SOLUTION TO CHALLENGES FACING THE FISHERY SUB-SECTOR IN NIGERIA

In continuation of The Role of Fishery Sub-Sector to Sustainable Economic Development in Nigeria, we shall be discussing production challenges facing the sub-sector and how to go around them here.

Nigeria's total domestic fish production of close to 1 million metric tons (313,231 metric tons from aquaculture and 759,828 metric tons from fisheries) is grossly inadequate for domestic demand with a current national fish consumption at 13.3 kg/person/per year. Despite the high potential for fish production in Nigeria, (37,934 km2 continental shelf area, 853 km coastline, 210, 900km square mile exclusive economic zone, 14 million hectares of inland water surface area and an estimated 2.5m tones aquaculture potential), there is however, very little room for expansion in this area as recent data seem to suggest that operations are approaching or even have surpassed the their maximum sustainable yield as seen in the continuous fall in landing from captured fishes. The hope of fish supply in Nigeria therefore, hinges on developing aquaculture and culturing of fishes in larger scale to meet the high fish protein demand in the country. Challenges to modernization of aquaculture in Nigeria among other factors ranges from shortage of trained manpower, lack of knowledge on profitability of aquaculture as an industry, limited availability of fund (or capital), inadequate data base on the biology and ecological requirements of endemic fish species with aquaculture potentials, insufficient data on production and management techniques, high cost of feed, poaching and lack of rational aquaculture development planning should be properly addressed and attended to quickly. Other factors militating against the development of aquaculture in Nigeria needing urgent attention include lack of functional hatcheries and poor quality seeds which subsequently lead to stunted growth in fingerlings, and poor survival rate (high mortality rate) consequently leading to poor return on investment. The high rate of declining output in the demand-supply deficit and somewhat saturated sector in terms of productivity and fisher-folks employed in the sector can be solved by preserving capture fishes through sound management practices, expanding the scope of both subsistence and commercial fish farming in other to increase the fish output in the country. The strategic importance of developing the sub-sector in solving the dilemma of unemployment of artisan fisher-folks and insufficient fisheries products supply resulting from population increase, adoption of unsustainable fishing practices and environmental pollution in Nigeria cannot be over emphasized.