Fishery expert advocates increased investment in fish farming

For Nigeria to meet its fish protein needs, it has to invest heavily in fish farming as the only feasible and sustainable protein production.

This was the submission of a Professor of Fisheries Economics and Post-Harvest Activities and dean, College of Vocational and Technology Education (COVTED), Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, Prof. Oluwasegun Ayorinde, while delivering the university’s 17th Inaugural Lecture entitled ‘Once Upon a Water Post-Harvest Activities of the Fish: Anguish of Producers and Consumers’.

He frowned on the effect of transportation on fresh fish marketing, saying that delays in the landing and distribution of fresh fish result in qualitative losses. He, therefore, appealed to the government to provide good infrastructure and an appropriate transport system.

Professor Ayorinde noted that fish being a cheaper source of protein is becoming scarce due to overfishing, leading to a destroyed ecosystem, nutrient-lacking species, and a lack of biodiversity.

He also called for the involvement of the private sector in the fish farming business.

On the impact of the FADAMA II project on aquaculture development, Ayorinde urged the government to concentrate most of its interventions on fish farmers by supplying inputs such as improved fish seeds and feed, antibiotics and others at subsidized rates.

He also appealed to the World Bank, the Nigerian government and other agencies to ensure the continuity of FADAMA farming.

Ayorinde recommended the establishment of cold storage and commercial-scale ice production facilities in strategic places, as well as implementation of price regulating mechanisms, and provision of training manuals for fish farmers to upgrade their knowledge and provide livelihood support to small-scale fisheries.

Ayorinde in another research he carried out made it known that smoked fish marketing is a lucrative business while urging those involved to make use of cheaper alternatives to fuel such as rice husks, wood wastes, and maize cobs.