ANALYSIS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND PRACTICES OF FISH FARMERS TOWARDS FISH HEALTH MANAGEMENT IN MAIDUGURI AND ITS ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

The analysis of socio-economic and practices of fish farmers towards fish health management was carried out in Maiduguri and its environment. The aim was to know the social characteristic of fish farmers, farming practices and to ascertain their biosecurity during fish farming. Atotal of 50 questioners constituting six questions on the socio-economics, twenty on practices towards fish farming and seven on biosecurity were made and distributed to 50 respondents within Maiduguri and its environment. The result shows that 76% of the people involved in fish farming are men with 68% out of them were single. More than 50% of the farmer’s qualifications are secondary school and diploma holders with few (20%) of them having children above 12.The types of culture media use mostly by these farmers are the concrete pond (94%) and they mostly involve in monoculture (68%). For those that involve in fish breeding, they always obtain their parent stock from other farms (74%) rather than raising them in their own farm. The farmers experience mortality in their farms because they do not have knowledge of fish management such as diagnosing, feeding, water quality analysis, medication, vaccine, good water source and so on. The use of biosecurity such as sanitation, disinfection, sterilization of materials, use of protective cloths, discard of effluent water and mortalities were not done in the usual manner and these may lead to reduction in fish production in hatcheries.