Author(s): Mohammed Zanna Barde, Nasir Adamu, Umar Hassan Mohammed, Ibrahim Yunusa and Aliyu Mohammed

Abstract: Effects of thermal treatment on growth performance and survival of African catfish fries was conducted in Maiduguri. The aim was to investigate the growth and survival of African catfish fries bred using eggs exposed to different thermal treatments. Five matured male and female Clarias gariepinus breeders with a total weight and length ranging from 700-900g and 26-31cm were procured from commercial fish farm within Maiduguri Metropolitan and transferred to fish hatchery complex of the Department of Fisheries, University of Maiduguri. The female brooders were injected with ovaprim at a dosage of 0.5ml/kg of their body weight and kept for latency period of 11hours. Milts from the males were collected and used to fertilize the eggs collected from the females. Three grams of the fertilized eggs were collected from each group and subjected to five (5) different thermal treatments (25, 30, 35, 40 and 45). The fertilized eggs were exposed to the thermal treatment for the period of 3 minutes in each of the group. After the thermal treatment, the treated eggs were placed on hatching substrates for incubation. Hatching, death and survival rate of the fries were recorded. Fifteen fries from each treatment were collected and reared for four (4) months to ascertain their growth performance. After the four month rearing, growth indices of the fish were estimated and calculated. The result revealed better growth performance in fish produced through eggs exposed to 30 ⁰C in term of weight gain as 403.77g. The eggs exposed to 25 and 30 ⁰C indicated higher percentage survival (73.33%). Growth and survival of fries can be improved through exposure of fertilized eggs to thermal treatments at 25 and 30 ⁰C.

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