Photo credit: Yaya Drabo (Burkina Faso)
Review: Yaya Drabo and Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the website)
The inserted photos show the fish harvest of a one-hectar pond in a private fish farm located in “Di” village, Province Sourou, Burkina Faso. The women shown in the photos are storekeepers who attended the harvest and to buy the need of their stores out of the harvest. As shown in the photos, the African Arowana (Heterotis niloticus) is the main species of the catch.
Typically, the growing season of African Arowans is about 12 months during which fish can attain a weight of about 4 kg/piece. The feed provided is mainly composed of available food stuff such as corn, appropriate byproducts and others. The fingerlings of the species are collected from freshwater natural resources. In the present, the pond production amounts about 8 tons/ha and it is believed there is enough room for development. In addition to African arowans, tilapia and African catfish are also farmed.