4. ECONOMICS OF FISH SEED PRODUCTION

4.1 Economics of Spawn Production

The most typical size hatcheries used in Bangladesh are available for production of about 50 kg spawn. In these hatcheries there are usually one circular type incubator for spawning and incubation and there are 4 or 5 funnel-type incubators. Moreover, there are there the necessary overhead tank, shallow tube well and other accessory installations. The owners usually have some fish pond, but majority of the ponds are rented by hatchery owners.

For production of 1 kg spawn about 12–15 kg female and male broodfish are necessary, considering 1 spawning in one season. Broodfish requirement for production of 50 kg spawn is about 700 kg broodfish. To maintain this broodfish population, about 0.4 ha pond is required.

The expenditures incurred for maintenance of broodfish in a 0.4 ha pond are:

The expenditures for running a fish hatchery are as follows:

4.2 Economics of Fingerling Production

Expenditures and incomes of private farmers using traditional (monocycle) production methods and improved method of fingerling production in Jessore, are detailed in Table 22. Profit over investment in Jessore area is about Tk 19/kg (18%).

Table 23 contains the profitability of fingerling production, if technology recommended by BGD/87/045 FAO Fisheries Project is used. It was developed by modification of fingerling production technology in use in Jessore town area. In this table profitability of production when production target of fingerling with 10 g, 5 g and 3 g average weight are shown. Moreover, it shows economy of small size (1–2 g weight) fingerling production using modified methodology. Three types of economic calculation were developed in the case of each production target. In type “a” market price of stocking material was used in calculation, while in type “b” we calculated using production cost of stocking material. In type “c” production cost of stocking material was used, but no bank interest was taken into account, as private farmers do at evaluation of profitability of their activity.

Profitability of fingerling production is naturally lower or there is loss where total expenditure was calculated with market price of stocking material, instead of production cost.

Production cost of 1 kg large size fingerling is Tk 27, profit over investment on production of one kg fingerling being Tk 38 (141%).

As data show, profitability of fingerling production decreases with increasing of stocking density from 14/m² to 30/m², as price of stocking material comes to be a significant part of expenditure. As decrease in unit price (price/piece) of fingerling is not proportionate to decrease in weight, applying very high stocking density (for getting large number of small size fingerling) fingerling production is more profitable, though profit is significantly lower than profit of large size fingerling production. Moreover, profit of those farmers who are able to use blood or other valuable animal protein source will be much higher.

TABLE 22
SUMMARY OF THE SURVEY CARRIED OUT ON PRIVATE FINGERLING PRODUCTION FARMS

I.:Farldpur, Kumarkhall, Kushtla, Natore, Sreemongal
II.: Jessore
* The prenursed fry are not sold but used in the same farm for stocking for fingling production ponds.

TABLE 23
ECONOMICS OF FINGERLING PRODUCTION IN MODIFIED TECHNOLOGY

RELEVANT LITERATURE

Body, C.E., 1979: Water Quality in warmwater fish ponds. Auburn Univ. Agricultural Experiment Station. pp 358.

Gerking, S., 1978: Ecology of Freshwater Fish Production. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford. pp.520.

Hepher, B. and Pruginin, Y., 1981: Commercial Fish Farming. A. Willey-Interscience Publications, New York. pp.261.

Horvath, L., Tamas, G., Tolg, I., 1984: Special methods in Pond Fish Husbandry. Ed. by J.E. Halver. Akademia Kiado, Budapest. Halver Corporation, Seattle. pp 147.

Jhingran, V.G. and Pullin, R.S.V., 1985: A Hatchery Manual for the Common, Chinese and Indian Major Carps. Asian development Bank, International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management. pp 191.

New, M.B., 1987: Feed and feeding of fish and shrimp. A manual on the preparation and preservation of the compound feeds for shrimp and fish in aquaculture. FAO/UNDP, ADCP/REP/87/26, Rome. pp 278.

Winberg, G.G., 1956: Rate of metabolism and food requirements of fish. Belorussian State Univ. Minsk. Fish Res. Bd. Canada Trans. Ser. No. 194. 1960.

Woynarovich, E., 1975: Elementary guide to fish culture in Nepal. FAO/UN, Rome.

Woynarovich,E. and Horvath,L., 1980: The artificial propagation of warm-water finfishes-a manual for extension. FAO Fish.Tech.Pap. (201) : 183p.