Part II: Planning a fish farm Figure 24: Setting up a fish farm Land, water and climatic conditions are probably the most important natural factors that need to be assessed. When developing a site for fish farming you should consider the effect it may have on the environment. Important natural areas | Part II Planning a fish farm Figure 24 Setting up a fish farm 40 Small-scale freshwater fish farming 5 Introduction Land water and climatic conditions are probably the most important natural factors that need to be assessed. When developing a site for fish farming you should consider the effect it may have on the environment. Important natural areas . fish nursery grounds like mangrove forests should not be used for fish farming. One of the most essential requirements is water availability in terms of quality and quantity. The type of aquaculture farm and species of animals or plants that you will be able to culture will depend largely on the properties of the site. The risks involved in fish farming should also be stressed. Fish need protein in order to grow and reproduce. This means they can become competitors for products which could otherwise be used directly for human consumption. Furthermore the cost of production is fairly high and therefore fish grown in ponds are not always able to compete financially with fish caught in the wild. Setting up a fish farm involves high initial investment and high production costs as well as economic risks. Therefore there are some very important factors a prospective fish farmer should consider before embarking on a fish farming venture see figure 24 . For example 1 Gathering information Future fish farmers can often get assistance with starting up a fish farming enterprise in the form of technical advice from extension services. In some cases even financial support is provided. 2 Finance A cost estimate should include the cost of land as well as capital expenditures for fish stock pond construction labour production and harvesting. Introduction 41 3 Site The soil must be able to retain water. Good water quality and sufficient quantity should be available at a reasonable cost. The site should be close to home and potential losses from stealing should be estimated. The ownership of the land as well as the state or federal
