UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY

TECHNICAL REPORT ON

ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROJECT TRAINING

(AQUACULTURE)

PRESENTED BY

ANUMAH RUTH AYIJIMOH

U2018/5550045

COURSE CODE: GES 400.1.

COURSE TITLE: ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROJECT.
DEPARTMENTAL COURSE CO-ORDINATOR: DR. MADUAMAKA ABAJUE .
AUGUST 2023.

1
 INTRODUCTION;
AQUACULTURE (CATFISH FARMING
Catfish farming, also known as catfish aquaculture, is the practice of raising catfish in
controlled environments for commercial purposes. With its origins dating back to ancient
times, catfish farming has evolved into a vital sector of the aquaculture industry. This report
aims to delve into the key aspects of catfish farming, including its, life stages, specializations
in catfish farming, materials/equipment, methods, result of the practical and the applicability
of skill acquired for self reliance and enterprise management as thought by Dr. Hart during
the practical that was held in human anatomy department and during the field trip.
Life stages of catfish
Catfish life stages can be categorized into the following:
 Fries: This is the first living stages of catfish. Fries are young fish that are born out of
artificial insemination which happene within a period of 24 hours. They are still called
fries when they are 3days - 2 weeks old
 Advanced fry: The next life stage of catfish is the advanced fry. It is the period between
fry and fingerlings stage. At this stage there are usually 2-4 weeks old.
 Fingerlings: This is the most common life stage of catfish that is being stocked by
farmers in Nigeria. At this stage farmers that are specialize in growing to table size,
purchase this life stage from breeder and stock, rear them to table size. At this stage, they
weigh 3-4 grams and 6-8 weeks old.
 Post fingerlings: This is the 4th stage of the catfish life cycle. It is between fingerling and
juvenile. They are called post fingerlings when they are weigh between 6-10grams.
 Juvenile: Juvenile fish are the second most common size of fish that is purchased and
stocked by most grow out farmer. They are achieved this size when they are 8-10 weeks
old.
 Jumbo: is the biggest size of fish among smaller catfish. They are about 12 weeks old.
 Table size: Table size fish weighs 800 gram and above and can achieved within 5 months
or 6 months. This are the size we commonly see in the market that is sold by fish sellers.
 Brood stock: Broodstock are parent stock fish that is being used for hatching catfish.
They must be above 1 year old and weighs 1kg above before they can be called brood
stock.
SPECIALIZATION IN CATFISH FARMING:
Catfish farming has numerous specializations that can be ventured into once the necessary skills have
been acquired. Based on the practical, the following are the areas of catfish farming ;

2
  The breeders: people who are specialize in hatching of young catfish(fingerlings
production). They are task with the responsibility of providing viable fingerlings for
farmers who want to venture into the business.
 Growers: This are farmers that purchase fingerlings, stock them on ponds(.I.e. Earthen,
concrete, plastic or taupauline ponds) and rear them into table size and sell them.
 Market sellers: this are people that purchase this table size fishes from growers and sell
them in the market to generate income.
 Catfish processing: This includes farmers that specialize in processing catfish either by
oven drying to produce dry tasty roasted catfish or storing them in cold rooms.
All these are common specializations in catfish farming one can venture into and be lucrative .

MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT FOR CATFISH REARING

The Materials/equipment that are required for catfish rearing are as follows;
 A piece of land either rented or purchased.
 Pond( it can be earthen, concrete, plastic or taupauline).
 Fish feed of various size as fish increase in size.
 Storage water tanks
 A borehole( if your water source is underground water).
 Water testing kit( necessary for daily analysis of you physiochemical parameters of your
pond water.
 Sorting bowl or bucket
 Pumping machine
 Salt for treatment.
 Pipes
 Fish scoping nets.
 Pond net( to cover your pond against fish eating birds).

PROTOCOL IN REARING CATFISH:

 Build your pond: After acquiring a piece of land, the first step is to build your fish pond.
This will require you searching for the service of a pond construction engineer. Catfish
can be reared in different pond types such as concrete, plastic, tarpaulin or even earthen
pond. Is best to choose the one that suit your pocket.
 Connect your pond to clean water source either from your storage tanks or direct from
your borehole
 Wash your pond: After building your pond, is recommended you wash your pond with
certain amount of salt. You can also use detergent but you have to careful rinse out all
residue when finish washing.

3
 Fertilize your pond: you can fertilize your pond firstly by filling it with water and adding
dried plantain leafs and leave it for approximately 1-2 weeks.
 Stock your pond with fingerlings or juvenile: Get quality fish stocks from trusted farmers
and stocked them in your pond. Start with a little quantity of 500 as a beginner.
 Feed your fish: feeding of fish has to be a careful excersise that is carried out to avoid
polluting the water and wasting of feed. Feeding has to be carried out in a particular spot,
so that you can track whether they are done eating to avoid overfeeding and left over
feeds floating on the water.
 Changing the water: It is recommended you change your water everyday to encourage
good fish hygiene and progressive growth. Changing of water is related to the quantity of
fish in your pond and how dirty their water.
 Sorting: Sorting refers to the process of separating catfish according to their size mostly
into various ponds. Sorting is essential because it enables the smaller fish to grow given
more time, prevent cannibalism and given equal chance for the sizes to eat uniformly.
 Treatment: fish can be treated with various antibiotics such as oxytetracycline e.t.c. but is
also recommended if you are experience to also treat with salt because it gives the fish
more electrolytes to initiates healing processes.
 Water quality testing: it is necessary to test the quality of your water at all time when
pumping and changing the water.
 Test for pH: testing for pH is highly recommend because catfish does not do well in
acidic water, they tend to die or susceptible to diseases. If your water source is very
acidic (4.0) you need to neutralize it with sodium bicarbonate to neutral(7.0) for the
health of your fishes.
Result

Image showing juvenile catfshies in plastic water tank.

4
Image showing sorting basket in sorting catfish fingerlings.

Dr Hart with students in a photograph

5
Ruth during the field trip

6
HATCHING OF CATFISH

MATERIAL NEEDED: Parent boodstock, incubation netting,, incubation trough, fish

hormone, pH testing kit, sodium bicarbonate, saline water, surgical blade stripping bowl
STEPS IN HATCHING CATFISH FRY
 Purchased male and female boodstock was above 1 years and weighs above 1kg. The
female abdomen was swollen indicating presence of eggs. The male has protuted
papillae and the tip was slightly reddish or pink indicating it is sexually matured.

 Image showing male broodstock

Image showing gravid females

 The female broodstock was injected with fish hormone to induce ovulation. The fish
hormone commonly used was ovulin which was injected at an angle of 45° degree at
the upper dorsal fin. The injected fish was kept in a bowl of water for 12 hours.
 The male fish was sacrificed to obtain testis. The testis was cut to get the semen.
 After 12hrs the injected female was stripped of her eggs into a stripping bowl.
 Fertilization was achieved by mixing the stripped egg with semen with the addition of
water.
 The fertilized egg was spread on a kakaban net by the aid of a spoon.
 The eggs was hatched under 24- 30 hours and the fries were observed.

7
Image showing 2 weeks old catfish fries.

APPLICABILITY OF SKILLS ACQUIRED FOR SELF RELIANCE AND

ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT:

From the little training I got, these skills, such as financial management, problem-
solving, and organization, can help me effectively manage resources, make informed
decisions, and adapt to challenges in the catfish farming industry. They can also aid me in
optimizing production, marketing, and overall profitability of my future catfish farming
enterprise although these skills are ongoing processes that require flexibility, creativity
and willingness to acquire more knowledge in the field.

CONCLUSION

• This practical report has opened my eyes to the benefits that catfish farming offers
and how lucrative it can be once embarked properly although there would be
losses just like every other businesses if mishandled.

I have also learnt that the dose of salt in the pond can either harm the fish or serves as
treatment for the fish .

8
1