~ 224 ~ International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 2015; 2(4): 224-232 ISSN: 2347-5129 IJFAS 2015; 2(4): 224-232 © 2015 IJFAS www.fisheriesjournal.com Received: 05-01-2015 Accepted: 20-02-2015 Mwanja Matthew Aquaculture Research and Development Center – Kajjansi, P. O. Box 530, Kampala, Uganda. Rutaisire Justus NARO secretariat (NAROSEC) of Plot 1-3, Lugard Avenue, P.O Box 295 Entebbe, Uganda. Ondhoro Constantine Aquaculture Research and Development Center – Kajjansi, P. O. Box 530, Kampala, Uganda. Ddungu Richard Aquaculture Research and Development Center – Kajjansi, P. O. Box 530, Kampala, Uganda. Aruho Casius Aquaculture Research and Development Center – Kajjansi, P. O. Box 530, Kampala, Uganda. Correspondence Mwanja Matthew Aquaculture Research and Development Center – Kajjansi, P. O. Box 530, Kampala, Uganda. Current fish hatchery practises in Uganda: The potential for future investment Mwanja Matthew, Rutaisire Justus, Ondhoro Constantine, Ddungu Richard, Aruho Casius Abstract Demand for quality and ample fish seed is increasing, yet the country has a number of fish hatchery operators. This study set out to survey hatchery operational levels, seed production technologies and challenges. The purpose was to aid the government and investors to make better policies and informed choices respectively for aquaculture development. Most hatchery operators had some basic education but none had specialised skills in hatchery management. There were only three commercial private hatcheries, the rest were small scale. The technologies being used by most hatchery operators though appropriate were inefficient. Findings indicate that the major challenges included poor breeding and management practices, high levels of inbreeding, poor marketing of seed, employment of non-skilled personnel, high cost of broodstock management and larval rearing, poor water quality, and low larval survival rates. Interventions for improvement in fish seed production and investment opportunities in the country are discussed. Keywords: Fish hatchery practices, challenges, remedies, investment opportunities, Uganda 1. Introduction Fish farming in Uganda began in 1941 with the cultivation of newly imported carp from Israel [1] . In 1959-1960 a FAO- supported comparative evaluation of carp and tilapia endorsed the use of carp, which resulted in further expansion of aquaculture in Uganda. Aquaculture was further promoted under the drive for rural development, and by late 1960s the Department of Fisheries recorded up to 11,000 ponds mostly producing fish for subsistence [2] . Culturing fish in earthen ponds remains the most common production system of fish farming in Uganda [3] . Currently the government is encouraging fish farmers to move away from subsistence level fish farming to commercialized aquaculture by increasing the number and size of ponds [4] . Other more intensive culture methods are also being introduced, including cage and tank culture systems [5, 6] . Currently the most common species of fish cultured in Uganda are the North African catfish (Clarias gariepinus), Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and carp (Cyprinus carpio) [1] , with the North African catfish as the most popular, accounting for 60 percent of Ugandan farmed fish [7] . Aquaculture production though reported to be on the increase in Uganda, from annual production of 15,000 tonnes in 2005 to 95000 tonnes in 2010 [8] there is still an equally increasing deficit of seed for all farmed fish in the country [9] . Currently seed production from hatcheries is estimated at a national average per hatchery of 15,192 and 9,832 of fingerlings of catfish and tilapia respectively [10] . However, this is not sufficient to meet the rising fish seed demand in the country. The fish seed deficit is attributed to low levels of production technologies used in hatcheries and increased local and regional demand for the seed [1] . There is also use of un- standardized production techniques and practices where by farms and government research institutions work independent from each other without harmonization of practices. Current seed deficit is majorly exacerbated by the high mortality rates in the African catfish hatcheries in the country [1] . The biology of the latter fish makes it prone to high mortality due to complicated gut development process, starter feed preference and high sensitivity to environmental fluctuations [11] . With diversification of production systems and increased application of mainly African catfish fingerling as seed and wild predator fish harvest, where the fish is used as bait [12] , the demand for fish seed is expected to increase rapidly. Nile tilapia has become a major component for cage and tank culture systems in addition to the traditional earthen pond system. Cages and tanks take about hundred times more seed than earthen ponds [13] , a situation which