As someone who is self-sufficient and off-the-grid, you want to be able to provide everything for you and your family. Homesteaders aim to source their food, water and other needs for themselves rather than rely on grocery stores and other mainstream resources.
Although many homesteaders resort to growing their own produce and raising cattle, chickens, pigs and other animals with legs, you might be missing the taste of fish and seafood. By raising your own fish, you can add another protein source right in your backyard.
Backyard fish farming is just as practical as any other type of farming. You already have a freshwater source for your water needs, so why not implement that in another way? Fish provide another way to offer a healthy diet to your family, and you can achieve a higher level of self-sufficiency.
Starting your own fish farm may seem like a daunting task to some, but with a little bit of planning and a few resources, you can get started raising your own fish.
Why Should You Start Your Own Fish Farm?
Aquaculture is ideal for rural and small communities. Often, those communities don’t have access to fresh fish and have to source it from grocery stores where the food may travel from thousands of miles away.
When you start your own fish farm, you have the opportunity to provide fresh fish for yourself, and if you desire, you can sell that fish to others in your community, offering them local, sustainable food.
Throughout history, aquaculture as a whole has had a negative reputation. Many people associate it with commercial fish farming facilities. These facilities often require significant amounts of energy and water and are usually a significant source of pollution for both the air and water.
However, with modern and sustainable fish farming techniques, you can be a provider of environmentally friendly food. You likely already have a lot of the skills it takes to be an aquaculture farmer, too. Both gardening and fishing require similar care — they need warmth, a particular season to grow, regular maintenance and your time. Once you get started, you can master raising several types of fish, whether indoors or outdoors, throughout the year.
Learn the Types of Fish Farming: Intensive and Extensive
Before you begin your own fish farm, you need to learn the types of fish farming. There are two types — intensive and extensive. You can do both of these in your backyard.
Intensive fish farming occurs when a company uses smaller tanks to raise the fish. The fish farmers who use intensive farming must ensure that they are correctly managing the tanks. They produce a lot of fish in a small area.
Extensive fish farming, on the other hand, uses larger ponds for their fish. This type of fish farming makes the ecosystem more natural. There are plants and other organisms that the fish can feed on, offering them a lifestyle similar to those fish in the wild.
Consider the Four Aquaculture Systems
Next, you’ll want to consider the four different aquaculture methods for raising fish in your backyard. Depending on the space you have available and any supplies you already have, you can choose between:
- Cage Culture: If you have access to a pond on your property or know someone who would allow you to raise fish in theirs, you can create a cage system to raise the fish. All you need to do is create a cage using a plastic pipe and netting in the pond. Stock it with fingerlings and feed the fish until they are mature enough to harvest.
- Greenhouse Aquaponics: You can combine your greenhouse with fish farming through aquaponics. It uses a variety of plants to provide a filtration system. You can grow things like lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes using the water from the fish farm, much like hydroponics.
- Flow-Through: Flow-through systems require a source of flowing, cold water. They divert water from streams or even springs into raceways that house the fish.
- Home Recirculating: If your only water source comes from a hose, then this method would work best for you. You can create a miniature fish farm using a swimming pool, or if you have a small backyard pond, you could create a koi pond.
These four methods are the most practical for a backyard fish farmer.
Understand the Costs
Although fish farming seems like the right move for your homestead, you have to understand the associated costs. Depending on the method you choose for fish farming, you could end up spending a couple of hundred dollars to a few thousand.
You’ll have to keep up with maintenance costs, as well as feed and filtration. You’ll also need to purchase the fish you raise unless you plan on breeding them yourself. However, if you decide to sell the fish you grow, you can begin making a profit. The more money you make, the more you can invest in your fish farm.
Have a Good Location
You’ll need to choose your location for your fish farm. Of course, it will likely be on your property somewhere. However, you need to decide if it will be a small scale or something a little bit bigger. Consider how far you are willing to walk every day to maintain your fish and add any nutrients or feed as needed. Ensure you have storage near the fish to hold food and other supplies.
If you decide on a smaller farm, you can keep your tank or pond in your backyard. Make sure it’s near a water source so you can fill it up as needed. If you’re going to go large-scale, your location will be in your pond, stream or lake on or near your property.
Source Fresh Water
Water is the most important thing for your fish. Just like humans need oxygen to breathe, fish need water to live. Without water, you wouldn’t be able to have a fish farm. You need to have a source of freshwater for your fish farm. If you put them in unclean or poor water, you risk affecting their growth and productivity.
Ensure you learn about what certain fish need in their water. Although humans typically drink water from government treatment plants, that water could kill your fish. However, since you’re likely living off-grid, the water you have is more natural and may be suitable for your fish.
Choose the Right Housing for Your Fish
There are a few different housing options for your fish. If you have a backyard pond, then you’re already set and have a place for your fish to live. If not, you can choose another container for them.
Many homesteaders will use an older swimming pool or even create a small koi pond for their fish. They need a comfortable place to live. The more natural you make the environment, the better it will be for them. A plastic swimming pool or tank may be an excellent option to start with, so you can get used to the fishery business before expanding.
Decide on the Species of Fish to Raise
Once you decide on the system that works best for your homestead, you can choose which species you want to raise. Below are some of the most common types of farm-raised fish and the conditions they prefer so you can better decide which would work in your environment:
- Tilapia: Tilapia is one of the best fish for aquaculture. They tolerate poor water conditions and can grow on lower-protein foods. They do need warmer water, though, as they will die if water temperatures go below 50 degrees.
- Carp: Although carp usually aren’t considered the tastiest fish, they do well in a backyard aquaculture setup. As long as you keep the water clean and warm and prepare the food properly, it tastes good. Carp are hardy and resistant to many diseases as well.
- Catfish: Catfish are a good choice for beginner fish farmers. They grow quickly, have a great taste, are resistant to disease and stay free of parasites.
- Trout and Salmon: Trout and salmon are incredibly flavorful fish. However, they do require more precise growing conditions. They need cooler temperatures and need careful management of oxygen levels. You can farm them together, too.
- Bass: Another fish great for fish farming is the bass, specifically hybrid striped bass. It has a mild taste and survives well in cages and recirculating systems. Bass does require a lot of care, though.
- Shellfish: Finally, you can raise sustainable shellfish, like crawfish, shrimp and even lobster, if you live in suitable regions.
Any of these fish would be great for starting your own fish farm. Once you get more involved in fish farming, you can add more fish housing and add various others.
Get Proper Fish Feeds
As a fish farmer, you’ll need to provide food for your fish. Giving them the proper nutrition will help them stay healthy and grow into good quality food. One of the benefits of having your fish live in a pond is that they can feed on the naturally-occurring foods, like bacteria, worms, insects, plankton, fish and aquatic plants.
If your fish don’t have access to naturally occurring foods, then you’ll need to give them food. One option is supplementary fish feed. It’s a mixture of cheaper materials like kitchen scraps, terrestrial plants and agricultural by-products. This is only supplementary, so you’ll have to provide your fish with other feed. The other option is to offer them complete feed, made for fish and full of healthy ingredients and nutrients.
Form the Fish Ecosystem
To form the fish ecosystem of choice, whether it’s a koi pond, pool or pond, you need to fill it up with water. Leave the water untreated. Adding chemicals like chlorine or any others you would put in a pool to keep it clean would harm the fish.
Then, you can add your fish. As soon as you add the fish, give them food because the ecosystem won’t yet be able to form its own food. Be aware that some fish will probably die because of shock or other reasons. Leave them there as it helps to build up the ecosystem. After you add the fish, add urine and feeder organisms to build the ecosystem further. Feeder organisms and aquatic plants will help keep it clean.
Raise Your Fish
You can now begin to raise your fish. As a homesteader, you want to be as self-sufficient as possible. You can make your own fish food by growing it. You can find ways to reduce your power input, too. Once your fish have fully developed to the correct size for harvesting, you can gather them and use them as food.
Start small in fish farming. You’ll gradually gain new information and insight about how to make your fish farm as sustainable as possible. There is always room for improvement.
Make a Profit
Fish is becoming food that a lot of people want. It’s a healthier alternative to other meats since it’s so lean and full of nutrients. Although the demand for fish has increased, people want to ensure that it’s sustainably sourced. They’re conscious about where their fish comes from since commercial fisheries aren’t always sustainable.
Since you’ll be using sustainable practices as you raise your fish, you’ll have a unique opportunity to sell your fish to your local community. It’ll be nutritious, healthy and free of harsh chemicals. Once you create a customer base, the fish farm will pay for itself.
Use the Fish You Raised
Of course, the whole point of starting your own fish farm is to use the fish you raised. Once they’re mature, you can harvest and prepare your fish to eat. Learn how to clean and cook the various types of fish you grew.
If you need to preserve them, you can freeze the fish, can them, smoke them, salt and dehydrate them or even pickle them. Fish are susceptible to tissue decomposition, so you need to ensure that you find a method of preservation that keeps the fish fresh so you can eat it months after your harvest.
Fish Farming for Sustainability
Using this opportunity to create an added protein source makes your homestead all the more sustainable. If you are already equipped with farming knowledge, you can dive into fish farming reasonably quickly and easily. What kind of fish will you raise on your fish farm?
Author Bio:
Jane is the editor-in-chief of Environment.co. She is passionate about sustainability, gardening and homesteading.
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