Question: Between Clarias Gariepinus and it's Hybridised Hetro-Clarias; which is better?


Sigh!
I have always shy away from taken a stand when issues like this arises as there are valid points for or against both. We will talk about the benefits of hybridization, especially that of Clarias Gariepinus and Hetrobancus Longifilis and the conclusion will be left to be drawn by you.

Before I dive into this, permits me to use this illustration of a twin boy and a girl. You gave birth to these adorable creatures and bang! they become teenagers, you notice the girl growing faster than the boy at first but as the are turning sixteen the guy will spring up, husky voice, muscular body and all.

The girl child is the Clarias while boy child is the Hybrid by this I don't mean to portray female gender in bad light. infact they are the movers and shakers of this world. Beautifully made and very Intelligent.

Hybridization

Hybridization is the mating of genetically differentiated individuals or groups and may involve crossing individuals within a species (also known as line crossing or strain crossing) or crossing individuals between separate species. This breeding technique is used by aquaculturists in the hope of producing aquatic organisms with desired traits. Commonly, the desired goal is to produce offspring that perform better than both parental species (hybrid vigor or positive heterosis). ~FAO

When broodstocks of Clarias Gariepinus and that of Hetrobancus Longifilis are crossed, we produced Hybrid offsprings.

The goals of producing fish of better performance in; growth, sizes, taste, food conversation ratio over a specific time and of course to get maximum profit from the production.

The question is, does hybridization cater for these goals in Catfish?

We will get to the question later, in fact you will have to answer it for me and drawn your conclusion.

Clarias generally has a good growth, it's recorded to be second to Hetrobancus Longifilis in growth. H. Longifilis can grow up to 1.5m in length and 55kg in weight.

C. Gariepinus has a very good distinct taste, grow faster when they are yet small, development of eggs and other reproductive features starts early, thereby reduce growth rate from that stage. They are surface feeders.

H. Longifilis in the other hands are not popularly farmed in this part of the world for it flesh, personally I don't like it taste. Hetrobancus is stocked in farm for hybridization processes. They are have great resistance to diseases, fast mobility, they can grow up to 1.5m of 55kg biomass.

When both are exposed to stress due transportation or other external factors, from experience I noticed that Clarias tend to be the champion. Clarias has more fat to alter the body temperature as well as supply energy when needed.

Hybrid (HetroClarias) share properties of both Clarias Gariepinus and Hetrobancus Longifilis. It growth is extraordinary, especially from 3 month upward. The crossed offsprings of Clarias and Hetrobancus are sterile (can't reproduce) therefore no energy is wasted on reproduction.

They don't normally have large egg sacs but instead develop more fleshy body, the taste is as good as that of pure C. Gariepinus. They are resistance to lot of diseases and matured fish can withstand stress than their parents.

Lastly, the performance in concrete/tarpolin/plastic pond is as good as that of the earthened. It's only myth that Hybrid don't grow other place earthened pond.

I m afraid the epistle is getting too long and I will like to say here that rather than say Hybrid is better, it's better if there is a long term plan for production and rather than saying Clarias is better we can say they are for short time production.

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Dare Akintade
Info@fishplace.ng
08066401947
Fishplace and Farm Nigeria

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