Rivers builds 5 mega fish farms

Alapuye Cottrel, special adviser to the governor of Rivers on fisheries, has said that the government is building five mega fish farms in different parts of the state.

Cottrel told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt that the farms are located at Buguma, Ubima, Andoni, Opobo and Okrika.

According to him, each of them has the capacity to produce 1,000 tons of fish per annum, adding that the government also has smaller fish farms in other parts of the state.

“We also have small-and medium-scale fish farms located in other parts of the state and if you put all these together, they will produce enough fish to satisfy the local market.

“The state is naturally endowed and if we fully tap into the resources that are available in the state, we can go beyond feeding the nation”, he said.

“As a state government, we have five mega fish farms that are under construction. The one in Buguma is almost completed and is producing already, though we have not harvested.”

Cottrel said the government went into partnership with the private sector to build the fish farms, adding that when completed, they would be given to the investors to manage.

He said that each of the farms has the potential for employing more than 150 people.

According to him, Nigerians consume 1.2 million tons of fish annually, of which and 400,000 tons are produced locally.

“The idea of building the fish farms is to provide foundation for people to get interested and invest in the sector.

“We believe that the farms will attract investors to the state, create employment and wealth for our people”, he added.