Constraints to adoption of improved hatchery management practices among catfish farmers in Lagos State

Abstract

Aquaculture has shown capacities to serve as means of livelihood, improve living standards, provide employment and generate foreign exchange in many countries. Recent investment in Nigerian aquaculture has been target towards catfish farming. However, small quantity and poor quality fish seeds are one of the problems limiting production. Consequently, Lagos State government introduced improved breeding and hatchery management practices as a package to fish hatchery operators with the aim of improving fish seed quantity and quality in the state. Nevertheless, the dissemination of the package has not yielded the desired result. This study assessed the constraints to adoption of improved hatchery management practices among catfish farmers in Lagos State. With structured questionnaire, 150 catfish farmers, randomly selected from 12 local government areas spread across Lagos State were interviewed. Despite that majority of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed to the fact that improved hatchery management practices have positive impacts on breeding, hatching, and survival of fish fry, majority of them affirmed that high cost of acquisition, high technicality in using the improved management practices as well as inadequate information about the improved management practices are primary reasons for non-adoption of some of the improved practices. Some of the limitations faced by the respondents include insufficient capital, lack of technical expertise to use the methods adequately, non-availability of inputs, expensive cost of facility maintenance, poor information dissemination and insufficient technical support from the extension agents and the state government. Although the adoption of improved practices has not been total, due to these constraints, the farmers' knowledge of the improved hatchery management practices is broad. There is a need for the state government to subsidize the improved hatchery technologies and inputs, in addition to making them available to the farmers; frequently organize training workshops, and motivate more farmers to adopt the technology by providing credit facilities, incentives, and significant inputs.

Profitability and Profit Efficiency of Catfish Fingerlings Production in Edo South, Nigeria

“…There have been reports of increasing withdrawal of farmers from fish farming in favor of other agricultural ventures. Some of the reasons attributed to this include poor quality of fish feed and seed and reduced profitability of fish farming (PIND, 2017;Digun-Aweto and Oladele, 2017). In Edo State, Nigeria, there seem to be attempts by some farmers who chose the specialty of catfish fingerlings production in the aquaculture value chain in a bid to have the farmers provided with fingerlings for sustained production all year round.…”

Profitability and determinants of output in catfish (Clarias gariepinus) production in South-East, Nigeria

“…As observed by the researcher; while the fresh ones were mostly supplied from the Southwest, most of the dried ones came from the North. This could be part of what informed Digun-Aweto and Oladele, (2017) [7] who reported a decline in aquaculture production in Nigeria, and increasing withdrawal of farmers from fish farming in favour of other agricultural ventures. The reason for this could be attributed to the decreasing profitability of catfish production, low quality of fish feeds and seeds, poor management of inputs leading to inefficiency.…”

Farm strategies and characteristics influencing profitability in Nigerian catfish aquaculture: Lessons on resilience during economic crisis and COVID‐type shock

“…However, the influence of these initiatives on the sector's growth has been diminishing as aquaculture production started to decline from 2015. This can be attributed to several reasons, ranging from the increasing cost of inputs to issues with the quality of inputs, such as broodstock, fingerlings, and feed (Digun‐Aweto & Oladele, 2017; Edema‐Sillo et al, 2017). While all of these remain substantive, this production decline is not unconnected with the economic recession experienced between 2015 and 2016 in the country (Olomola & Nwafor, 2018).…”