a) Describe five factors required for establishing a fish pond (b) Enumerate six management practices for maintain-rig high fish yield
Explanation
(a) Five factors required for establishing a fish pond are: (1) Adequate water supply: (i) Water is one of the most important factors necessary for siting a fish pond because the habitat of fish is water. (ii) The water must be clean and of high quality. (iii) The right quantity must be available (iv) The water must be free from pollution. (v) The water must not have bad smell, taste or colour.
(2) Soil in the area: (i) Fertile soil is the best soil because it contains nutrients (ii) Clay soil must be prevented in the area because of its ability to hold water
(3) Topography (or shape of the land): The land must be slopy to (i) ensure easy drainage of water during harvesting. (ii) enable water to flow into the pond
(4) Vegetation of the area: (i) Low vegetation, e q. grassland is preferred (ii) Woodlands tiro not suitable because it will increase the cost of the project through clearing and stumping.
(5) Availability of supplementary feed stuffs: (i) This promotes rapid growth of fish. (ii) It permits high stocking density of fish. (iii) It ensures early harvesting of the fish.
(b) Six management practices for maintaining high fish yield are. (i) Regular feeding (ii) Removal of weeds from pond (iii) Regular supply of clear and clean water (iv) Prevention of fish diseases (v) Keeping off predators, (vi) Regular harvesting to prevent over population