The Director of Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), Lagos, Dr. Adekunle Oresegun, has disclosed that Nigeria spends about one billion dollars annually on the importation of fish.

He stated this in Abakaliki during a four-day Vocational Training and Empowerment on Aquaculture Production and Fish Pound Harvest for Youths and Women from Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal constituency in Ebonyi State.

Oresegun said that the 40 participants who were drawn from the area was part of the Constituency project of the House of Representatives Committee chairman of Agricultural Colleges and Institution, Hon. Linus Okorie.

The Director noted that Nigeria has great potentials for fish production which if harnessed properly, would save the country about one billion dollars expended on fish importation.

He said: “The truth of the matter is that Nigeria spends about one billion dollars annually on importation of fish. Because of our fish production deficiency in Nigeria, we want to increase the number of people who have the knowledge and skills to farm fish. The intention of this vocational training is to increase fish production.

“There are two ways to approach it: to increase production by increasing the number of people into fish production; to genetically modified the fish for productivity. The metric ton of fish production in Nigeria is below the demand and consumption of fish and so we are still at the infancy in popularising fish production.”

Oresegun further called on the Federal Government to create enabling environment that will make fish production popular in Nigeria.