Fish farming training for Bulolo farmers

A TOTAL of 65 farmers from Mumeng and Watut in Bulolo participated in a week-long fish farming training to acquire basic fish farming skills.
The training was funded by the Bulolo district administration and was conducted by the Morobe fisheries management authority last month at Zenag Primary School.
Aquaculture officer Steve Norewec said the training was an  introductory course that covered both theory and practical.
He said the courses provided general fish farming information and techniques.
The skills training included site selection, pond construction, fertilisation, stocking, feeding, sex identification, brood stock care, spawning, rearing, harvesting, processing, marketing, fish health, disease identification and prevention and pond management.
Practical lessons also included constructing a demonstration pond.
Before the construction of the pond, Mr Norewec said a small survey was done to select a suitable site.
This was done by physically going through testing of soil, water and topography, he said.
Mr Norewec said a survey was usually done to ensure that the site selected for the pond did not result in seepage.
He said most of the participants were new fish farmers and the training was purposely to assist them gain a better knowledge and skills of aquaculture to promote sustainable fish farming.