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Management System and Production of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Abstract
This study analyzed the management system and constraints of African catfish production in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the management systems adopted by African catfish producers in Ebonyi State, to determine the socio-economic determinants of African catfish production in the region, to determine the factors influencing the management of the African catfish and to examine the constraints to the production of African catfish in the study area. Four local government areas were purposely selected from each of which two communities were chosen and from which twenty African catfish producers were randomly selected to give a total of eighty respondents for the study. Descriptive statistical tools and ordinary least squares estimators were used to analyze the objectives. Most African catfish producers (44.40%) adopted the intensive African catfish management system, they preferred to keep their fish in home fish ponds, while few of them (17, 1%) practised the extensive African catfish management system in which they breed their catfish. fish in streams, rivers, lakes and ponds built outside their homes. Gender, number of workers and income of the African catfish were the socio-economic determinants of African catfish production. Cost of labour, the cost of drugs and the cost of fingerling were the cost factors influencing management and production. Lack of readily available skilled labour was the greatest constraint, while storage was the least constraint. It was recommended that catfish producers should improve their socio-economic characteristics such as experience, income from another profession, level of education and number of workers in order to improve their management system as well as their performance.