To determine the constraints facing fish farmers and affecting the profitability of aquaculture farms, this study was conducted in different regions of Egypt. The data were collected by using a semi-structured interview with a questionnaire. Data were statistically analyzed using SAS procedure. The descriptive data were tested by the chi-square procedure. Fish culture's production performance was determined based on the benefit-cost ratio (BCR). The log-linear regression model was used to determine and quantify the relations between all the independent variables and the BCR (dependent variable). The results demonstrated that about three-quarters of the respondents sold their fish production at the farm gate. More than 55% of the farmers had medium farm sizes (10-20 feddan), and polyculture was the prevailing culture type for 76% of them. The semi-intensive system (4-5 fries/m³ water) was the culture system for more than 94% of the respondents. The BCR for 85% of the selected fish farms ranged from 1.46 to 2.50. There were many problems facing the fish culture farmers. The most severe problems were the high feed price, lack of operating capital, high energy price, high fry price, lack of credit support, management problems, labor irregularity, vaccine unavailability, and the high price of vaccination and medication. The high mortality rate was a severe problem for half of the respondents. More than 71% of the respondents found there was no problem with the lack of marketing information.
The study concluded that fish culture farmers in Egypt are facing many problems which affect their profitability. Using alternative feedstuff may become a possible solution to reduce the feed's prices. Developing the existing fish hatcheries and increasing the number of hatcheries will lead to reducing the fry prices. Instantaneous actions are needed to achieve efficient production and economic returns.