The Nasarawa State government has donated 25,000 fingerlings of the heterotic fish species to fishing communities in the Doma Local Government Area of the state.
Director general of the state’s Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe Suleiman, who donated to respective village heads at Doma Dam, said the gesture aimed to boost fish production amid farmers’ complaints of shortages.
She said fishermen and women in the area had complained of a fish shortage, which necessitated the state government taking proactive action.
According to her, the Doma event was the first phase of the state government’s plan to enhance fish production across the state.
She said the state government has banned all fishing activities in the Doma Dam for the next six months to achieve the desired results of the mass production it is embarking on.
“We are here to witness the first phase of revitalising the Doma Dam, and as you saw earlier, the 25,000 fingerlings Heterotis species have been released into the Dam.
“This is a low-maintenance species of fish, and one of its core responsibilities is to clean up the Dam to prepare it further for other species to be able to live and reproduce in the Doma Dam.
“The people of the area are happy. They have pledged to support us because now, it will be a six-month closed season, and they have agreed that there will be no fishing activity within that period. On its part, the government is looking at other alternatives for economic activities for the people, which would involve trading and farming.
“There has been a shortage of fish, so boosting the fish here in Doma Dam is of great value to the people.
“This is done solely for the people. They are the ones that stand to benefit the most and we are hoping that we will see increased fishing activities that will yield economic growth for the people of the area and Nasarawa State in general,” she stated.
She appreciated the support of the deputy governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, also the chairman of the Human Capital Development Agency, for the immense success recorded.
Also speaking, the Nasarawa State Chairman of Fisheries Cooperative, Bashir Mohammed Umar, said for over a year, the association had been worried over the scarcity of fish across the state, adding that the support by the state government will significantly help to reduce the sufferings of fishermen and women in the state.
„Our people have been travelling far away from the state to look for fish, but with this lovely initiative by the State‘s Human Capital Development Agency, we are confident that in the coming months, we will have enough fish that can serve the entire residents of the state,“ he added.
