Meaning of Fish Farming Equipment
Fish farming equipment refers to the different types of tools or devices used for culturing, harvesting, and processing fish. Fish farming establishment remains one of the most crucial aspects of the fish farming industry.
Poor pond establishment and management will constitute serious challenges on the fish farm. From site selection to harvesting, certain tools and equipment are paramount for the adequate performance of fish and other aquatic animals on the farm.
Different operations in the fish farm require the use of various equipment and tools such as stocking, hatching, vaccination, feeding, processing, and marketing fish and other aquaculture. Each of these requires the use of special tools and equipment for effective and efficient production of fish.
Tools and Equipment are very crucial in fish farming as they aid in the establishment of ponds, handling, feeding, caring, and maintenance of fish ponds.
Aquacultural equipment and tools vary significantly depending on the management, size of the fish pond/ farm, and types of fish reared. These equipment may be outdoor or indoor fish farming equipment.
Fish farming equipment used in the fishery industrious include nets, fish baskets, hooks and lines, cages, Secchi discs, Weighing balances, pliers, salinometer (hydrometer), Boat, spears, drying racks vats, drums, shovels, hypodermic syringes, (Vaccination Equipment), refrigerator, knife, knapsack sprayer, hammers, rake, lantern, etc.
These equipment and tools are classified into pond measurement tools and digging tools, hatchery tools, processing and preservation equipment, feeding equipment, vaccinating equipment, and marketing equipment
These equipment are very affordable, durable, and can be fabricated locally to help fish farmers attain and achieve their fish farming objectives.
Fish Farming Equipment and Their Uses
The fish farming equipment in fish farming industries will be discussed under the following classes.
Pond Measurement, Digging, and Construction Tools
These are used for marking, measuring, digging, and constructing fish ponds. They are very vital in the fish farming industries, and all activities leading to the take off the farming begin with them.
They are usually conventional agricultural tools or simple farm tools. Examples of these types of tools and equipment are excavators, tree pullers, bulldozers, spades, measuring taps, shovels, ropes, pegs, hand trowels, hammers, screwdrivers, and cutlasses.
Pond Measurement, Digging, and Construction Tools and Their Uses
The types of pond measurement, digging, and construction equipment, and their uses are
| S/no | Pond measurement, Digging, and construction equipment | Uses |
| 1 | Excavator | It is excellent equipment for digging an earthen pond |
| 2 | Tree puller | It is suitable for pulling and stumping under bench trees during pond sitting and construction. |
| 3 | Bulldozer | very appropriate for removing bushes, leveling, and unearthing an earthen pond |
| 4 | Measuring tap | It is used for measuring the length, breadth, and depth of fish pond |
| 5 | Spade | It is used for digging, mixing, and packing mortar during pond construction |
| 6 | Shovel | It is used for packing sand from ponds or fixing concrete |
| 7 | Rope | It is used for marking straight lines during pond concretion. |
| 8 | Peg | It is most appropriate for pegging during pond construction |
| 9 | Hand trowel | It is used for arranging and smoothening mortar during concrete pond construction |
| 10 | Hammer | It is used for nailing tarpaulin to wood for tarpaulin pond |
| 11 | Screwdriver | It is used for screwing nuts and bolts when fixing water, light fittings on ponds |
| 12 | Tarpaulin | It is used for the construction of a tarpaulin pond |
| 13 | Cutlass | It is used for clearing and cutting tarpaulin and other wooden materials |
Fish Hatchery Tools and Equipment
These are fish farming equipment used for brooding and hatching brood stock. This equipment is directed to achieve the spawning of fish. The equipment used in spawning fish should be well maintained and disinfected because dirty equipment may lead to fungi attacks on fry or fingering.
Good quality equipment should be used in hatching fish, as this equipment has an impact on the growth of fish. Examples of fish hatchery tools and equipment in fish farming are bed hatchery trout, recirculating drum, egg hatching jar, egg incubator, wide bow, kakaban (spongy nets), razor blade or surgical knife, hydro dermic syringe, clean rag or cloth, hand glove, fingering seine
Fish Hatchery Equipment and their Uses
The fish hatchery equipment and their uses are
| S/no | Fish Hatchery Equipment | Uses |
| 1 | Bed hatchery trout | It is a pond used for growing and raising fingerlings immediately after spawning. |
| 2 | Recirculating drum or bow | It is an advanced pond for growing and raising fingerlings immediately after spawning |
| 3 | Wide bow | Suitable for housing broods tock temporarily before hatching fish, and for transporting fingering or fry pond. |
| 4 | Egg hatching jar | Suitable for housing broodstock, temporarily used for hatching fish, and for transporting fingering to the fingerling or fry pond. |
| 5 | Kakaban (spongy nets) | It is used for collecting fertilized fish eggs, preventing fertilized eggs from sinking down the jar, avenues for hatching fertilized eggs and serving as a natural ecosystem for fry to habits |
| 6 | Razor blade or surgical knife | For tearing or cutting the broodstock stomach to remove fertilized egg |
| 7 | Hydro dermic syringe | Excellent for injecting the pituitary gland into the broodstock |
| 8 | Clean rag or cloth | Use for holding the fish egg for injecting the pituitary gland |
| 9 | Hand glove | Excellent for protecting the hand from coming into contact with the broodstock and other uses on the farm |
| 10 | Ovaprim or pituitary hormone | It is a synthetic hormone used to induce brood stock for hatching. |
Water Screening, Monitoring and Control Equipment
These are equipment used to screen, monitor, and control water quality for the optimal performance of fish. The soil or water PH level, salinity (salt content of the pond), and water quality are paramount to the survival of fish.
Water with high levels of acidity, and salinity are not good for fish rearing and management. Certain instruments or equipment are available for screening, monitoring, and control of the quality of water in the pond.
Water Screening, Monitoring, and Control Equipment and their Uses
Water Screening, Monitoring, and control equipment their uses are
| S/no | Water Screening, Monitoring and Control Equipment | Uses |
| 1 | Ph scale or indicator | Suitable for determining the level of acidity or alkalinity of the pond water. |
| 2 | thermometer | Excellent for determining the degree of hotness and coldness of the pond water. |
| 3 | Secchi disc | Most appropriate for determining the degree of pond turbidity (i.e. transparency) |
| 4 | Refractometers | suitable for estimating the water content of a pond (i.e. the mixture of substances in the pond water) |
| 5 | Hydrometer | Useful for ascertaining the level of characteristics of water in terms of their relative density or specific gravity (weight per unit volume) |
| 6 | Pumping machine | Excellent for pumping water from the soil to the water tank for the circulation of fresh water on the farm |
| 7 | Oxygen aerator | Excellent for aerating ponds (i.e. supplying oxygen to the pond water). |
Harvesting Equipment
These are tools designed to harvest fish from the artificial pond or the wild. Harvesting fish is one of the enjoyable moments of the fish farming business because harvesting fish is the crux of fish farming.
These tools can be locally fabricated or imported. Examples of Harvesting equipment are boats, gill nets, traps and hook and lines, Hooks, Fishing rods, Fishing reels, Fishing bait, spears, Bite indicators, seine nets, scoop nets, and baskets.
Fish Hatchery Equipment and their Uses
some of the fish hatchery equipment and their Uses are
| S/no | Fish Harvesting Equipment | Uses |
| 1 | Boats | The boats are used to carry harvested fish on the pond or in the wild. |
| 2 | Gill nets | It is a long rectangular nylon net designed of various sizes and shapes that are used for harvesting fish of various sizes in the wild. |
| 3 | Traps | These baskets are made of stick wood, raffia palm, or nylon stride tied together which are used for catching fish in the pond. |
| 4 | Hook and lines | This is a long nylon stride tied together with a floater and is used for catching fish on the pond. |
| 5 | Hook | The hook is a metal rod tied to a stick but without a floater for catching fish in the pond |
| 6 | Fishing rods | It is a lengthy, slim rod design for catching fish in the wide or pond |
| 7 | Fishing reels | excellent for casting nets and mending fishing nets. |
| 8 | Fishing bait | The fish bait is usually added to the hook so as to facilitate fish-catching |
| 9 | Spear | The spear is made of different slim rods with sharp edges used for catching fish by piercing. |
| 10 | Seine nets | A seine net is a very long and wide net like a bag used on the boat for catching fish. |
| 11 | Baskets | It is used for scooping ponds so as to catch fish. |
| 12 | cutlass | excellent for cutting fish, sticks, and mending fishing nets. |
Fish Preservation and Storage Equipment
These tools are designed to keep harvested fish from spoilage or attack by microorganisms. Unpreserved fishes can easily infested by microorganisms, and rotten.
They are used to keep fish safe after harvesting. Fish Container, Fish holds, fish boxes, canning, freezing, smoking, and pickling, heating kiln, freezing, Fish container, cutting machine, Skinning machines, Scaling machines, heat treating machine, defrosting machine
Fish preservation and storage Equipment and their Uses
Fish preservation and storage equipment includes
| S/no | Fish preservation and storage equipment | Uses |
| 1 | Fish Container | It is suitable for transporting chilled fish and other aquatic fishes. |
| 2 | Fish holds | Appropriate for storing and transporting fish on a large scale |
| 3 | Fish box | Appropriate for transporting and supplying fishes |
| 4 | Skinning machines | Excellent machine for removing skins from fishes |
| 5 | Scaling machines | It is used for skinning, and descaling fishes |
| 6 | Heat treating machine | Suitable for heating, drying, smoking, cooking, and baking of fishes |
| 7 | Defrosting machine | Excellent for defrosting frozen or blocked fishes |
| 8 | Cutting machine | Excellent for frozen fish and other aquatic animals. |
| 9 | Knife | It is used for cutting, skinning, and descaling fishes |
| 10 | Smoking kiln | appropriate for drying harvested fish through smoking |
| 11 | Canning machine | suitable for canning fish, and other aquatic animals. |
| 12 | Freezing machine (refrigerator) | Excellent for frozen fish and other aquatic animals. |