Skills gap, funding obstruct FG’s 67% fish production target

The knowledge gap in the farming of marine fishes, such as croaker, mackerel and hake, has become apparent as Nigeria moves towards achieving its 67 percent production sufficiency target.

These imported fishes are in very high demand, especially at the high-end market. There are therefore concerns about possible shortages in the supply of these treasured species as the country reduces importation by 25 percent every year for the next four years, starting this year.  

BusinessDay investigations show that more than 50 percent of fish farmers have no knowledge of how these marine fishes, which had been hitherto imported, could be cultured domestically. As such, they earnestly hope that more consumers would accept catfish, tilapia and other local species that are produced through fish farming and capture in the country.    

Gbola Akande, researcher/fish technologist at the Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), however, says croaker, which is one of the imported fish species, can be found in Nigeria’s waters, as well as mackerel, though the former in smaller quantities.

Also, all the imported marine fishes can be produced in Nigeria through mariculture, which is the cultivation of fish with marine water, he adds.

“Though we have not done this research, the fact that we have been able to cultivate shrimps, a marine animal, through mariculture in Nigeria shows clearly that it is possible to cultivate these marine fishes using the same process,” Akande said in an interview.

Mariculture entails simulating the same environment in which certain fish species or other marine animals are cultured in Europe, America and Asia in Nigeria’s marine waters so the imported fishes can also grow within the country.

According to Lanre Talabi, a scientist, Nigeria has the best croaker in the world but attempts have not been made to cultivate them in large quantities.

To buttress the fact that fish produced in other countries could be produced in the country, he said, “Asian catfish – pangasius – is a farmed fish. We have been able to produce it on our farm in Ilaro, Ogun State, and it has been doing very well.”

But infrastructure remains a challenge. Bolaji Dania, a fish farmer and president of the Lagos Commercial Agriculture Development Association (CADA), is concerned that even if these marine fishes could be cultivated within the country, the cost may be too high for individual farmers to undertake.

Also, according to an anonymous source, simulating environmental conditions of another continent, along with problems of climate change, would involve very huge costs which would be too much for private individuals to undertake without government support.

Akande of NIOMR, however, says that in spite of the infrastructural challenges in the country, stakeholders should not conclude yet that local production of marine fishes would be too expensive.

Ebinimi Ansa, an aquaculture specialist and fellow, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), says she and her team have carried out preliminary research, ascertained that these imported marine fishes can be cultured in Nigeria, and submitted a proposal to one of the state governments to support the full research and test-running of large scale production of croaker and some other imported marine fishes within the country. According to her, they are still awaiting approval.

OLUYINKA ALAWODE