Assessment of the Nutritional Composition and Condition Factor of Wild and Cultured African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

This study compared the condition factor and nutrient composition of two sexes of the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) from the wild and cultured sources in Zobe Dam and Ni’ima Farm, respectively, in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria. For this, 20 wild and 20 cultured, with equal sex representation (total n=40). The condition factor (K) of the wild fish was statistically higher (males: 1.71 ± 0.03; females: 1.69 ± 0.04) than the cultured fish (males: 1.52 ± 0.05; females: 1.56 ± 0.02). This shows that the wild fish had better overall well-being and energy reserves than the cultured ones. The proximate analysis was conducted (for dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre, lipid, ash, and nitrogen-free extract), and there were no significant differences in most of the parameters of the sources and sexes except the ash content of the cultured fish, which was higher, and the wild fish possessed higher lipid and nitrogen-free extract. The male fishes showed slightly higher crude protein and lipids than the females. In conclusion, it was observed that the cultured and wild C. gariepinus fish had similar nutritional value, although the cultured fish had better minerals and the wild fish had more lipid from natural foraging. These findings will provide the basis for sustainable development of feed formulation, processing and management to enhance the quality of the cultured fish as well as assist the aquaculture sector of Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria, amid growing protein demand.