used organic fertilizers are
• Fish can be fed by broadcasting (Plate 19).
droppings of farm animals such as poultry, pigs
and cattle, and compost. • Pellets are most popular and their shape and
size would depend on the age of the fish
• Formulated feeds can be used as supplementary
(Plate 20).
feeds or as a sole source of nutrients for a fish in
a pond. • Floating pellets are desirable for fish feeding

FISH FEEDS AND FEEDING FISH FEEDS AND FEEDING

Formulated Feeds
• Formulated feed for adult tilapia should contain
between 25% and 35 % protein.
• For fry and fingerlings, the feed should have small
particles and a protein content of about 35% -
40%.
• For Catfish, formulated feeds should not be less
than 42% protein for fingerlings and not less than
• Plate 19: Feeding fish • Plate 20: Pellets for
by broadcasting feeding fish 35% protein for adults

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FISH HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND BIO-SECURITY

Feed Milling Machines
Fish Health Management
• Maintenance of good fish health is critical to
profitable fish culture.
• Slow growth, poor feed conversion, low yields,
increased disease incidence and mortality,
consequently, low profitability are the results of
poor fish health.
• Physiological stress is the fundamental cause of
most fish health problems.
• The best way to manage fish health is through
prevention. Practical health management is based
a. Floating Fish Feed Extruder b. Sinking Fish Feed Pelletizer
on stress management

FISH HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND BIO-SECURITY FISH HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND BIO-SECURITY
Ways of preventing stress to fish in culture environment
i. Good water quality management. This begins by
Some indicators of bad quality of water
picking a farm site with good water quality and quantity. • Offensive odour
Maintain water quality at non-stressing levels • Thick, deep green, brownish or greyish colour of
water
ii. Good nutrition. Feed high quality feed (nutritional • Sluggish movement of fish
and physical aspects) in the proper size and amounts. • Off- appetite and poor feed consumption
• Fish death
iii. Good stocks of fish. Only stock healthy, unstressed
and disease free fish and handle them as
recommended.

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FISH HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND BIO-SECURITY

HARVESTING AND GRADING FISH PRODUCTS
Sanitation and Waste Management
• Sanitation in fish ponds entails keeping the pond Harvesting Pond Fish
water and the environment clean. 1. Test Cropping:
• Fish pond should be test
• During routine pond water changes, waste water cropped routinely to
should be properly discharged the outlets to monitor fish growth and
health. After examination,
prevent environmental pollution. test cropped fish should
• Pond water are rich in nutrients so they can be be returned to the pond
water.
utilized for vegetable gardening, irrigation in
• A scoop net is suitable for • Plate 21: A Scoop Net for
integrated farms or otherwise filtered and test cropping (Plate 21). test harvesting
recycled in some instances.

HARVESTING AND GRADING FISH PRODUCTS HARVESTING AND GRADING FISH PRODUCTS
2. Partial Harvesting Grading and Sorting
This to enable sales of some fish
that are marketable in the pond • First thing to do after harvesting is the sorting of fish in
3. Total Harvesting to various grades on the basis of liveness, size, quality,
• Total pond harvest from species etc, as market price varies from one species to
management point of view can another.
be carried out at the end of the
production circle or in cases of • Some markets prefer only live fish making it necessary
emergency like diseases to sort out live ones from the dead. Stressed or
outbreak.
• A draw net or drag net is most diseased fish should also be sorted out. Most common
suitable for total cropping of method of sorting is by hand.
pond fish (Plate 22).
• After harvesting, fish should be checked for possible
off-flavour. This is important especially when fish are
• Plate 22: Using Draw Net for grown in muddy ponds or in dirty waters
pond harvesting, partial or • The off-flavour arises due to microorganisms or algae
total

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PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION OF FISH PRODUCTS

PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION OF FISH PRODUCTS
Processing and Preservation Procedures
• Fish handling refers to the various ways in which contact a) Salting
are made with freshly harvested fish and their transfer • Salt is the preservative agent used to lengthen the shelf
from one container to another or from one location to life of fish and fishery products. This is used in almost
another. all methods of preservation except in icing,
• Containers for conveying freshly harvested fish should be refrigeration and freezing.
clean to prevent contamination of the fish b) Drying
• Drying is the process in which moisture is removed by
• Fish preservation is the method of extending the shelf life exposure to natural air current as humidity is regulated
of fish by applying the principles of drying (smoke or sun- by climatic condition.
drying), freezing or cold storing in order to improve the
quality of the products. • Dehydration is the process of removing moisture with
• The essence of preservation is to expel water from fish the use of mechanical device that provides artificial
flesh or retain fish flesh in fresh form. Preservation heat for drying.
maintains the quality of fish for a longer period of time.

PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION OF FISH PRODUCTS PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION OF FISH PRODUCTS

c) Smoking
• Smoking - this is the method
of preserving fish by applying
smoke with the aid of salting,
drying and heat treatment.
Steps in Smoking:
• Product preparation
• Salting or brining
• Drying
• Smoking (hot or cold smoke)
• Product packaging and • Plate 25: A typical example of brined • Plate 24: A charcoal/gas • Plate 25: A Modern
storage Plate:23 fish fillet
oven Smoking kiln

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MARKETING OF AQUACULTURE PRODUCTS MARKETING OF AQUACULTURE PRODUCTS

Application of Marketing Mix (4Ps) Packaging Fish Products

• Live Fish
• Product – Quality, varieties, value -addition • Frozen products
• Price- Competitive, moderate, affordable • Dried products
• Promotion- Attracting customers, discount, Handling and Transportation of Fish Products
• Mode of transportation will depend upon the distance of
advert strategies the market from the production area, scale of the
• Place for distribution – Farm gate, strategic operation, species to be transported and the form (live
or dead).
locations • Vehicles are suitable means of transporting fish to the
market with large plastic containers and aluminium
vessels.
• Vehicle having insulated or non-insulated containers
with ice or cooling gels are suitable for fresh cool chain
products.

CONCLUSION
MARKETING OF AQUACULTURE PRODUCTS
Distribution of Fish Products – Wholesaling and • The culture fish value chain has been
Retailing discussed. Interestingly, Nigeria has an
• Direct Retail Sales unsaturated demand for fish products
• Farm Gate Sales therefore opportunities for profitable
enterprise exist for all practitioners along the
• Roadside Stands chain in production, processing, marketing,
• Direct Wholesaling supply of inputs and other packaging
• Live Haulers accessories. Fish farming is worth investing in.
• Restaurants
• Supermarkets

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Farm Layout

Concrete and Natural pond farms for commercial production

THanK YOU

FOr

liSTEninG

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