Disease Control Is A Major Challenge in Fish Farming

The Executive Director of NIOMR, Mr Olajide Ayinla told The Daily Triumph this earlier in the week at a training workshop on fish diseases and control.

The workshop was 'Jump starting nationwide healthcare delivery in fish farming through hand-on practical training'.

Mr Ayinla said that outside the problem of high cost of fish feeds, health problems in fish farming constituted a serious threat to sustainability in the industry.

"Farms are closing down due to losses incurred as a result of heavy mortalities experienced in disease outbreaks," he said.

"Based on these facts, NIOMR decided to install an extruder to train interested entrepreneurs in fish feed production using locally available ingredients,” he said.

Mr Ayinla said the initiative would boost research and training in fish health management and disease control.

He said that the basis for the workshop was to develop strategies that would ameliorate inadequacies in fish healthcare delivery and stem the high cost of fish feeds. It is important to discourage unwholesome practices in the industry, The Daily Triumph says.

"The use of antibiotics in fish farming by untrained hands is a serious threat to public health and this will continue until farmers have viable alternatives," Mr Ayinla said.

He, therefore implored those attending the events, to use the opportunity to provide alternatives to self medication as presently practiced by many fish farmers.

In a keynote address, Mr Enoch Ajiboso, Lagos state commissioner for agriculture and cooperatives, urged farmers to exercise caution when sourcing fish feeds and fish seeds for their farms.