Do you want to start an aquaculture or fish farming business? If YES, find here a list of 10 species groups’ fish farming business that you can start commercially with a small investment.
To start a fish farm business you need to ensure good returns, additionally, depending on a personal capacity and principles for a successful fish farming business. You can start this business of any size your desired but appropriate site. If you don’t have access to the water body, then also you can start different types of fish rearing at home in artificial ponds.
Though pond culture is the most popular and easy option in this industry. However, open water fish culture and tank culture are also getting immense popularity these days.
In starting this business, you must consider some of the major aspects. These are including proper pond construction knowledge, skill, financial support, market demand analysis, and agro-climatic condition in the respective site. You will need to determine the farming method and need to craft a business plan of your own. Before initiating any type of fish farming business, check the permission and licensing issues of your locality.
Table of Contents
Fish Farming Business:
Here top 10 species for fish farming business are given below.
1. Catfish Farming
Catfish farming is comparatively easy, especially in warmer climates. You can raise catfish both in the earthen ponds and tanks natural or artificial. Generally, catfish is populous because of its health benefits, market demand, and its fastest-growing. You can harvest farm-raised catfish at 6 to 8 months of age, in some cases, it may be before. And this ensures a quick return in this business.
There are about 40 types of catfish families in the world ever identified and over 2500 catfish species that exist. But only 39 are still alive out of these 40 types. The top three types of catfish that are commonly found which are blue catfish, channel catfish, and flathead catfish.
Benefits of Catfish Farming
The Catfish is widespread all over the world and is considered an important diet and source of protein.
It grows well in a warm climate. It also grows in earth ponds, concrete ponds, tanks or channels and reaches the market size of 1-1.5 kg within a relatively short time
Catfish can eat almost anything it can find in nature. As, on commercial production, it is important to feed it with better quality food to ensure growth very fast and desired weight or size.
Unlike other fish, catfish breathes fresh air from the atmosphere that is why it can survive and grow in brackish and low oxygen water. It can tolerate high density, up to 400 kg per M3 water.
Catfish has many practical selling options such as fresh, live, and more. Catfish is very popular worldwide and is the most desirable and preferred fish in Africa and Asia.
2. Cod Fish Farming
Codfish is another species for fish farming business, especially Atlantic cod is one of the most important commercial and popular fish species in Northern Europe and North America’s eastern coast. Hence, it is getting popular increasingly day by day. The market size for codfish is usually 2-4 kg and is achieved 24-36 months after hatching.
So, if you want to start a codfish farming business, then you must have long-term planning. Codfish farming commercially has also a long history. Sea-captain G.M. Danneving, the Norwegian, started first codfish farming in the 1880s. But he aimed to increase coastal cod stocks.
Benefits of Codfish Farming
Codfish is both a nutritious and flavorful fish which loaded with lean protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Although it contains lower in omega-3s than fatty fish, codfish can still be part of a healthy diet of all.
Codfish contains less mercury than some seafood, including popular fish like tuna fish, and can be prepared in multiple ways.
So, if you want to add something new to your plate, cod is easy to prepare at home.
3. Eel Fish Farming
Eels are one kind of a carnivorous fish, but getting popularity of cultivation as a fish farming business. They are long snake-like fish with a smooth, slimy scale-less skin. It’s a long-living species that spend most of their life in freshwater but migrate to the sea to breed. On average, the young eel fish live in the freshwater of rivers and streams for up to 12 years for males and up to 18 years for the females. Some species may reach even greater ages.
Then, as they reach sexual maturity their skin pigment becomes silvery, they put on weight and they migrate miles out into the seas to find the spawning grounds to breed. The eel only breeds once during its lifetime.
Eel fish farms are found in many countries, and the significant producers are European countries, Scandinavian countries, China, Taiwan, Australia, and Morocco, with the largest single producer being Japan. Commonly farmed species of eel are Longfin eel, European Eel, American eel, Japanese eel, etc.
Benefits of Eel fish Farming
Worldwide eel fish farming’s market value is estimated to be worth over US$1 billion, accounting for up to 65% of the total eel fish production.
Globally, eel is an important food fish in the current days. Because of their delicious taste, eels are becoming a popular protein source in every country including India sub-continent.
Therefore, starting a small-scale eel fish farming business is a lucrative opportunity for fish farmers.
5. Grass Carp Farming
Grass carp is a freshwater fish and familiar species for fish farming business. The fish is popular as white Amur in the United States. It inhabits lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. In farming grass carp, the major challenge is providing flowing water. This species occurs in lakes, ponds, pools, and backwaters of large rivers, slow-flowing, or standing water bodies with vegetation. In the wild, grass carp spawn in fast-moving rivers, and their eggs, which are slightly heavier than water, develop while drifting downstream, and kept in suspension by turbulence. The eggs are thought to die if they sink to the bottom.
Flowing water and changes in water level are essential environmental stimuli for natural spawning. Today, commercial grass carp fish farming business is very common and popular in many countries. But only some of these countries reported a production greater than 1000 tones. And those countries are Bangladesh, China, Iran, Laos, Russia, and Myanmar.
Benefits of Grass Carp farming
Grass Carp fish is both a nutritious and fastest-growing fish which loaded with lean protein and minerals.
Although it contains high in omega-3s than fatty fish, is helpful for a man’s health.
Its production cost is comparatively less; the food supply cost is also very low.
So, if you want to add something new to your plate, cod is easy to prepare at home.
6. Rohu Fish Farming
Rohu fish is one of the most important among the Indian major carps species used in carp poly-culture systems. Rohu fish farming business is getting popularity in the Indian sub-continent day by day.. This graceful Indo-genetic riverine species is the natural dweller of the riverine system of northern and central India, and the rivers of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. In India, it has been transferred into almost all riverine systems including the freshwaters, where its population has successfully established.
The species has also been introduced in many other countries, including Sri Lanka, the former USSR, Japan, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Nepal, and some countries of Africa. Rohu is a eurythermal species and does not thrive at temperatures below 14 °C. It is a fast-growing species and attains about 35-45 cm total length and 700-800 g in one year under normal culture conditions.
Benefits of Rohu Fish Farming
Rohu fish has protein that is easily edible and has a good net Protein Utilization.
Rohu is additionally enriched with omega-3 fatty acid and unsaturated fatty acid fatty acids and omega-3 favorably affects various risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and at the top of the list is reducing the risk of choppy death from a heart attack.
They’re usually found in 1:1 or 3:2 ratios in fish. These fatty acids are essential nutrients and enter every cell membrane in the human body, serving as a cell lubricant, improving flexibility and communication between cells, and aiding cell metabolism and gene expression.
Researchers have shown that omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat found primarily in fishes, can improve your chances of living longer if you have heart disease.
7. Shrimp Farming
Shrimp farming more popular aquaculture business than any other fish farming business in Bangladesh. Additionally, both the freshwater shrimp farming and marine culture are popular globally. Marine shrimp farming is popular in the United States, Western Europe, and in some Asian countries. Usually, the shrimp production and the success of your business largely depend on the quality of your pond.
There are at least 300 species of shrimp in the world, only a small portion is commercially available. The few categories are pink, white, brown, and red. The white shrimp you see in is usually pacific white shrimp. Pink shrimp can either be gulf pink shrimp, Maine shrimp, northern shrimp, Oregon pink shrimp, or southern pink shrimp.
Benefits of Shrimp Farming
The concerned people of shrimp farming are directly or indirectly to increase their household income which led them to more savings and investment resulting in better livelihood and socio-economic conditions.
Shrimp farming has helped some households to become rich and the majority of aqua-households improved their economic condition.
The average income of shrimp farmers is several times higher compared to those involved in rice farming.
Shrimp farming has contributed to poverty alleviation by creating employment opportunities.
The advantages gained from shrimp framing activities are higher than any other agricultural activity compared to land productivity. Thus, there is a growing interest of local people towards aquaculture.
8. Silver Carp Farming
As fish farming business starting and managing a silver carp business is comparatively easy. Additionally, the business demands small capital investment. Also, poly-culture farming is possible with other fishes. It is a freshwater species living in temperate conditions 6-28 °C. Additionally, good water quality is very important to achieve a high hatching rate in silver carp farming.
Benefits of Silver Carp Fish Farming
There are some benefits of silver carp fish farming business. The most notable benefits of commercial silver carp fish farming businesses are mentioned below.
As the silver carp fish is herbivorous and low in the food chain, it feeds and fertilizers are therefore easily available at very low cost.
The seeds are readily available from artificial breeding, without reliance on natural resources.
Production management is simpler and the farming period is shorter than for other carp fish species.
The silver carp fish can be poly-cultured with some other carp fish species, mainly due to its specific habitat.
The fish grows faster and reach marketing weight earlier than most other fish species.
9. Tilapia Farming
Tilapia is the third most popular fish in fish farming business or aquaculture, with the first two being carp and salmon. Tilapias are popular due to their high protein, large size, and growth capabilities. Tilapia is a tropical fish that requires warmer water to survive. The ideal water temperature is usually between 28 to 30 degrees C. Generally, tilapia fish require a cereal-based diet and don’t eat other fish, but they are also considered to be one of the most invasive fish species.
Three of the most commonly fished and eaten species of Tilapia are Nile, Blue and Mozambique. Varying in shape, size, and color, these three fish differ from one another in more ways than just how they look.
Benefits of tilapia Farming
Tilapia fish farming business is comparatively low and as in developing world, simple and low-cost techniques are the ones which have high adoption and success rate.
Tilapia survives well in adverse environmental conditions and it becomes the species of interest among common people as poor-mans fish. Comparatively rich farmers grow shrimps, prawns, catfish, Anabas, and snakeheads in Bangladesh.
However, tilapia started to attract even richer farmers as an alternative when shrimp and pangas farming were devastated by diseases. Tilapia was seen since then as potential species to become aquatic chicken which can be grown in culture systems ranging from backyard to intensively managed ponds.
Tilapia was found more attractive to most of the farmers compared to other commercially cultured species of Pangas, Koi, Shing, Magur, and Major carps as it offers several advantages and economic returns with quick cash flow than the others species.
10. Tuna Fish Farming
Tuna are carnivorous and eat other fish. These are saltwater fish and are important in the commercial fish farming business. Japan is the biggest consumer of tuna. There are different species of tuna including, bluefin, yellowfin, and albacore. The tuna fish farming business is somewhat complex. Because the fish are “massive” and are very active – so simulating their natural environment is extremely difficult. You can raise tuna in net pens offshore and in some cases in recirculation systems.
The tuna family is a large one. Two main tribes are Thunnini and Sardini. Thunnini is considered the “true tunas”, includes albacore, skipjack, blackfin, little tunny, yellowfin, and all three species of bluefin tuna. Sardini is more mackerel-like and includes dogtooth tuna and several smaller bonitos.
Benefits of Tuna Fish Farming
The high percentage of omega-3 fatty acids in tuna meat brings balance into the blood vessels and reducing the cholesterol in the arteries.
Lower cholesterol in arteries equals fewer problems in blood flow and heart pumps, which brings one’s improvement in heart health.
Tuna is rich in potassium chloride – a mineral that lowers the blood pressure importantly.
The meat of this fish is rich in manganese, zinc, vitamin C, and selenium – the antioxidants that are known as major boosters of the immune system.
The antioxidants fight the free radicals, the by-products of metabolism on the cellular level, which can cause multiple serious diseases, like cancer.
Vitamin D is the major building component of the bones. The benefits of this vitamin demonstrate in cancer prevention, strong and healthy bones.
