Relationships of Chemical Composition, Quantity of Milt to Fertility and Hatchability of Clarias Gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION It has been estimated that about ten million people die every year in the world either through starvation or malnutrition [1]. As the world population increases, the demand for fish in the world also grows [2]. Inspite of high preference for fish and fishery products in Africa, the per capita consumption of fish in this part of the world is still very low [2]. A decline in fish availability will have a detrimental effect on the nutritional status of man as fish contributes significantly to the protein intake of the people in most countries of Africa. In Nigeria, fish constitutes 40% of animal protein intake [3]. This means that any short fall in fish supply will affect the animal protein intake of Nigerians. From a global perspective, over 50% of the world's fish stocks are either fully or over exploited [4, 5]. Analysis of trends by FAO [6] show that many marine fish stocks are in decline, inland fish stocks are under threat from environmental change and impacts, while aquaculture continues to develop and expand in many parts of the world. C. gariepinus had already been firmly entrenched as one of the world's most important fish by the start of the twentieth century. With increased emphasis on fish culture in Nigeria and the advent of modern techniques, C. gariepinus has become even more valuable to man [7].