Have you ever thought of making a successful fish farming business plan earlier this year? Or however you might be preparing to make such plans.

Do you also know that alot of farmers are making good income from this business due to proper planning? Sir or madam your own case can not be different.

Nevertheless, you are in the right place to learn how to make a perfect plan for your fish business or farm. But before that we are going to understand what fish farming really is;

What is fish farming?

Fish farming also known as aquaculture is the rearing of fish in man-made pond, reservoir (aquarium), coastal waters etc. Fish farming is mainly for the production of fish for commercial sales.

Simple explanation of fish farming;

You build a fish pond or use natural stagnant water bodies.
Get fingerlings
Rear them to maturity
Sell it
Make your money and profit.

That is just a simple explanation of fish farming.

Preparing A Perfect Fish Farming Business Plan

You might be asking yourself this question how and what do I need to start a fish farm and become Successful?

Starting up a fish farming business you will need essential resources like;

A piece of land (depending on the amount of fishes to be reared)
Capital (for purchasing fingerlings, making and maintenance of fish pond(s) , buying of fish feed e.t.c) you can also get loan to startup the business
Power supply
A good water supply(both water channels and source)
Others: Transportation van, cool room or deep freezer, record books e.t.c

If you can't invest, you can't make profit.

but before or after putting this above listed resources into use, you have to make plans for smooth running of the business. This plans are as follows;

Building A Living Home For The Fishes(Fish Pond)

Building a fish pond depends on the available resources at hand(capital) and the number of fishes to be reared. But before construction of fish pond there are some certain factors to be considered before building a fish pond.

Choosing Of Site: This is the first thing to consider before building a fish pond, choosing of a perfect site really matters as it affects some other factors like water supply, market. When choosing a site it is advised to choose one close to water supply, proper power supply and good transportation network.
Number Of Fishes And Capital: You don't expect to rear 1000 fishes in 100x100(cm) fish pond. The amount of fishes you want to rear determines the size and area of land needed. And secondly you cannot purchase 1000 fingerlings, large area of land with little cash. Nope it can't be Possible. This is the second factor you have to put into consideration.
Source Of Water Supply: As you can see and know that when there is no water there is no fish. This is the third factor to consider.
Topography Of Land and Vegetation: Land used for fish pond are usually gentle sloppy lands, that can enable easy draining of fish pond when neccesary with little or no vegetation (trees), the soil should also contain a good portion of clay that can help prevent underground seepage.

Analysing The Market Demands

Before rearing fishes, you must know some essential factors about the market, they include;

The type of fish highly sold and consumed.
The number farmers or competitors (wholesalers and retailers) in the field.
The price of fishes at the market.

Purchasing The Needed Equipments

You as a farmer need to have essential equipments for rearing, feeding, fishing and storage.

Good Stock Density

This involves stocking the right number of fishes per meter square. Overstocking should be avoided as it creates room for feed shortage.

Supplement Of Fish Feeds

The fishes in the pond should be feed with supplemental feeds to grow well. You can also introduce plankton species, feed waste such as kitchen waste, rice, groundnut cake, and palm kernel cake, but they should not be left to feed only on this.

Controlling fish diseases, weed and predators

The outbreak of fish diseases can be prevented in pond by keeping it well aerated, the control of fish predators should be given proper attention in the fish pond in order to have good yields,some of the most common predators to be controlled include birds, frogs and snakes. You can remove and control predators in the pond by draining,covering it with net or making a scarecrow.

Maintenance Of Fish Pond

There should be adequate water supply to the pond as it helps maintain oxygen and carbon(iv)oxide balance in the pond( every 1-2 weeks). The pond should also be fertilized as it's essential for the growth of plankton which multiply so that sufficient food is available.

Setup A Proper Fish Farm Record.

Proper record contains facts about the activities of the event that takes place in the farm, record keeping helps you determine your income and expenses, not only that, it also;

Provides information neccesary for taxation.
Help farmers get access to loan
Helps determine the strength of the farm.
Determines the amount of outputs and inputs

Studying The Fishes

Fish study helps reduce the amount of wasted inputs. Study the period of maturity and reproduction. In essence, you might harvest pregnant fishes if you don't study them, which in turn becomes loss to you.

Providing Storage Facilities

Lack of storage facilities causes terrible waste of farm products or produce, especially as the harvest season approaches to an end.

Making Research And Advance Your Technique.

The poorly informed tends to be conservative, that's unwilling to accept new ideas and techniques, always make research as it is an advanced stage of study which leads to discovery.

Be Serious With Your Business And Customers

A trusted and serious supplier can never lose customers. Ensure you have a good means of transportation for quick delivery of goods.

Miscellaneous Plans

This might not be miscellaneous plans for you, it might be for others, but they are all plans for success.
Determine the number of workers needed according to demand for labour
Determine the method of storage e.t.c

Now that you have learnt how to make a perfect fish farming business plan that can lead you to become a successful farmer in such lucrative business. I hope this piece of information will lead you to a better position.

If you have new plans,questions and strategies kindly drop it via the comment box below.