The new website will help catfish farmers know what quantity of feed to give to their fish on a daily basis and will explain the weights their fish should get to at appointed times in the culture period.
"All farmers need to do is input the average weights of their juvenile catfish during stocking and the dates of stocking. They will also be required to enter their pond type, pond dimensions and pond shape," said Mr Ogunsina.
"When this is done, the package automatically takes over from the farmer and advises them on the feed quantity they need to budget for," he continued.
This service will therefore advise farmers on the amount of feed fish in a particular pond will consume at certain times, advise on the best time to sell a stock of fish based on predetermined fish weight and allow farmers to keep track of consumed feed from anywhere in the world.
Another benefit of the service is that farmers are able to monitor the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), keep track of fish mortalities and have a better understanding of how and when to change pond water and the volume of water to change.
With wild fish stocks becoming depleted, there needs to be a focus on sustainable food production techniques.
"As farmed fish stay in the water, a lot of things can go wrong. With an inadequate management system, the fish farmer may not know what has gone wrong until four to six months after stocking, when it is then too late and the farmer realises what he has harvested is far below what he invested," said Mr Ogunsina.
The use of the package is $32 per year and is available to all farmers of African catfish. Mr Ogunsina is also developing a package for tilapia and carp which will be available in the near future.
To apply for the package, simply visit the website, www.fishunlimited.ng, and register online.
