Farmer’s knowledge on aquaculture management practices and challenges in Tanzania

This study aimed at investigating the current management practices and status of the use of antimicrobials, disinfectants, and parasiticides in farm-raised fish in northern and eastern zones of Tanzania. Structured and semi-structured interviews were conducted across 130 aquaculture enterprises in both regions. Farmers reported using a total of seven different antimicrobial agents, including those for treating bacterial diseases such as bacillary necrosis of Pangasius (BNP) and motile aeromonad septicaemia (MAS), as well as a variety of disinfectants and parasiticides. Some farm owners and managers neither had advanced degrees nor specialized aquaculture training to manage, diagnose, and treat diseases in aquaculture environments. Tilapia and catfish were the two main fish species raised in both regions, either under concrete or earthen ponds in semi-intensive monoculture systems. To save on overall production costs, the majority of the farmers prepared their fish feed using locally available ingredients. However, they lacked proper knowledge of formulating high-quality fish feed and/or safe pond water management during production; these have a huge impact on overall fish health and consumer safety. For sustainable development of fish farming and good aquaculture management practices (GAMP), there’s a need for the fish farmers to have aquaculture technical training and access to available fish disease diagnosis services in order to ensure the fish farmers can make informed treatment choices, improve aquaculture knowledge and use innovative fish farming approaches.