Title: Assessment of broodstock management practices in Nigeria

Genetic management of African catfish broodstock is important to ensure the quality of seed. This study was conducted to identify and critically evaluate current broodstock management practices in African catfish hatcheries in Nigeria. A questionnaire was presented in 44 hatcheries in three main aquaculture regions in Nigeria and 34 responded. The results indicated that more than 50% of hatcheries keep fewer than 40 broodfish, with a higher ratio of females than males. This causes the effective breeding number to be under the recommended minimum value in many hatcheries and can result in genetic drift or inbreeding depression. However, the common practice of optioning broodfish regularly from different sources may reduce the risk of inbreeding depression. Only 6% of the hatcheries use broodstock raised on their farms exclusively and this group is predisposed to problems due to poor genetic management. Most hatcheries use females that are 1-1.5 kg as broodfish. However, the results of the present study suggest that seed quality, quantity and survival could be increased significantly by using larger females. The results of the study were used to produce recommendations to improve broodstock management in Nigeria.