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and Search cultured species
aquaculture
resources Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme
o Capture
fisheries Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)
resources
o Aquaculture
resources

I. Identity V. Status And Trends

a. Biological Features VI. Main Issues
b. Images Gallery a. Responsible Aquaculture Practice
II. Profile VII. References
a. Historical Background a. Related Links
b. Main Producer Countries
c. Habitat And Biology
III. Production
a. Production Cycle
b. Production Systems
c. Diseases And Control Measures
IV. Statistics
a. Production Statistics
b. Market And Trade

Identity

Clarias gariepinus Burchell, 1822 [Clariidae]

FAO Names: En - North African catfish, Fr - Poisson-chat nord-africain, Es - Pez-gato
Biological features
Body elongate. Head large, depressed and bony with small eyes. Narrow and angular occipital process;
openings wide; air-breathing labyrinthic organ arising from gill arches; first gill arch with 24 to 110
gillrakers; cleithrum pointed, narrow with longitudinal ridges and with sharpness. Mouth terminal, large
Four pairs of barbels present. Long dorsal and anal fins; without dorsal fin spine and adipose fin. Anteri
edge of pectoral spine serrated. Caudal fin rounded. Colour varies from sandy-yellow through gray to o
with dark greenish-brown markings, belly white.
View FAO FishFinder Species fact sheet

Images gallery

2.5 kg Clarias gariepinus Nursing semi-intensive pond

Clarias fry nursing tank Clarias intensive nursing (Photo: John Moehl)
 Clarias intensive farming Clarias harvest in Cameroon

Profile
Historical background
African catfish are mentioned within traditional capture-based aquaculture (known as wheddos in Benin
Ghana and barochois in Mauritius) for centuries. Their culture in modern times follows a similar trend to
of tilapias: first domestication trials by the year 1950 and adoption of the North African catfish Clarias
gariepinus as the most desirable catfish for aquaculture in the mid 1970s. However, under culture condit
it is difficult for the fish to spawn spontaneously. Protocols for artificial propagation based on hormonal
stimulation were therefore developed from the 1980s. Research on the development of farming technolo
has been conducted in Europe (Belgium and the Netherlands) as well as in Africa (e.g. Central African
Republic, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria).

For many reasons, including the current availability of this species in almost all its water bodies, a huge
expanding population with increasing demand for fish and its superior technical skill and infrastructures
compared to other African countries, Nigeria has certainly benefited by far the most from these research
studies.

Generally, Clarias gariepinus have mostly been used as ‘police-fish’ to control over-breeding in mixed-se
tilapia culture in earthen ponds. In Uganda, the development of Clarias culture is more related to its use
baits for fishing in Lake Victoria.

More recently, with the development of balanced extruded feed, there has been a huge diversification of
culture environment in most African countries where this catfish is reared, including the use of concrete
fibreglass tanks and water recirculation systems.

Main producer countries

The map shown below is constructed from FAO reported statistics for this species. Farming activities also
occur in other countries including China, Thailand, Egypt, Uganda.
Main producer countries of Clarias gariepinus (FAO Fishery Statistics, 2006)

Habitat and biology

North African catfish (generally referred to simply as ‘African catfish’ in the rest of this fact sheet) have
almost pan-African distribution (but are naturally absent from the Maghreb, Upper and Lower Guinea an
Cape provinces). They are equally present in Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Turkey. Clarias gariepinus has
been introduced into most other countries in Africa, as well as several in Europe, Asia and South America
Similarly to other species, China has adopted it within its rice-fields and is currently among the main
producing countries, even though this species does not appear separately in its production statistics.

This species is found in lakes, streams, rivers, swamps and floodplains, many of which are subject to
seasonal drying. The most common habitats are floodplain swamps and pools where they can survive du
the dry season(s) due to their accessory air breathing organs. Clarias gariepinus undertake lateral migra
from the larger water bodies, in which they feed and mature at about the age of 12 months, to tempora
flooded marginal areas in order to breed. These reproductive migrations typically take place shortly after
onset of the rainy season(s). The final gonadal maturation is associated with rising water levels. Under s
environmental conditions, adult C. gariepinus have mature gonads year-round. Under ideal conditions, a
female may lay about 60 000 eggs/kg. Prior to mating, males compete aggressively for females with wh
they mate in single pairs, the female swishing her tail vigorously to mix the eggs and sperm and distribu
the fertilized eggs. The adhesive eggs stick to submerged vegetation and hatch in 20–60 hours, dependi
on temperature. The yolk sac is absorbed within 3–4 days and the stomach is fully functional within 5–6
after onset of exogenous feeding. Sexual differentiation begins between 10 and 15 days after hatching.
Larvae feed and grow rapidly in the warm (usually >24 °C) nutrient rich floodplains, reaching 3-7 g with
days. As flooded marginal areas dry up with the end of the rains, juveniles and adults make their way ba
deeper water. In areas with two rainy seasons, there are usually two reproductive peaks during the year
corresponding in intensity to the magnitude of the rains.

Stomach contents of Clarias species typically include insects (adults and larvae), worms, gastropods,
crustaceans, small fish, aquatic plants and debris, but terrestrial seeds and berries, and even birds and s
mammals, have also been observed. Larvae are almost exclusively dependent on zooplankton for the firs
week of exogenous feeding. Large C. gariepinus, because of their high number of gillrakers, also target
zooplankton as a primary food source. Although generally omnivorous, C. gariepinus relatively better dig
high-protein diets than carbohydrates. Most species of Clarias are slow foraging predators, with very sm
eyes, using their four pairs of barbels to feel their way around in the dark and find food detected by the
of sensitive taste buds covering the barbels and head. Approximately 70 percent of feeding activity take
place at night. Research in South Africa showed that removal of the barbels reduced feeding efficiency in
gariepinus by 23 percent. In general, Clarias catfishes capture their prey by gulping them with a rapid
opening of the mouth and then retaining them either on the gillrakers or fine recurved teeth arranged on
dentary, premaxillary, vomerine and pharyngeal bands. C. gariepinus exhibits a variety of feeding strate
including sucking the surface for terrestrial insects and plant fragments washed into the water by heavy
and pack-hunting of small cichlids. Growth is relatively rapid, approaching maximum size within a couple
years. First year growth is nearly linear resulting in the large initial jump in size.

Production
Production cycle

Production cycle of Clarias gariepinus

 Production systems
North African catfish are reared in ponds and in concrete, fibreglass and plastic tanks, with various levels
intensification. Traditional flooded ponds, where naturally recruited fingerlings are gathered during the r
season and exogenous feed is provided, constitute a form of capture-based aquaculture. The following
sections of this fact sheet describe the production systems used in Cameroon and Nigeria, which are sim
to those used in most producing countries.

Seed supply, hatchery production and nursery

African catfish reproduce in response to environmental stimuli such as a rise in water level and inundatio
low-lying areas. These events do not occur in captivity and hormone treatment is employed to ensure la
scale production of catfish fingerlings. The hormones used include Ovaprim, Deoxycorticosterone Acetate
(DOCA), Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), pituitary glands from catfish brooders, common carp, Ni
tilapia and even frogs, following specific technical procedures. The governments of Nigerian and Camero
are currently supporting research to develop and maintain good parental broodstock to supply all the ne
of private fingerlings producers as well as to facilitate the quality control of the fish seed marketed.

In extensive hatcheries, larvae are fed with a mixture of cow brain plus egg yolk just after vitelline resor
for 4-6 days before being stocked at 50-80/m2 in nursery ponds fertilised beforehand (usually with chick
manure) to enhance zooplankton development. Small-scale farmers stock the postlarvae obtained from
procedures in ponds protected from predators by fencing.

Postlarvae are fed with single ingredients or compounded feed. Harvesting is carried out after 24-28 day
and fingerlings are graded; the average weight at this stage is 5-7 g. Since the recommended size at tra
to production ponds should be >10 g, additional pre-fattening may be carried out except when the volum
immediate demand drives hatchery operators to sell the fingerlings at 6 g. Normally, survival in properly
managed nursing systems averages 25-35 percent.

In well-managed ponds over 20 000 fingerlings/kg of female brooder can be produced with an average
weight of 5 g. Although the procedures are being simplified, only a few farmers have been exposed to ne
methodology. Consequently, the price of catfish fingerlings remains high (USD 0.15-0.25 each in Camer
and most farmers prefer to collect wild seed when available; unfortunately, these fingerlings often consis
mixed species of Clarias and some, such as C. jaensis, exhibit comparatively lower growth rates.

Large-scale hatcheries in Nigeria have developed intensive recirculation systems, using genetically-impro
broodstock along with live feeds (Brachionus, Moina, Daphnia, Artemia) developed within the farms. Fry
kept at 5 000-15 000/m3 and up to 75 percent fish to egg survival is recorded. These hatcheries offer go
quality catfish fingerlings at USD 0.1-0.2 each, depending on size. However, since the demand for catfis
fingerlings often exceeds the supply, many small-scale hatcheries tend to care little about the quality of
seed they offer. Poor quality seed has discouraged many small-scale grow-out commercial farmers.

In the recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS), fry (0.05-0.1 g) are fed with Artemia and 0.25 mm fry fe
for 14 days in 100-1 000 litre tanks (600 g/m3 stocking density). Then, advanced fry (0.1-1.0 g), stocke
10 000/m3, are fed 0.3-0.8 mm dry feed for 26 days in 600-1 000 litre tanks. Juveniles (1-8 g) are reare
600-6 000 litre tanks at 400/m3 for 20 days and fed 0.8-1.5 mm dry feed. Water temperature is maintai
at 28 °C, pH at 7, and biofilters ensure that NH3 and NO2levels remain below 3 and 1 mg/litre respective
avoid disease problems, all components of the system are disinfected between each cycle.

In most catfish producing countries, hybrids named Heteroclarias are available from hatcheries that have
fertilised oocytes collected from Heterobranchus longifilis females with milt from Clarias gariepinus. The
resulting fry usually show improved growth compared to the parental species. However, they are unable
reproduce, even when artificial breeding techniques are used. In addition, this hybrid is reported to exhib
aggressive behaviour and large variations in body weight. This makes them prone to poor survival rates
grow-out ponds; cannibalistic behaviour is commonplace in Clarias species.

Ongrowing techniques
Many different systems are used for ongrowing African catfish, including those detailed below.

Traditional flooded ponds

For the flood ponds in the Nkam Valley in Cameroon (locally known as Mbeuth), pond preparation is
performed just after traditional rituals at the end of the dry season, with the extraction of the bottom mu
and rehabilitation of the fish shelters. Sunshine stimulates natural productivity before the start of the ne
rainy season in early April. Weedy grasses and shrubs invade the sites (the main shrub being Alchornea
cordifolia) in April-July. In normal years, flooding of the Nkam River and its tributaries occurs in July-Oct
Flood ponds are inundated at that time and fish recruit naturally to find the necessary food and shelter.
Supplemental fish feeding is provided by some farmers in December and January, using table scraps or
individual industrial by-products such as wheat middling or rice bran. Water retreat starts and ponds are
drained and fish harvested from January to March. Average pond size and depth in the Nkam valley are
m2 (475 ponds, range 2–240 m2) and 1.7 m (range 0.5 to 3 m), respectively. Most ponds are harvested
a one-year rearing cycle (52 percent) or after 2 years (45 percent). Exceptionally high flood pond produc
rates are sometimes recorded - up to 860 kg/100 m2/year of fish (consisting of 75 percent C. jaensis, 20
percent C. gariepinus, and 5 percent Channa obscura plus Oreochromis sp.).

Catfish holes in Bangladesh and Nepal

African catfish were unofficially introduced into Nepal in 1996-97 by fry traders from India and Banglade
Their culture has been expanding rapidly since early 2000s. Recently, culture in small pits or ditches has
been promoted by NGOs and other organizations. Research trials were set up in 1-2 m3 sized ditches at
Now, private ponds/ditches vary from 1 m2 to 2 500 m2 with no specific design. According to unconfirme
sources, catfish fry are transported all the way from Calcutta, India and from Bangladesh, but some Nep
farmers have already started producing hatchlings. With stocking rates of 1 g fry at 40-80/m3, harvests
200-300 g fish with 30-50 percent survival rates are recorded after 5-7 months rearing. This equates to
production rate of ~40-60 tonnes/ha. This is slightly higher than in Bangladesh. Clarias gariepinus reare
alongside with the local C. batracusare fed with offal, bread, mustard oilcake, maize flour, and restauran
garbage. About 300 tonnes is said to be produced in Nepal in 2010. However, this alien, carnivorous and
predatory species is a threat to the native fish of Nepal.

Polyculture ponds in earthen ponds

African catfish fingerlings, preferably homogenous batches with individual weights of >10 g, are stocked
mixed-sex Nile tilapia grow-out ponds. The stocking density that allows good predation of tilapia offsprin
0.5-1 catfish: 2 tilapia. Usual stocking densities remain below 5/m2 (or 50 g initial biomass/m2) but
exceptionally higher rates may be used (10-15/m2) when mechanical aeration is available. Ponds are
fertilised and feeding is applied for 6 to 11 months before the harvesting and marketing of table fish. For
small-scale rural farmers stocking is performed during January to March and harvesting targets marketin
the Christmas and New Year festivities. Such ponds are fertilised using a compost crib covering 10 perce
the pond surface and regularly loaded using miscellaneous organic leftovers that are available within the
(kitchen refuse, rotten fruit, dead slaughtered land animals, manure from land animal husbandry, etc.).

In and around big cities, there are many commercial ponds with harvesting scheduled throughout the ye
Ponds may also be partially harvested and marketable fish are removed by seining. Low survival rates h
been observed in relation to heterogeneous growth in African catfish population, with larger individuals
preying on smaller ones. Grading is therefore performed during intermediate sampling and partial harve
to ensure more homogenous pond populations. These ponds also receive organic fertilizers (mainly dried
poultry manure) to induce the development of natural feed. Exogenous feed consisting of individual grou
industrial by-products (wheat or rice bran, cotton cake) or standard compounded pellets (4-8 mm diame
28-35 percent crude protein, usually animal protein-free) are provided. The feeding rate may be as high
percent of the estimated fish body weight daily for the first few months but it is gradually reduced as the
grow to <2 percent/BW/day during the final month. Size at stocking and regular grading into homogene
batches, as described above, is critically important in catfish production. Depending on how seriously thi
issue is handled, catfish survival may vary from <10 percent (stocking fingerlings below 5 g size, neglec
grading, and poor feeding throughout the rearing cycle) to >80 percent. Because adult African catfish ca
escape from ponds towards neighbouring natural water bodies to spawn, fine-mesh fences should line th
inner banks of the ponds. Production in tilapia- catfish polyculture ponds varies from 3-4 tonnes/ha/yr in
rural low input level ponds to 10-25 tonnes/ha/yr in peri-urban areas with higher input loading and follo
capabilities.

Tanks and raceways

Although most farmers of African catfish are pond owners, the greatest production volume of this fish in
Nigeria derives from peri-urban concrete tanks and raceways where there are fewer input availability
constraints (rearing infrastructures, power, seed, feeds, specialised manpower, market access). The
development of these systems is linked to the hardiness of the species, which include its ability to withst
low DO2 levels.

In the typical backyard 4 m x 3 m x 1.3 m concrete tank of a Nigerian city-dweller, 400 catfish fingerling
5-15 g are stocked, and fed with a balanced diet for 6 months. The water is renewed once or twice per w
and a production of 300-600 kg/cycle is recorded, varying according to the skill of the fish farmer.

Water recirculation systems have been developed in recent years: economically successful farms are rep
in Nigeria but the poor availability of floating feed is a limiting factor. Fish are currently fed with importe
floating feed for 3-5 months, followed by standard locally-made pellets until harvest. Future prospects
suggest optimism, with a current public-private partnership initiative supported by consistent loan facilit
from the World Bank in favour of the Nigerian catfish industry. In water recirculation systems, which con
of an electric pump and a plastic substrate biological filter, fingerlings are stocked at 80-200/m3 and the
recirculation rate is 2-10 litres/second. Production rates of >1 000 kg/m3/yr have been recorded in these
systems.

In Europe (specifically in the Netherlands and in Belgium), African catfish are produced through recircula
aquaculture systems (RAS) that have the following general features. Borehole freshwater is stored and
heated in indoor concrete, fibreglass or plastic tanks. Water requirements average 0.15 m3/kg fish. Little
is required. Rearing water is purified by the use of plastic substrate biological filters. These systems are
highly intensive, with 700 to 1 000 kg/m3 of fish obtained while using extruded balanced feed plus small
regular cropping. The only significant technical difference between these systems and those used in the
Nigerian cities of Lagos and Ibadan are that latter do not require artificial heat. However, the need to im
extruded feed and other miscellaneous production infrastructures and equipment results in relatively hig
production costs for fish reared in such systems in African countries to date (2010).

Cages

In some Asian countries, African catfish are reared in cages using balanced feed. In this case, tilapias ar
often stocked in the open waterbodies to prevent eutrophication.

Feed supply
Typically, the individual (fed singly) industrial by-products used in pond culture that have been mentione
previously include rice bran, wheat middling, cottonseed meal, corn meal and peanut (groundnut) meal.
Farm-made pelleted feeds, typically 28-35 percent protein, consist of various combinations of these by-
products, together with other ingredients such as brewery drafts, cacao husk, coffee pulp and chicken
droppings. When the ponds are well fertilised, such unusual plant proteins have been used at up to 20
percent of the compounded feed without significant deleterious effects on fish production. Very little, if a
animal protein (e.g. fish meal, blood meal) is currently employed in grow-out feeds for African catfish in
fertilised ponds. Other farm-made feedstuffs include maggots, termites, earthworms and crickets.

When requested, national and international feed companies provide specifically formulated catfish feeds.
These are mostly used in concrete, fibreglass and plastic tanks as in-line ponds and raceways. The best
growth rate and FCR are achieved with diets containing 35-42 percent crude protein and 12 kJ/g feed.

With the current development of recirculation systems balanced sinking fish pellets are not ideal. Extrud
feeds that float cause less pollution and are more efficient. However, successful African catfish productio
intensive systems is currently closely correlated with imported extruded feed from Europe and Brazil. Eff
are currently being made to establish extruded feed plants in many African countries (e.g. Nigeria and
Uganda).
 Harvesting techniques
African catfish ponds are partially harvested using hauling seines. At this time fish are manually sorted;
that appear significantly larger than average are separated and stocked separately to prevent cannibalis
the end of the rearing cycle ponds are completely drained and the pond bottom cleaned in order to catch
the fish hidden in the mud. Ponds should be dried between production cycles or carefully inspected to pr
huge levels of cannibalism by any escaped adult catfish on the newly stocked fingerlings of the following
cycle. Partial harvests of tanks, raceways and recirculation systems are accomplished with grader bars to
remove the largest fish.

Handling and processing

Handling live African catfish is easy because, as long as the skin remains wet, they can stay alive for ma
days out of water. Harvested fish are loaded live into hauling pick-ups and taken to city markets. The fis
either sold directly to consumers or most frequently to female retailers (bayam-sellam). In the latter cas
fish are loaded into 40 litre containers or in bags before transportation using ordinary passenger or
merchandise buses. A minority of producers process the fish before they are sold. Depending on fish size
market demand, the fish may be steaked; filleted; or sold headed, gutted, and skinned. Male African cat
exhibit the best dressing and fillet percentage. Compared to other species, C. gariepinus are low in lipid
consequentially have no intense flavour (smell and taste). Smoked African catfish are also in high deman
because they can be stored for longer periods without power while retaining nutritional quality.

These fish are remarkably resilient. In kitchens and restaurants, inexperienced cooks may be frightened
African catfish that remain alive, since they may jump out of the refrigerator many hours after being pla
in them! Spreading some ground salt on the skin may kill the fish in a few minutes; using vinegar to soa
skin also allows better spicing and cooking of the fish. In the Cameroon a black soup (bongo) is specifica
adapted to make a very tasty stew using a fresh African catfish.

Production costs
African catfish can be produced most economically in tropical and subtropical countries, which have
favourable temperatures for growth as stated earlier. Production costs in these countries vary from USD
<1.0/kg to USD 2.5/kg, depending on the production system. Local demand remains high in most of the
producing countries and the fish are generally sold in live fish markets, where higher prices can be obtai
In sub-Saharan Africa, market prices range from USD 2.5-5.0/kg; smoked dried fish commanding higher
prices.

Considering the typical catfish polyculture systems in Cameroon ponds, feed and fertilisers account for 5
percent of production costs in peri-urban farms but only 22 percent in rural areas, where the cost of
fingerlings and labour are the major items. In recirculation systems, feeds and infrastructure maintenanc
constitute the major production costs. In grow-out tanks, feed constitutes 75-85 percent of the producti
costs and needs to be carefully managed to ensure commercial success. In Nigeria, the success of these
systems is certainly related to the relatively low cost of fuel to run generators (less than USD 0.4/litre of
premium petrol in 2010).

The production costs for African catfish farming in recirculation systems tend to be higher in tropical than
European countries because of the current need to import suitable feeds and equipment. For example, th
production cost of an 8 g juvenile in the Netherlands is estimated at <USD 0.04; this is about half the co
production in Nigeria and Cameroon. The main constraint in non-tropical countries is an extremely fluctu
local and foreign market demand; this is in contrast to the situation in Africa, where demand is consisten
high.

Diseases and control measures

African catfish are subject to a wide variety of diseases including bacteria, fungi and miscellaneous paras
Some of the most important disease organisms are included in the table below, though many of the obse
diseases are yet to be fully diagnosed.
In some cases antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals have been used in treatment but their
inclusion in this table does not imply an FAO recommendation.

DISEASE AGENT TYPE SYNDROME MEASURE

Skeletal deformities (lardosis
and scoliosis); fish suddenly
stop feeding, become lethargic
Provide
and die with swollen weak
Broken supplementa
Unknown tissues on both sides of the
head Vitamin C in
head; usually observed on fish
feeds
>10 cm; dead fish exhibit thick
and curved skulls testifying
former lateral crack.
Lethargic behaviour; swollen
Ruptured abdomen; discoloured Provide suffic
intestine Unknown abdominal skin; reddish anal balanced and
syndrome area; rupture of the abdominal conserved di
wall at the final stage
Skin ulceration; sluggish
behaviour; red or white necrotic Proper
Ulcerative
Unknown skin ulcers on the mandible and management
disease
maxilla and on the caudal system
peduncule
Antibiotics in
(chloramphen
terramycin o
Fish remain at water surface in
oxytetracycli
vertical position and swim
White spot Myxobacteria Bacteria as preventive
sluggishly; white spots on skin
measure; sub
around the mouth and gills
catfish larvae
furaltadone a
ppm/hour
Oxytetracycli
Aeromonas Fraying and reddening of fins; sulfamethoxi
Aeromonas hydrophila Bacteria
septicaemia de-pigmentation; ulcers ormetoprin in
feeds
Avoid stress;
Exophthalmia and distended supplementa
Motile
abdomen; deep dermal ulcers feed mixed w
Aeromonad Aeromonassp. Bacteria
with haemorrhages and Trimethoprim
Septicaemia
inflammation and Bactrim
10 days
Malachite gre
bath (5 mg/l
Grey/white patches on skin, for one hour)
fins, gills and eyes resembling sodium chlor
Water cotton-wool; affected eggs (5% for one
Saprolegniaspp. Fungi
mould show the same signs; normally two minutes)
small, focal infections spreading avoid mecha
rapidly over body or gills damage and
other kinds o
stress
Fish remain at water surface in Formalin (25
Costia sp., Chilodonella, vertical position, or nervously mg/litre);
Parasites Protozoans
Trichodina scratch the head and side on Dipterex (0.2
container bottom; skin covered mg/litre)
 with a thin whitish grey mucus;
massive death can occur
Formalin (25
mg/litre);
Parasites Gactylogyrussp. Gyrodactilussp. Trematodes Same as protozoans above
Dipterex (0.2
mg/litre)
Antibiotics in
In fingerlings of C. (chloramphen
gariepinus x Heterobranchus sp. terramycin o
Parasites Henneguyasp. Protozoans
hybrid, white spots on skin and oxytetracycli
gills observed as preventati
measure
Worm perforates muscled and
viscera; usually found in
Nematode
Parasites Cysticercasp. reservoirs; fish appear not to Unknown
worms
suffer from presence of this
parasite
Small white spots on skin or
gills; irritation, instability,
Gill and/or
lethargy, weakness, loss of Formalin or s
external Trichodina maritinkae Protozoans
appetite, and decreased solution bath
parasites
activity; gills pale and very
swollen
Most of the diseases listed above are principally observed within intensive culture. Prevention through
avoidance of stress is probably the most effective means of avoiding diseases. So far, virus related disea
have not been reported in African catfish. Chemicals are only used when an epizootic has been detected
then only for limited periods of time.

Suppliers of Pathology Expertise

Assistance can be obtained from the following sources:

 Government extension agents based in fish farming areas.

 Government laboratories, research stations and universities, e.g. in Cameroon the IRAD fish cult
research stations in Foumban (West region) and Lanavet (Garoua, North region), may provide
expertise and drugs for the above cited diseases.

Statistics
Production statistics

Nigeria is by far the largest producer of farmed North African catfish in official statistics but the Netherla
Hungary, Kenya, the Syrian Arab Republic, Brazil, Cameroon, Mali and South Africa also produce signific
quantities.

Market and trade

Domestic and foreign market demand for African catfish in European producing countries (Netherlands,
Belgium, Hungary) fluctuates widely.

In Nigeria, the current selling price averages USD 3.5/kg. In the central Africa region, namely in Camero
Gabon or Democratic Republic of Congo, this fish is very popular, being cooked in many forms of soups,
made of some forest seeds with specific tastes and medicinal properties. The fresh fish are usually sold l
the markets of major cities at an average size of 500 g for USD 3.3-5.2/kg.
In South Eastern Africa, catfish prices are a little lower than those for tilapia. In the South African marke
the African catfish is not a good seller. There exists some religious aversion by some consumers (who do
eat fish without scales); others reject the fish due to its slightly darker flesh compared to other catfish su
as Pangasius.

Other varieties of catfish seem to be doing well in other places in the world. However, it is difficult to obt
prices for African catfish either because this species is not yet traded internationally, or because it has b
included in ‘other freshwater fish’ in statistical returns. Some South African growers have recently closed
operations down due to production costs exceeding the selling price; basically this is caused by the high
of feeds.

Status and trends

African catfish appear as the major fish species cultured in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by tilapias. This
obviously related to continual improvement in mass propagation techniques and the development of wat
recirculation systems, along with quality feed development. Partnership Research (a recently promoted
approach linking private farmers and scientists within a partnership to ensure that findings have direct a
tangible impacts on production) is being established in order to reduce production costs, with a major fo
on floating feed production using locally available by-products and machinery. Another research focus
targeting is the genetic improvement of broodstock. The polyculture system appears to be declining in fa
of the more intensified tank culture in its various forms (concrete, fibreglass, plastic containers and pond
liners, and recirculation aquaculture systems). However, it may be an error to continue focusing on thes
intensive systems, which generally depend on imported inputs. While developing more efficient diets to
decrease the level of nutrients in pond effluents, it is therefore important to continue optimising the co-
culture of African catfish with other complementary fish species.

The market for African catfish in sub-Saharan Africa is developing. Demand for fish is continuously
increasing, and most major producing countries are substantial importers of fish to meet their population
needs. Above 70 percent of cultured African catfish is currently sold fresh. The market will certainly expa
through the development of new product forms and value-added processing.

Main issues
African catfish are produced almost exclusively on private land and in systems that respect environment
regulations. In traditional flooded ponds, native farmers have adopted sustainable practices for decades,
their self organisation within local communities is being facilitated by traditional rulers and non-governm
organisations to protect the fishery resource. In case where ponds or intensive culture facility effluents e
public waters there is an issue of eutrophication that is being addressed, in part, through the developme
extruded balanced feeds.

With the recent collapse of the African catfish market in South Africa, it will become more and more
important to reduce production costs in order to remain competitive in a fast evolving business. This ma
occur through a improvements in pond ecosystems rather than continuing with more and more intensive
recirculation aquaculture systems and improved feed technology.

Responsible aquaculture practices

In general, African catfish culture is conducted responsibly. The industry is controlled by local regulation
and most governments responsible for the sector are asked to comment on requests for state aquacultu
permits in situations where navigable waters are involved and where effluents enter public waters. The
creation of catfish farmers associations in most producing countries has been encouraged and facilitated
These associations adhere to the tenets of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the FA
Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries (Aquaculture Development). In Asian countries, however,
situation seems rather different, with uncontrolled transfer of the species by small-scale farmers from
Bangladesh to Nepal and India having been reported.

References
 Bibliography
Billard, R. 2003. From polyculture to co-culture in fish-farming. In C.S. Lee (ed.). Aquaculture: retrospec
and outlook – an aquaculture summit, pp 169-200. Asian Fisheries Society, Manila, Philippines & World
Aquaculture Society, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
De Graaf, G.J. & Janssen, H. 1996. Artificial reproduction and pond rearing of the African catfish Clarias
gariepinus in Sub-Saharan Africa – a handbook. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 362. FAO, Rome, Ita
73 pp.
De Kimpe, P. & Micha, J.C. 1974. First guidelines for the culture of Clarias lazera in Central Africa.
Aquaculture, 4:227-248.
De Silva S. & Davy, F.B. (eds). 2010. Success stories in Asian aquaculture. Springer. 222 pp.
Dorey, M., Mikolasek, O., Boureima, A. & Oswald, M. 2002. Savoir-faire paysan et exploitation piscicole d
mares temporaires en zone sahélienne: cas du village de Tafouka (Niger). In D. Orange, R. Arfi, M. Kupe
Morand & Y. Poncet (éds), Gestion Intégrée des Ressources Naturelles en Zone Inondables Tropicales. p
603–619. IRD, Paris, France.
Hogendoorn, H. 1983. The African catfish (Clarias lazera C. et V., 1840). A new species for aquaculture.
Dissertation, Wageningen Agriculture University, The Netherlands. 135 pp.
Isyagi, N.A., Veverica, K.L., Asiimwe, R. & Daniels, W.H. 2009. Manual for the commercial pond product
the African catfish in Uganda. USAID-FISH Project. 251 pp.
Little, D.C. & Edwards, P. 1999. Alternative strategies for livestock-fish integration with emphasis on Asi
Ambio, 28:118-124.
Marttín, F. & de Graaf, G. 2001. Poverty alleviation through fish culture: homestead fish culture in
Bangladesh. FAO Newsletter No. 27:8-11.
Ponzoni, R.W. & Nguyen, N.H. (eds.). 2008. Proceedings of a Workshop on the Development of a Geneti
Improvement Center, Penang, Malaysia. 130 pp. Program for African catfish Clarias gariepinus. WorldFis
Center Conference Proceedings No. 1889. The WorldFish Center, Penang, Malaysia.
Pouomogne, V. 2008. Capture-based aquaculture of Clarias catfish: case study of the Santchou fishers in
western Cameroon. In A. Lovatelli & P.F. Holthus (eds.). Capture based aquaculture. Global overview. FA
Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 508:3-108. FAO, Rome, Italy.
Stiassny, M.L.J., Teugels, G.G. & Hopkins, C.D. 2007. Poissons d’eaux douces et saumâtres de basse Gu
oust de l’Afrique centrale / The Fresh Water Fishes of Lower Guinea West-Central Africa. Volume 1. IRD
Editions, Paris, France. 800 pp.
Related links
CABI
FAO FishStatJ – Universal software for fishery statistical time series
Sustainable Aquaculture Research Networks in Sub Saharan Africa
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