About this module
Level 1 grew one crop of fish. Level 2 runs a farm: legal, measured, biosecure and profitable.
Who it is for. People who have finished Fish Farming (Level 1) and grown at least one crop, or who can show the same skills. National Proficiency II covers varied work done under limited supervision.
CTVET status. No CTVET aquaculture programme was found. An online aquaculture course was certified by COTVET in 2019. This module is not a CTVET curriculum.
Bridge from Level 1: what you already know
- Site and soil tests, pond parts and the lime table
- Stocking all-male tilapia at 4–8 per m² and acclimatising fish
- Day's feed = number of fish × average weight × feeding %; sampling 30 fish
- Secchi disc, pH and dawn gasping checks; stop feeding when fish gasp
- Signs of sick fish; burying dead fish
- Harvesting, size grades, profit and return sums
New since Level 1. Ghana passed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146). Level 1 used the older 2010 rules. Unit 1 updates them.
How the module works
Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme split of about 30% school and 70% workplace.
Unit 1 · License and plan a commercial farm
A commercial fish farm now needs registration, a licence and insurance. Know the law before you dig.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 1.1 Explain the licence duties | lists registration, licence, permit and insurance duties under Act 1146 |
| 1.2 Rate a site | rates sites for water, market, flood and mining risk |
| 1.3 Plan biosecurity and records | writes a farm biosecurity plan and a quarterly records system |
Range. The training farm and one possible new site. Evidence. Licence checklist; site report; biosecurity plan.
The 2025 Act
The Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146) became law in August 2025. It says:
- A commercial farm must be registered by the Fisheries Commission, hold a valid licence and valid insurance. Breaking this can bring a heavy fine or prison.
- To qualify you need an EPA environmental permit, a Water Resources Commission water-use permit, basic training and a biosecurity plan.
- Small subsistence holding facilities need registration only.
- You must report disease immediately, keep water-quality monitoring, get approval before breeding or selling fingerlings, keep waste on site, report escapes within 12 hours, keep records and send quarterly reports.
- Moving fish between farms needs written permission.
Regulations giving the fees and forms were still being reviewed with stakeholders, including at a workshop in Takoradi. Ask the Fisheries Commission office for current fees. Some District Assemblies also need an operating permit. Small and medium farms can get an EPA permit within about 25 working days if their papers are complete.
Insurance. The Act requires insurance, but no Ghanaian aquaculture insurance product was confirmed. A study in the Eastern Region looked at fish farmers' interest in insurance. Check with the Fisheries Commission and the National Insurance Commission.
Site risks
- Illegal mining has polluted rivers such as the Pra and Ankobra with mercury and silt. Never take water downstream of mining.
- The October 2023 Akosombo dam spillage cost fish farmers about GH¢58 million in stock. Check flood risk.
- In the Western Region, an aquaculture project gave farmers holding facilities, fingerlings and feed, and Amenfi West farmers asked for help with water quality, seed and feed.
Licence and site
- Write a checklist of every permit and document the farm needs.
- Score one possible new site for water, roads, market, flood and mining risk.
- Write a one-page biosecurity plan.
Fisheries office
Visit or call the Fisheries Commission in Takoradi. Ask what a commercial licence needs.
Unit 2 · Manage water quality in depth
Test the water before the fish tell you. By the time they gasp, you are already losing money.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 2.1 Measure water quality | measures oxygen, ammonia, nitrite, pH, alkalinity and temperature at the right times |
| 2.2 Read the results | works out toxic ammonia from pH and temperature; checks the chloride-to-nitrite ratio |
| 2.3 Act on readings | plans aeration and water exchange and acts on results |
Range. Two ponds or tanks for four weeks. Evidence. Water record sheets; action log.
Target ranges
pH 6.5–8.5, dissolved oxygen above 3 mg/L and ammonia below 0.03 mg/L.
Ammonia
- Total ammonia is two forms: one is toxic and one is not. Below pH 8 less than 10% is toxic, but the share rises fast with higher pH and temperature, so it peaks in the late afternoon.
- Ammonia comes mainly from protein in feed. Aeration does not remove ammonia, and liming can make it worse by raising pH. Ammonia jumps after an algae bloom dies.
Nitrite
Nitrite causes "brown blood". Chloride protects fish: keep chloride at least 20 mg/L and at least 10 times the nitrite level, which can be done with salt.
When to test
- Dawn: dissolved oxygen is lowest
- Late afternoon: pH and toxic ammonia are highest
- After heavy feeding, rain or a bloom crash
- Before stocking and before harvest
High-density catfish farming may need a quarter of the water changed every day.
Water log
- Test two ponds at dawn and in late afternoon twice a week for four weeks.
- Record results and weather.
- Write what you did for any reading outside the targets.
Read the pattern
Which reading changed most between dawn and afternoon? Why?
Unit 3 · Biomass, feeding and growth records
Feed is most of your cost. Feed what the fish need, measure growth, and find out what each kilogram of fish costs you.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 3.1 Calculate biomass | calculates biomass and stocking density in ponds, tanks and cages |
| 3.2 Set rations | sets rations by body weight; calculates FCR |
| 3.3 Keep growth charts | samples, charts growth and grades fish |
Range. One grow-out cycle. Evidence. Biomass and ration sheets; growth chart; FCR sum.
Biomass and ration
Biomass = number of fish × average weight Day's feed = biomass × feeding % for that size FCR = kg of feed fed ÷ kg of fish gained
For African catfish at 25–27 °C, the ration falls from about 10% of biomass at the start to about 4% at 18 g, about 2.7% at 52 g, about 2.3% at 102 g and about 1.8% at 200 g. Catfish need feed of 35–42% protein.
Feed is 60–70% of cage farm costs.
Sums
- 5,000 tilapia average 120 g. What is the biomass?
- They are fed 3% of biomass a day. How much feed?
- Over a cycle, 1,800 kg of feed produced 1,200 kg of fish gain. What is the FCR?
Grow-out records
- Sample 30 fish every two weeks. Record average weight.
- Recalculate biomass and ration each time.
- Plot a growth chart and calculate FCR at harvest.
- Grade fish by size and move them if needed.
Feed price
Get today's price of a bag of floating fish feed at two dealers.
Unit 4 · Produce fingerlings
Good fingerlings are often scarce. A farmer who can produce them has a business of their own.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 4.1 Manage tilapia breeding | manages broodstock, collects fry and assists with sex reversal safely |
| 4.2 Spawn catfish | assists hormone-induced spawning, stripping and incubation of Clarias |
| 4.3 Nurse and sell fry | nurses fry, controls cannibalism and knows the approval needed to sell seed |
Range. One tilapia and one catfish breeding round. Evidence. Hatchery records; fry counts.
Tilapia
- Breed 1 male to 3 females of 80–100 g; fry appear in 10–15 days. Collect fry every 7–21 days. Retire breeders after 1.5–2 years.
- Sex reversal makes nearly all-male fry by feeding a hormone (17α-methyltestosterone) in feed for 21–28 days to fry under 13 mm.
- Nurse about 750 fry per m² at 0.2 g, 450 at 0.5 g and 250 at 1 g.
Hormone safety. Methyltestosterone may cause cancer and harm fertility. At this level the trainer mixes hormone feed. Wear gloves, goggles, a mask and protective clothing. No pregnant or breastfeeding staff. Mix away from flames, because the solvent burns. Label and store treated feed safely.
Catfish (Clarias)
- Breeders weigh 300–800 g; males must be at least 7 months old.
- Females are injected with a hormone (for example hCG or a pituitary) and stripped of eggs after about 11 hours at 25 °C or 8 hours at 28 °C. Eggs hatch in about 22–27 hours.
- Nurse larvae at about 100 per m² and harvest by day 35–40, or they eat each other. With good care, 30–40% survive.
The law. You need Fisheries Commission approval to breed fish or sell fingerlings.
Hatchery round
- Help set up a tilapia breeding hapa and collect fry.
- Assist the trainer with one catfish spawning.
- Count fry and record survival each week.
Seed demand
Ask three fish farmers where they buy fingerlings and what they pay.
Unit 5 · Tanks, cages and aquaponics
Ponds, tanks and cages each have their own costs and risks. Choose the one that fits your water, money and skill.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 5.1 Compare systems | compares ponds, tanks, recirculating systems and cages |
| 5.2 Plan a cage cycle | calculates stocking and break-even for a cage |
| 5.3 Use fish water for crops | uses pond water or aquaponics for crops |
Range. Visits to two systems. Evidence. Comparison table; cage calculation.
What the evidence shows
- Lake Volta produces about 90% of Ghana's farmed tilapia and catfish.
- A cage study on the Volta found cages broke even at 15 kg of fish per m³, but handling deaths of 70% cut the average yield to 9.6 kg/m³. All-male fish grew to 377 g, mixed-sex fish only 253 g.
- Stocking rates in cages vary widely between sources.
- The National Aquaculture Centre at Amrahia runs a recirculating system and trains about 90 graduates a year.
- FAO publishes a guide to small-scale aquaponics, growing vegetables on fish water.
Water and power safety. Never work alone at cages or deep tanks. Wear a life jacket. Aerators and pumps need an earth-leakage breaker; switch them off before anyone enters the water. Recirculating systems can lose fish within hours without power, so have a backup plan.
Compare
- Visit a tank or cage farm.
- Compare it with your ponds: cost, output, risk, labour.
- Water a vegetable bed with pond water and record the result.
Break-even
A cage holds 48 m³. How many kg of fish must it produce to reach 15 kg per m³?
Unit 6 · Fish health and biosecurity
One sick farm can infect a whole lake. Keep disease out, report it fast, and never sell fish with drugs in them.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 6.1 Recognise and report disease | recognises signs of major diseases and reports as the law requires |
| 6.2 Apply biosecurity | applies quarantine, disinfection and movement controls |
| 6.3 Use drugs responsibly | explains vet-supervised treatment and withdrawal periods |
Range. The training farm. Evidence. Biosecurity log; disease response plan.
The 2018 Volta die-off
In late 2018 tilapia on the Volta began dying in huge numbers; one farm lost about 40 tonnes a day at the peak. Researchers identified a virus (ISKNV), which became established on Volta farms. A Ghanaian scientist argued the 2018 deaths were mainly caused by Streptococcus bacteria.
Two views of the cause. Both are shown here. Either way, the lessons are the same: biosecure hatcheries, clean water, and control of fish and equipment moving between farms.
- Signs include dark colour, erratic swimming, swollen belly, bulging eyes and scale loss.
- A 2022–23 survey of pond farms in nine regions, including the Western Region, found bacteria called Edwardsiella and Aeromonas were the main catfish diseases.
- Tilapia lake virus has not been recorded in Ghana.
After an outbreak
Drain, remove fish, sun-dry the pond for 7 days, lime it, and wait about 15 days before restocking. Keep a quarantine area.
Drugs
All cage farmers in one Volta survey used antibiotics; about half mixed them into feed and many bought them without a prescription.
Drug rules. Use medicines only on a vet's or Fisheries officer's advice. Record drug, dose and dates, and do not sell fish until the withdrawal period has passed. Never guess a dose into feed. Report disease immediately.
Biosecurity drill
- Set up a footbath and net-disinfection point.
- Write a disease response plan: who to call, what to stop.
- Inspect 10 fish for signs of disease and record them.
Know your officer
Find the phone number of your district fisheries officer.
Unit 7 · Post-harvest, markets and money
Fresh fish spoil fast. Ice it, smoke it well, price it right and sell it where buyers pay most.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 7.1 Handle fish after harvest | ices, smokes and transports fish safely |
| 7.2 Cost a cycle | tracks prices; calculates gross margin and break-even |
| 7.3 Grow the business | finds finance, markets the farm and plans for accessibility |
Range. One harvest. Evidence. Icing record; costing sheet; marketing plan.
Icing and smoking
- Ice fish at about 1 kg of ice to 1 kg of fish, in layers, ice on all sides, and drain melt water.
- The Ahotor oven uses about a third less wood than a Chorkor oven and cuts smoking time; 110 were built along the coast and Shama District planned more.
- The FTT kiln produces fish with far less of the harmful smoke chemical benzo(a)pyrene than traditional kilns.
Prices
- Farm-gate prices from January to June 2025: tilapia about GH¢42.6–43.3 per kg, catfish about GH¢38.9–40.3 per kg.
- After the 2023 spillage, tilapia rose from GH¢31 to GH¢41 per kg.
- A 15 kg bag of feed rose from GH¢90–100 in 2020 to GH¢300–500 by 2023.
- Tilapia imports have been banned since 2014.
Gross margin
Gross margin = (kg harvested × price) − (fingerlings + feed + labour + water + drugs + transport)
In 2019 farms averaged a profit of about GH¢3.24 per kg.
Cost a cycle
5,000 fingerlings at GH¢1 each; 1,800 kg of feed at GH¢30 per kg; labour GH¢3,000; other costs GH¢2,000. Harvest 1,200 kg at GH¢42 per kg. What is the gross margin?
Location settings that give good returns
- Clean, year-round water, upstream of any mining
- Above flood level
- A road to Takoradi, Tarkwa or a grilled-tilapia market
- Mains power for aerators and pumps
- Near feed dealers and a fisheries office
Business ideas and ingenuity
- Sell certified fingerlings (with Fisheries Commission approval)
- Smoke fish in an Ahotor or FTT oven for a better price
- Supply grilled-tilapia spots on a weekly contract
- Harvest part of the pond before Easter, Christmas and Eid, when prices rise
- Grow vegetables on fish water
Market yourself
- A farm name and WhatsApp Business with harvest dates and prices.
- Live-fish sales at the farm on fixed days.
- Clean, iced fish every time: buyers come back.
Finance
Act 1146 creates a Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Fund that can support small-scale farmers. Government has announced an aquaculture fund.
Accessibility
Persons with disabilities have been trained in agri-tech and business, and studies call for inputs, training and accessible extension. Practical changes: raised tanks instead of wading ponds, seated feeding points, large-print or audio records, and a buddy rule at the water.
Harvest and sell
- Ice a batch of fish correctly and record temperature.
- Cost your cycle and calculate the gross margin.
- Write a one-page marketing plan.
Price watch
Record fish prices at two markets every week for a month.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Biomass | Total weight of fish in a pond |
| Biosecurity | Keeping disease out and stopping it spreading |
| Broodstock | Adult fish kept for breeding |
| FCR | Feed conversion ratio: kg feed per kg fish gained |
| Fry | Very young fish |
| Hapa | A fine net enclosure in a pond |
| Sex reversal | Hormone feeding that makes fry grow as males |
| Withdrawal period | Days after a drug before fish can be sold |
Logbook
- Unit 1: licence checklist; site score; biosecurity plan
- Unit 2: water records; action log
- Unit 3: biomass and ration sheets; growth chart; FCR
- Unit 4: hatchery records; fry counts
- Unit 5: system comparison
- Unit 6: biosecurity log; disease plan
- Unit 7: icing record; costing; marketing plan
- Every homework, dated
Self-check quiz
- Name three things a commercial fish farm needs under Act 1146.
- When is toxic ammonia highest, and why?
- Does aeration remove ammonia?
- How does chloride help against nitrite?
- Write the formulas for biomass and FCR.
- Why is sex reversal used in tilapia?
- Why must catfish fry be harvested by day 35–40?
- What did the 2018 Volta die-off teach farmers?
- How much ice per kg of fish?
- What usually decides fish farm profit?
Further reading and sources
Best next reads: your Level 1 manual; the CSIR tilapia hatchery manual; FAO's African catfish handbook; the Hub's Money Skills manual.
What this module does not cover: large-scale recirculating system design, prawn farming, and feed milling.
Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.