Male Fish Breeding Course to Improve Quality, Supply

The programme will train 150 farmers drawn from across the country in the 160 constituencies where the government has established 200 fish ponds in each constituency through the Economic Stimulus Programme. The farmers are currently undergoing training at the National Aquaculture Research Development and Training Center in Sagana Kirinyaga county, reports TheStar.

Speaking during the official opening of the training Fisheries PS Micheni Ntiba said the programme intends to train farmers in the production of male fish which will be reared alone in a fish pond to boost quality.

Prof Ntiba said when fish are mixed in a pond the male spend most of their time reproducing while the female spend most of the time laying eggs and protecting the young ones hence affecting their growth and quality of meat.

He said the programme aims at training farmers in the production of male fingerlings and rearing them separately to ensue they pack meat properly hence boost the quality of meat as well as fetch better income for the farmers.

The farmers will be mandated to produce certified male fingerlings in their respective localities and supply them to farmers locally. Production of certified seed should be enforced by the government so as not to frustrate farmers, Prof Ntiba said.

Prof Ntiba said the ministry will also maintain a broad stock of female fish to produce eggs for reproductive purposes. Ntiba said many countries that have achieved medium income status in the world relied on fish to drive their economies. He, however, called on all the stakeholders in the fish industry to partner with his ministry to ensure they create awareness about fish across the country.