14. IMPROVING FARM MANAGEMENT

GROWING FISH ALL YEAR ROUND

(358) If you have built several ponds, you can grow fish all year round.

(359) If you put baby fish in different ponds at different times, you will harvest them at different times. This way, you will not harvest too many fish at the same time and you can harvest fish all year round.

(360) If you have three ponds and a good supply of baby fish, you can stock each pond in a different month and harvest each pond six months later. The diagram will show you how to harvest and stock three ponds.Keep good records.

(361) If you need help, your extension agent or fishery officer will be able to give you good advice on when to put in the baby fish and when to harvest them.

 


GROWING ONLY MALE FISH

(362) You can further improve your fish farming by growing only male tilapia in your ponds. Male tilapia grow faster than females because all their food is used for growth only.

 

 

(363) If you decide to grow male fish only, use fish at least 12 centimetres long because they are already big enough to sex. A male fish of this length can reach 200 to 250 grams within six months.

     

(364) If you have a nursery pond, you can get male fish from it. The drawing in item 239 shows you the difference between male and female tilapia.

(365) If you do not have a nursery pond, you may be able to buy male fish from another fish farmer or from a fish culture station.

 

     

(366) By now you have learned how to build a fish pond and how to manage it well to produce baby fish and food fish for your family and for the market.

  (367) But you can also produce such fish in other ways. In the next sections, you will learn how to do this in fish pens and cages.


Summary

YOU HAVE LEARNED HOW TO IMPROVE THE MANAGEMENT OF YOUR FISH FARM

Produce big fish all year round:

  • build at least three ponds
  • stock them with baby fish at different times
  • harvest them at regular intervals throughout the year

Produce more fish and bigger fish:

  • sex your baby fish when they are at least 12 cm long and stock only the males in your ponds
  • they should weigh 200 to 250 grams each after 6 months