Photo credit: Asma Sabi (Togo) Description: Asma Sabi and Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the website)
The inserted photo shows a cage farming operation in Lake Nangbeto in Togo. The lake is a man-made lake for hydro-electric power generation with a size of 18,000 ha.
Cage farming was introduced in Lake Nangbeto by private investors. It is believed that cage aquaculture in lakes such as Lake Nangbeto can contribute to aquaculture production in Togo once found economically feasible especially in regard to the high cost of fish feed.
Even though aquaculture in Togo is still in its infancy stage with a production of about 25, 58 and 98 tons in 2014, 2015 and 2016, Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the leading species representing 76, 69 and 54% of total aquaculture in the three mentioned years.
In the cage operation shown in the picture, the fingerlings of tilapia are either produced in Togo or imported from Ghana. The feed used is imported extruded pelleted feed. The cages in this farm are square with 5 meters for length and width while the depth is also 5 meters.
