How To Start A Fish Farm

By Rosemary Tukundane

So many farmers and experts in fish farming have come to give ideas on how one can start a successful fish farm but the fact remains that the right information is not all given to starters, says Betty Nankabirwa, a fish farmer.

There are two main types  of fish kept

• Tilapia  is the most popular fish species  that lives in Ugandan shallow rivers which reproduces very rapidly and common in Ugandan markets.
• Cat fish , although this species is not common in Uganda but most desired by farmers because it can be grown under any condition unlike tilapia.

Requirements to start

1. Land . secure land because land is the most important necessity in fish farming. Get land that is convenient for  fish farming and near market, the size of land doesn’t matter  since the project doesn’t cause any disturbances to the environment.
2. Construct ponds, consult an expert or go to another farm to get the right measurements for pond and ensure proper drainage.
3. Overhead tank . this is a water reservoir because water is the life blood to fish and lack of it may lead to suffocation and death because water needs to be changed at regular intervals.
4. Get training. When I talk of training of training I don’t mean one day training but joining because  I misfired on fish management until I joined a farming group called Ask Hellen about farming who provide the right training about all types of farming projects online.
5. Capital, depending on  Betty Nankabirwa, capital depends on how big a farmer wants to make his farm but you can start with even 2 million shillings  and make  a successful fish farm that I got 1000 young fish from a friend to start with.

Challenges in this field.

 Capital , capital to start is intensive and not affordable like that of poultry  and piggery.

Cost of production, because of the cost of production. Fish caught from ponds are more expensive than that from rivers, therefore if you find many fishermen in market, fish from ponds may fail or get less market.

Fish is very sensitive  to manage and any simple mistake can lead to the death of all the fish.