In the past, Cameroon, a country seated at the gulf of Africa, depended on coastal fishing as the source of fish. In the recent years, lots of ponds, dedicated to farming fish, are springing up in local communities. Now, anyone can set up a pond and begin fish farmers. Well, almost everyone. There are some restrictions in terms of funds, location and knowledge of the craft.

In the rural areas of Mbienfebie, a small village located in Mankon, Bamenda, over 10 fish ponds have sprung up in the past year. This is a big deal, because they practice was unknown to the locals until the past couple of years. It is difficult to tell exactly who started the practice. Not that it matters; the practice has been booming. 

Surrounding mud-bricks houses, one can find bamboo plants peaking at almost every corner. These plants require a swampy environment to grow. These swamps have been around the village for a long time, so it's hard to think that their potential as fish farm locations have not been exploited until now.

To find out more about the what it takes to start and run a fish farm, I met up with Zetema N., a young rising fish farmer based in Mbienfebie. He walked me around the area, all too pleased to share the his experience.

Along with his brother, Zetema bought a swamp and set up a pond. The nifty contraption is simple, yet effective. The structure consists of two rectangular shallow wells, with a narrow walking path between them. Running the sides of farm are two pipes, one which brings freshwater in and another which takes waste water out of the pond. Each pond has its fair share of fish. At one point in each well, there is a circular zone flanked with thin wooden poles enclosing a pile of decomposing grass and waste. I was curious about the purpose of this and Zetema filled me in without hesitation:

"We call that the 'compost'," he explained. "It's basically a pile of grass and organic waste, and every now and then, we add manure until it. As it decomposes, maggots emerge. The fish feed on the maggots."

Maggots aren't the only source of sustenance for the fish. Earthworms, a preferred meal, are hard to come by. Zetema spends FCFA 22,000 (approximately $38) per month on a bag of fish food. He was unable to give the industry name of the feed, which looked like round pellets, but claimed they smell and possibly taste like shrimp.

In Zetema's farm, one well contained a 1000 catfishes and the other 2000. 3000 catfishes in total. Despite the catfish being the aquatic creature of choice, the pond houses 200 tilapias. These tilapias, after reproducing, their small offspring will be food for the catfish.

When I got there, the fish were 6 weeks old, and an estimated 15cm long. They had been purchased from a supplier weeks ago for a price of FCFA 125 (22 cents) per fish. The farming will be continue, and they will be ready for market from 6 months to 1 year old, according to Zetema. He has invested a lot into this initiative, in terms of funding, labor and time. When I asked him about how much income he expects, he was optimistic.

"This is our first year. We just started. We expect to begin sales by the end of he month. We have about 3000 fish. We expect to sell one for about FCFA2000 (approximately $3.45). You can do the math."

It was thrilling to watch the fish feed. When handfuls of the shrimp-y food pellets are thrown into the water, it becomes some sort of a survival-of-the-fittest world. Each fish fights to grab a piece, and those who do not get any can hope to get nourishment from the tilapia offspring or the maggots from the compost.

The fishes get fed twice a day, in the mornings and the evenings. Zetema was done for the day and while he prepared to retreat indoors, I had a few questions for him before the night fell.

"What next?"

He told me that along with his brother, they are considering forming an NGO, based around the idea of aquaculture. Soon, they plan to seek investors and hopefully get funding.

The entire fish farm was based on the existence of the swamp. With climate change and increasing rise in temperature, there is the possibility of the swamp drying out. In fact, the swamp has shrunk in size over the years. I asked Zetema if he and his colleagues in the field worry about climate change and the possible impact on their business.

"Yes, we do worry. It is possible the swamp may dry out. If we get funding, we'll consider digging a deeper well a distance away from here, and pumping the water here."

I noticed that the waste water from the pond is thrown away. Considering this waste water must contain some level of nitrogen-containing waste, it can be used to farm crop. I suggested to Zetema the possibility of a mutualism between the crop farmers and fish farmers. One where the fish waste is used to grow crops and crop waste is the maggot-growing compost for the fish farms. Zetema promised to research on whether or not such a relationship can be successfully implemented.

The future may be uncertain, but the local fish farmers are determined to make it work out. Fish farming maybe a new territory, but it is a fruitful one.