Profitability Of Fish Farming Research Articles

Aquaculture: A hidden goldmine for the rural poor—A cost–benefit analysis of fish farming for sustainable development and food security in Vihiga County, Kenya

AbstractIn Kenya, aquaculture plays a significant role in enhancing the livelihoods of rural communities by boosting the local economy and diversifying protein sources. Although Vihiga County in Western Kenya boasts considerable potential for aquaculture, it paradoxically experiences some of the highest levels of poverty and malnutrition in the country. The profitability of fish farming has also been affected by inefficiencies and poor resources, disproportionately affecting the income and nutritional value of rural poor who rely on Aquaculture as a source of cheap protein. The study was conducted in Vihiga County to assess the cost–benefit of aquaculture production, selecting 100 fish farmers through a stratified random sampling technique from five sub‐counties. A descriptive research design was employed, and data analysis was conducted using correlation and regression analysis with SPSS. Budgetary techniques were used for the cost–benefit analysis. Data presentation was by comparing the mean and standard deviation in US dollars of different pond size production. The research findings indicated that the size and type of pond do not have a significant correlation and differences in production (p‐value >.05). There is a strong positive correlation between the size of the pond and the stocking density. The variable cost (VC) has a positive correlation with pond productivity meaning that an increase in VC leads to an increase in production. And is not statistically significant (p‐value = .21827, p‐value >.05). Moreover, the total cost (TC) correlation is statistically significant (p‐value = .0351, p < .05). Larger ponds are more profitable but require higher costs production than smaller ponds. The study concludes that pond size significantly impacts productivity, advocating for smaller ponds to achieve higher net returns with lower production costs. Major challenges include high costs of feeds, inputs, fish diseases, and post‐harvest losses. Key policy variables influencing aquaculture in Vihiga County include infrastructure, fish feed production, capital, and fisheries extension services. Adequate financial support from both National and County governments is crucial for sustainable aquaculture in alignment with Kenya's Vision 2030 and Global Sustainable Development Goals. Policymakers are urged to assist small‐scale farmers with financing, training, and market information to optimize returns on investment.

Effect of Stocking Density and Feeding Strategy on Zootechnical Parameters and Profitability of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Reared in Floating Cages in Toho-Todougba Complex Lagoon in Benin Republic

This study aimed to compare the growth performance and economic profitability of rearing Oreochromis niloticus in floating cages using three feeding strategies (5 days a week, 6 days a week, and 7 days a week) coupled with three stocking densities (20, 40, and 60 fish·m−3). Male monosex fish measuring 6.44 ± 0.18 cm and weighing 3.42 ± 0.7 g were used. The controls were weighed every 15 days from the 35th day of rearing until 185 days to assess zootechnical parameters. BioMar feed (Efico Cromis 832F) was used during the study, and the feed ration was adjusted for each treatment every 2 weeks. At the end of the study, the average weights varied from 293.09 g to 468.41 g for the conditions of 40 fish·m−3 with a 5/7-day diet and 20 fish·m−3 with a 7/7-day diet, respectively. The yield per m2 values were between 7.11 kg and 23.17 kg, respectively. On the other hand, the economic profitability was better with the condition of 40 fish.m−3 with daily feeding. These results suggest that in the Toho-Todougba lagoon complex, a stocking density between 40 and 60 fish·m−3 coupled with daily feeding (three times a day) promotes the optimization of fish production and profitability of fish farming.

Sources of off-flavor in high nutrient-load Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) ponds in north-central Bangladesh

Recently, toxins and off-flavor compounds produced by phytoplankton in freshwater ponds have become a concern as it affects consumer acceptability and food safety. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between phytoplankton abundance and water-sediment physicochemical parameters in high-nutrient-load Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) ponds from three sub-districts (upazila) in north-central Bangladesh. Water and sediment samples were collected from 9 randomly selected ponds of Sadar, Trishal, and Muktagachha upazila, and temperature, transparency, pH, phytoplankton concentration for water and pH, organic C and organic matter for sediment samples were determined. Water temperature and transparency were more or less similar across all the ponds, while pH varied significantly (p<0.05). Soil pH also varied significantly (p<0.05). The abundance of Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, and Euglenophyceae in pond water was almost equal but Cyanophyceae differed among the ponds with the highest in Muktagachha (5.22±2.30×104 cells/L) and the lowest in Trishal (4.84±0.740×104 cells/L). Correspondingly, Algal Genus Pollution Index (AGPI) was employed to study the water quality of Nile tilapia ponds, and it revealed that ponds in Muktagaccha had ‘probable high organic pollution’ compared to ponds in the other two locations. Five cyanobacteria genera were identified viz., Anabaena, Aphanizominon, Gomphosphaeria, Mycrocystis and Osoillatoria where Anabaena showed a strong positive correlation with water temperature and pH. The significantly higher abundance of cyanobacteria in Muktagachha is possibly linked to the favorable water temperature and pH and indicates a higher risk of off-flavor creation in the Nile tilapia ponds from this upazila. It is, therefore suggested that the right management measures must be put in place to control the cyanobacteria to ensure the profitability of fish farming.

Dynamics upsetting profitability of fish farming in Nigeria: Perspectives from Ethiope East local government area

The study examined the variables influencing the financial success of fish farming in Delta State's Ethiopia-East Local Government Area. The particular objectives were to describe the socioeconomic traits of fish farmers, ascertain the economic viability of fish farming in the research area, and pinpoint the socioeconomic traits influencing that viability. 60 farmers were randomly picked as samples using multi-stage sampling approaches. Data were gathered using structured questionnaires, and descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis, and multiple regression models were utilized to analyze them. According to socioeconomic data, most fish farmers (68%) were male, married (71.7%), well-educated (53.4%), and between the ages of 31 and 50 (53.4%). Additionally, a whopping 60% of fish farming was done on a part-time basis. With a gross margin of $6,407,83 per production cycle and a return on investment of 0.73, fish farming was successful and worthwhile. Age, educational level, farming experience, and farming status were significant variables affecting the profitability of fish farming in the research area at a 1% significant level, according to the semi-log regression results. According to the report, farmers should receive training in feed formulation to lower production costs.

Growth Performance and Carcass Analysis of African Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus) Juveniles Fed Varying Inclusion Levels Of Butterfly Pea (Clitoria Ternatea) Seed Meal

High cost of qualitative fish feed is one of problems hampering the development and profitability of fish farming and consequently leads to food insecurity in terms of food availability and accessibility. The study was conducted to determine growth parameters and carcass composition of Clarias gariepinus juveniles of mean weight 21.74g+0.54g fed with varying levels of dietary inclusion of Clitoria ternatea seed meal substituted for soybean meal over a period of eight weeks. Four iso-nitrogenous experimental diets were formulated at 0% (control), 25%, 50% and 100% inclusion levels of C. ternatea seed meal. The 8-week feeding experiment was conducted in rectangular plastic tanks, each treatment having three replicates with two feeding regime at 5% body weight and weighed every week. At the end of the intensive feeding period, samples from each treatment were oven dried for nutritive analysis of the fish carcass. The values of mean weight gain for diets I and III were 27.7+1.11 and 27.23+0.94 respectively. Comparatively, the growth parameters values; FI(g), SGR(%), FCR(g), PER(%) and NPU(%) for control diet and diet III were the best with no significant difference (p>0.05). The Carcass evaluation revealed that Diet I had the highest crude protein which was not significantly different (p>0.05) from diet III. It was established that fish fed 50% inclusion level of C. ternatea seed meal had effective comparable biological values with the control diet in terms of growth performance and feed utilization. The total fish production (kg) showed no significant difference (p>0.05) between diets I and III.

Institutions and institutional changes: aquatic food production in Central Luzon, Philippines

Aquaculture is the most rapidly growing food production sector globally. In certain coastal social-ecological systems, this has resulted in significant changes and sustainability challenges. In particular, coastal environments which used to support only capture fisheries are becoming sites for brackish water aquaculture production; this impacts the sustainability of aquatic food production. Sustainability challenges associated with aquaculture expansion and intensification necessitate a contextually rooted understanding of institutions and institutional changes which can be used as an informed basis for leveraging institutions to achieve desirable sustainability outcomes in the aquatic food sector. This research used a qualitative empirical case study involving in-depth interviews, participant observation, and analysis of institutional documents in the region of Central Luzon, Philippines. It applied the inter-institutional systems concept which considers multiple institutions with distinct but linked purposes and functions in the societal spheres of state, market, and civil society. The study found that aquaculture emerged as an important livelihood because of rice farmers’ need to adapt to saltwater intrusion into what were formerly rice farms. It grew into an industry due to developments in the availability and accessibility of inputs such as fingerlings and feeds. This process was also driven by the high demand and high profitability of fish farming at the time. Regulatory institutions have not adequately adapted to protect the environment. Market institutions adapted but the changes mostly benefited consignacions (middlemen) and large-scale players. However, organised groups of collaborating smallholder fishers and fish farmers are helping to address the disadvantages they face.

Testing of new sampling methods and estimation of size structure of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in aquaculture farms using horizontal hydroacoustics

In aquaculture, monitoring fish size and density is fundamental to improve management and profitability of fish farms. The aim of this study is to test whether horizontally aimed 200-kHz transducers are adequate to obtain fish size structure in open-sea cages in order to apply horizontal hydroacoustics as a non-intrusive and innovative technique in sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) farming. Several sampling strategies have been tested by placing the transducer in two different positions: outside the cage and inside the cage. In addition, two sampling approaches have been implemented: placing the transducer at a fixed position or moving it vertically.The results show that horizontal hydroacoustics is a useful technique for monitoring size distribution of sea bass in farming cages. The most adequate sampling method consists of using a vertically moving transducer positioned outside the cage, since it exhibits the narrowest size distributions with the lowest variance estimates, which matches the data provided by fish farmers.

EFFECT OF COST ACCUMULATION METHODS ON THE PROFITABILITY OF FISH FARMING BUSINESS IN CALABAR METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

The investigation focused on effect of cost accumulation methods on the profitability of fish farming business. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of cost accumulation methods on the profitability of fish farming business in Calabar Metropolis. The research design adopted for this study was the ex-post facto research design. The result revealed that the two methods for estimating production cost have considerable effect on the profitability of fish farming which significantly proved that cost estimation and record keeping in fish farming business is a critical factor that will assist fish farmers in the measurement of profit. This is evidenced as the regression result of both fixed and variable cost showed the existence of substantial relationship between cost accumulation and profitability of fish farming in Cross River State, Nigeria. From the findings, the study recommended that fish farmers should develop better cost-effective techniques that minimize feed and equipment related costs to enhance future returns.
 
 JEL: Q10; Q22; D20
 
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Influence of Socio-Economic Factors on the Profitability of Fish Farming in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State

The study was carried out to examine the influence of socio-economic characteristics on profitability of fish farmers in Owerri North LGA of Imo State. The study considered cost incurred and returns accrued on fish production in the area. Also, the relationship between the revenue derived from fish farming and various factors affecting fish production were determined. Standard procedures were adopted in all experimental analyses. One hundred and ten (110) fish farmers were randomly selected within the study area and used for the work, and data were collected using a well-structured questionnaire. Collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as percentages and inferential statistics (multiple regression at p<0.05) as well as cost and return analysis. Results showed that average annual income of a fish farmer was ₦6,269,886 while the profitability index was 1.89. Thus, indicating that, for every one-naira (₦1.00) investment made in fish farming in Owerri North LGA, ₦1.89 was returned to the farmer as net income. The study further showed that sex and years of farming experience were statistically significant and positively correlated (R2=0.8570; p<0.05) with net farm returns. On the other hand, age of the farmer, education attainment and marital status were negatively correlated and not significant. It is therefore recommended that people should engage in fish farming in the area as it is a profitable venture.
 Keywords: Cost, returns, socio-economic factors, fish farming, Owerri North

Economic Analysis of Fish Farming in Punjab, Pakistan

Fish consumption is very less in Pakistan as compared to the world. The study was designed to conduct the economic analysis of the fish farming. Two districts were selected with the highest number of fish farms, i.e. Muzaffargarh and Khanewal. A total of 50 fish farms from both study areas were selected randomly for the study. Economic analysis was carried out from the collected data to estimate the profitability of fish farming. In order to make a comparison of profitability of fish farming with crop cultivation on per acre basis, data from 50 farmers from crop sector were also collected. The results revealed that fish farming was more profitable as compared to crop farming in the study area. Net income per acre was estimated at Rs. 252426 from fish farming as compared to net income per acre of Rs. 58612 from wheat-cotton, Rs. 72662 from cotton-rice and Rs. 53290 from sugarcane cultivation. The benefit cost ratio (BCR) of fish farming was calculated 1:1.52 and 1: 1.74 with and without land rent respectively. It illustrates that the enterprise yields 1.52 rupees and 1.74 rupees for every rupee invested. On the basis of results, it is suggested that fish farming should be promoted, especially in the areas of saline soils to enhance food security and uplifting the socioeconomic conditions of small farmers.

Characterization of Fish Farming Practices and Performance: Baseline Study and Implications for Accelerating Aquaculture Development in Ghana

Over the past decade, the aquaculture sector in Ghana has experienced tremendous growth—driven mainly by large-scale cage farms—but it has been unclear how the rural poor have shared in this growth. A research project has been initiated to help diagnose, design, and test interventions for better inclusion of the rural poor, women, and youth in the tilapia value chain. This report describes the baseline data on 603 small-scale tilapia farmers in Ghana. The data collected during two-hour face-to-face interviews during May–July 2019 are disaggregated by socioeconomic indicators, gender, and age group. Baseline data show that 9 percent of farm managers and owners were women, and an additional 9 percent of farms engaged women in some decision-making. Moreover, women contributed 16 percent of family labor and 5 percent of hired labor on farms. Youth represented 14 and 24 percent of owners and managers, respectively, but contributed 68 percent of the total family and hired labor on farms. A large majority of managers and owners had at least high school education, with a third of owners and a quarter of managers attaining at least a college degree. In Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions especially, most farmers engaged mainly in crop farming and non-farm businesses as their main livelihood, with fish farming as a small contributor to overall household income and livelihood. Farmers in all regions had poor record-keeping and management practices and low compliance with sanitation, fish health, and food safety standards. A wide variety of input usage, management practices, and performance was observed among fish farms. As a result, the profitability of fish farms was also wide-ranging, between –12.00 and 46.00 cedi per m2, with an average of 8.82 cedi per m2. Despite wide variability in production and profits, the majority of farmers experienced positive profits. On average, a farmer received a profit of 2.4 cedi per kilogram of tilapia produced or a 27 percent profit margin. These encouraging figures indicate that farmers who adopt good aquaculture practices can achieve respectable profits.

Impact of technology intervention on fish productivity and profitability of fish farming in South Tripura

Impact of technology intervention on fish productivity and profitability of fish farming in South Tripura

Mapping the teaching of aquatic animal veterinary medicine in the European Union and European Free Trade Area

Aquatic animal production is the fastest growing food sector globally. Aquaculture and fisheries are very dynamic sectors in the EU and the number of ornamental aquarium pets is increasing. Veterinarians...

Determinants of Profitability of Fish Farming in Cameroon

Aquaculture remains an important source of food, nutrition, income and livelihoods for millions of people around the world. In Cameroon, like in most Sub-Saharan African countries, natural breeding and traditional fishing occur in virtually every river, lake and pond and the aquaculture sector predominantly comprises of small-scale producers with some larger-scale commercial activities. Although so many Cameroonian natives are involved in aquaculture, little profit is realized from their activities. Barriers to fish production include insufficient quality and quantity of fingerlings, inadequate quality of feed, inadequate financing and weak technical capacities. These problems lead to a core challenge of low supply of fish, coupled with low returns to fish farming and marketing. The study therefore sought to determine the level of profitability of fish farming and assess the main determinants of profitability of fish farming. It used data collected from 60 fish farmers in the Fako Division of Cameroon through personal interviews, using a pre-tested questionnaire. The study adopted net profit analysis to determine profitability and a Cobb-Douglas power function to quantify the effects of various factors on profit. The study found that fish farming is a profitable business with a mean net profit of 1 896 443 FCFA per production cycle of 4 months. Linear regression revealed that profitability of fish farmers was influenced by the price of feed, price of fingerlings and the cost of labor. The implications of the findings are that profitability can be enhanced by building the capacity of fish farmers on how to make fish production and marketing more cost effective. Farmers therefore need to know how to manage both variable and fixed costs in order to maximize profits.

Tissue specific expression profile of some immune related genes in Labeo rohita to Edwardsiella tarda infection

Rohu (Labeo rohita), an Indian Major Carp (IMC) is an economically important aquaculture species in India. Inspite of the technological advances, infectious diseases caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites have been a major limiting factor in the development and profitability of fish farms. At present, information regarding the immune status of the Indian major carps is limited. This lack of knowledge is a major impediment for establishment of effective preventive measures against broad spectrum of infectious agents. The present study was undertaken to examine the modulation of few immune-regulatory genes: IgHC, NOD 1, TLR 22, iNOS and IL-1β during experimental infection of E. tarda in L. rohita to understand their role in pathogenesis. Rohu fingerlings were intra-peritoneally injected with Edwardsiella tarda (LD50 dose of 8.7 × 104 CFU/fish) and sampled for three immunologically important organs (kidney, liver and spleen) at different time intervals (zero hour or pre-challenge and 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h and 96 h post challenge). For absolute quantification of genes by real time RT-PCR, all the genes transcript were amplified from Poly I:C induced rohu lymphocytes and cloned in pTZ57R/T plasmid. Standard curves for each gene was generated from serially diluted plasmid bearing respective genes. Evaluation of copy number of different genes present in the tissue showed that the expression of IgHC, iNOS and IL-1β was highest in kidney followed by spleen and least in liver. While for NOD 1 and TLR 22 gene, liver showed higher expression than kidney and spleen. Further, the expression of IgHC, INOS, TLR 22, NOD 1 and IL-1β genes significantly differed (P < 0.05) in the E. tarda challenged fish when compared with pre-challenged control fish. Among the five genes we studied, the basal expression of TLR 22 gene was highest. The result also depicts that iNOS and NOD 1 are immediate responsive genes as their expression reached maximum level at 6–24 h post infection (hpi) after which the expression declined. In contrast, TLR 22 and IgHC gene transcript showed enhanced expression during the late phase of with maximum expression observed after 48 hpi and 96 hpi respectively. IL-1β, being the exception, showed high expression both at 24 hpi and 96 hpi. From this study, we conclude that these five immune genes have a definite role to play in the defense mechanism of host (L. rohita) against E. tarda.

Future Directions in Biocatalysis

Fish as food, both from fish farms and catch fisheries, offers the world one of the easiest and fastest way to address malnutrition and food security. Along with low per capita production, recent years saw infectious diseases become one of the most significant threats to successful fish farming alongside unfavorable climatic conditions. The second most common agents of infectious diseases in farmed fish are viruses, which are more difficult to control. Therefore, several viral diseases in fish are greatly affecting the overall profitability of fish farming and are listed as most devastating endemic diseases. In addition, no efficient treatment or preventive practices exist for these viral diseases, and their control is thus by prevention of the introduction of pathogen and eradication by stamping out in case of disease outbreak. This chapter focuses on the recent outbreaks of infectious diseases of farmed fish along with promising prevention and control strategies, particularly vaccination strategies that help in healthy productivity and profitability.

Pond Fish Farming under NGO Support and Individual Management: A Comparative Socioeconomic Study

The study was conducted to compare the profitability of fish farming under NGO support and individual management and to evaluate the overall impact of NGO intervention on farmers’ income. A total of 120 farmers (60 for own management and 60 for NGO support) were selected following random sampling technique for data collection from both Mymensingh and Tangail District. The data were collected through direct interview from the selected fish farmers. Data were analyzed with a combination of tabular and functional analysis. The BCR was 1.9 for own management and 2.4 for NGO supported pond fish farming which shows that the fish farming is more profitable under NGO support. The Ravallion test results showed that the income was increased by the amount of Tk. 32500 due to NGO’s intervention. Cobb-Douglas production function analysis was done to determine the effects of variables on pond fish production. Out of six variables, three variables in case of own management and four variables in case of NGO support had significant impact on per acre output of fish production. The results of the efficiency computation indicated that labour, feed and lime and medicine were being underutilized and fingerlings and irrigation were being over utilized for own managed pond. Under NGO supported pond, labour, fingerlings and lime and medicine were being underutilized and feed and irrigation were being over utilized. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/agric.v12i1.19584 The Agriculturists 2014; 12(1) 75-84

Effect of stocking density on the expression of glucose transporter protein 1 and other physiological factors in the Lake Victoria Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.)

Fish farmers have a tendency of employing high stocking density (HSD) as a means of increasing productivity. However, HSD is a chronic stressor that is likely to lower profitability of fish farming if not implemented properly. HSD induces stress which in turn elevates sequentially the levels of plasma cortisol and glucose. The resultant glucose is distributed to various tissues by glucose transporter protein (GLUTs) to restore normalcy. GLUT 1, transmembrane protein found in erythrocytes, is responsible for import and export of glucose in red blood cells. However, knowledge on how chronic stress impact glucose and GLUT 1 protein in fish subjected to HSD is still unclear. In this study, effect of HSD on the expression of GLUT 1 in Nile tilapia was investigated in an attempt to elucidate the role of GLUT 1 in glucose metabolism during chronic stress. Fish were reared for 4 weeks at 1.5 and 4.5 kg/m3 for low stocking density (LSD) and HSD, respectively. Four physiological parameters were determined from the blood samples obtained from fish at the end of experiment. At p < 0.05, there were significant differences between fish reared at HSD and LSD in plasma cortisol level (72.1 ± 5.9 ng/ml and 37.5 ± 4.6 ng/ml); blood glucose level (136.00 ± 1.3 mg/dL and 70.2 ± 1.0 mg/dL); erythrocytes count (7.2 ± 0.5 × 106 mm−3 and 2.1 ± 0.4 × 106 mm−3); and plasma GLUT 1 level (1.40 ± 0.17 rbi and 0.81 ± 0.07 rbi), respectively. HSD induced elevation of plasma cortisol level, blood glucose level, erythrocytes count and GLUT 1 level. These elevated physiological factors and particularly GLUT 1 can be used as a cellular stress biomarker in fish farming and aquaculture.

Factors Affecting Profitability of Fish Farming Under Economic Stimulus Programme in Tigania East District, Meru County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting profitability of fish farming under Economic Stimulus Programme in Tigania East District of Meru County, Kenya. In 2010, Economic Stimulus Programme was initiated by the Government of Kenya with the aim of encouraging fish farming in the region. The government spent more than 8 millions in fish farming in the district. The study was set to determine the influence of marketing on profitability of fish farming in Tigania East, establish the importance of related extension services on fish farming; determine the host's community cultural practises that influence fish farming and explore ways in which pond management skills influences fish farming. Many people turned to fish farming as a source of food and income generating activity. However, where adopted as business there were little returns from fish farming. Descriptive research design was employed in the study. The study applied descriptive research design by involving 200 fish farmers within Tigania East district. Stratified random sampling was used to select fish farmers. The study established that respondents were positive about the sustainability and positive impact of fish farming on their lives. Despite the government support fish farmers faced challenges in terms of access to market, access to technical information, predators and inadequate extension services. The study concluded that the Government needs to provide technical capacity building, market accessibility to the practicing fish farmers in their localities.

Analysis of Profitability of Fish Farming in Ogun State, Nigeria

This study was conducted in Ogun state, Nigeria and made use of both primary and secondary data. The main instrument for collecting the primary data was structured questionnaire. The descriptive an...