CONTROLLED PROPAGATION OF THE AFRICAN CATFISH, CLARIAS-LAZERA (C AND V) .1. REPRODUCTIVE-BIOLOGY AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS

Field experiments on controlled propagation of Clarias lazera (C. & V.) were carried out in Cameroon in 1975-1976. Reproduction was induced in small ponds using desoxycorti-costerone acetate. In artificial reproduction experiments, ovulation was induced with acetone-dried carp pituitary and the sexual products were obtained by stripping the females and dissecting the males. Artificial fertilization, incubation and hatching of the eggs were successfully carried out. Different methods of producing fingerlings in ponds were compared but none was considered satisfactory. Rearing the fry in troughs was not achieved, but it is felt that this offers the best prospects for reliable production of fingerlings. Suggestions for further improvement of the techniques are given. © 1979.