Big mistakes are expensive. There is little use for facilities built the wrong way or on the wrong site. The most common examples are ponds that will not hold water or cannot be drained. More time is available to develop markets and learn what your customers need.
You may find a more profitable market than you had originally planned and need to change your way of growing and harvesting to fit this new market.
Design of ponds and facilities can be improved. Changes in pond size or other structures can be made easily when expanding. Fish farming may not be to your liking. The labor or management required may not be what you had expected.
Water quality management The most important factor in aquaculture is water quality. Dissolved oxygen levels in water can drop quickly and suffocate fish. Wastes produced by fish can build up, harm their delicate gills and lead to other problems.
Fish farmers can deal with these dangers, but only after they have learned how to use water quality test equipment. The Cooperative Extension Service in most southern states offers water quality workshops for fish farmers.
These workshops provide hands-on experience using test equipment, and teach what the water quality numbers mean and what management actions to take. New fish farmers who delay buying and learning to use test equipment often believe the warnings do not apply to them.
Then suddenly they discover an entire pond of dead or sick fish (Figure 1). Producers who take the time to check oxygen, ammonia, nitrite and other water quality factors on a regular basis find that it pays off by greatly reducing fish kills and disease problems.
Do your homework:
As you make plans, you will find it to your advantage to ask some hard questions. Find out if your ideas make good technical and economic sense by talking with a wide range of people. This includes potential customers, Extension specialists, Natural Resources Conservation Service professionals, businessmen and others. Visit as many fish farms as you can. Keep an open mind but remember that some fish farmers have pet theories and ideas that may or may not apply to your situation. Following are some questions that must be asked before a major investment in a fish farm is made.
Production technology:
- Is the species you plan to produce being profitably produced on commercial farms or is it still in the experimental stage of development? Be skeptical of claims of recent breakthroughs.
- Has the proposed production facility design been proven through widespread profitable use or is it an experimental system? Experimental species or production systems may be more interesting, but few individuals can afford to risk the money needed for such research.
Physical resources:
- Does the proposed site have the right soil, slope, water and road access conditions for the type of production facility to be built?
- Is there a better type of production facility for this site?
- Is the proposed site only marginally suitable? If so, consider other sites before committing yourself.
- Is it feasible to obtain needed permits for the proposed site and type of production system? Some sites may be located in or close to highly regulated resources such as public water supply lakes or sensitive wildlife habitat areas.
Marketing:
- Who are your planned customers?
- How much will they buy from you, how frequently and at what price?
- What are their preferences/ demands in product size, form, uniformity and other factors? Is the market already saturated?
- Who is the competition and how will you compete against them? Get a realistic picture of your strengths and weaknesses by looking at the situation from the customers point of view.
Seedstock, feed and specialized supplies:
- Can you afford the extra investment in time and money needed to develop your own seedstock production capacity?
- Is there a proven, economical feed available for the species you plan to produce?
- Do you have a reliable, affordable source for other specialized supplies and equipment?
Financial factors:
- What is your strategy for obtaining funding? A formal business plan should be prepared any time a major investment is planned. The county Extension agent should be able to provide fact sheets or other assistance in preparing business plans.
- Are there other ways that the money could be invested for greater return at less risk and equal personal satisfaction?
- Can your financial situation support a new fish farm that will suffer a loss or only break even the first several years of operation?
Personal factors:
- Can your personal situation stand the extra stress of starting a new enterprise?
- Do you and/or your employees have the skills needed to make the proposed operation work?
Consider management skills as well as mechanical and farming skills needed. Would you hire yourself to do the planning, management and day to day labor required? Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses.
Author:
Marley Beem
