The Clarias catfish has given a great boost to aquaculture and impacted the livelihoods of many catfish farmers. The Clarias spp can adapt to a wide variety of environment and is very tolerant of extreme water conditions.

The Clarias Spp (African Catfish) are cannibals. Hence, farmers need to properly sort them into different sizes and put them in the appropriate ponds.

Precautions when stocking ponds with post juveniles

• Reduce stress from point of transportation to point of introduction into the pond.
• Avoid exposure to heat by covering transport containers
• Avoid shaking containers unnecessarily while transporting.

Morphological characteristics of catfish

Body elongate. Head large, depressed, and bony with small eyes. Narrow and angular occipital process;  gill openings wide; air-breathing labyrinthic organ arising from gill arches; first gill arch with 24 to 110 gill rakers;  cleithrum pointed, narrow with longitudinal ridges and with sharpness. Mouth terminal, large. Four pairs of barbels are present.  Long dorsal and anal fins; without dorsal fin spine and adipose fin. Anterior edge of pectoral spine serrated. Caudal fin rounded.  Colour varies from sandy-yellow through gray to olive with dark greenish-brown markings, belly white.