The Deputy Provost, Fresh Water Fisheries Technology, Bagu, Bornu state, Dr. Olarenwaju Nurudeen |
The Deputy
Provost, Fresh Water Fisheries Technology, Bagu, Bornu state, Dr. Olarenwaju
Nurudeen has advocated for biological documentation of more economic fishes
from the wild to upscale commercial aquaculture production to meet local
consumption and checkmate huge import bill.
Dr. Olarenwaju
Nurudeen said this statement at the National Council on Agriculture and Rural
Development (NCARD) meeting based on the issue raised on a memo relating to
licensing, certification and diversification of the sub-sector for more
economic and job creation.
He pointed
that the major challenge in the sub-sector was scarcity of improved seeds for
other economic varieties of fishes apart from the usual catfish that are grown
in a cultured environment saying many other species that are sweeter and
economically viable could be biologically groomed for aquaculture productivity.
The deputy
provost stressed the need to encourage the biological documentation of
available fish varieties that are in the wild for cultured replication to boost
commercial production towards checkmating huge expenditure on import for local
consumption.
He disclosed
that effort was already ongoing that would ensure the availability of the seeds
before the next council meeting as his college is already working on about four of them with biological
documentation for replication in a cultured environment for reproduction.
Said he ‘’ We
have many economic indigenous species that are very valuable and sweeter than
catfish that we know today. One of them is Parachanna obscura otherwise known
as African snakehead which has little bone with plenty flesh to eat. But it is
not in the cultured environment. Why? Gymnarchus niloticus is not also in
cultured environment. Why? When you look into this problem, why is it that most
of these fishes we see in the wild are not in our aquaculture? One major
problem is that their seeds are not available to farmers.
The reason is that we
have not been able to document the biology of these fishes. You have to study
the biology of the species to be able to know the reproduction of them in order
to be able to mimic them in the hatchery. What effort are we making towards
this direction? Yes there is effort going on. We are working on the
reproduction of Parachanna obscura and also on Heterotic niloticus. However
effort is ongoing to make their seeds available for cultured fish farming. We
have finished the biology work. We are the phase of breeding in the laboratory.
We are now saying between now and the next coming council meeting, we should be
able to say that you can get them from us.’’
Speaking on
the security situation on commercial fish activities in Bagu area, he said the
military has just lifted ban on fishing activities to only self consumption
level, meaning commercial activities in the area is not yet allowed.
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