Diversification of aquaculture species for Nigeria requires the domestication of more culturable fish species. Globally, more than 500 species are farmed, including finfishes, molluscs , crustaceans and other aquatic organisms. Among the indigenous catfishes available, Nigeria is recognized for the production of the clariids . The claroteid , Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus , is to develop a new status from being described as a culturable species to a culture species for Nigeria. This project seeked to provide a broodstock bank of C. nigrodigitatus obtained from the wild and numbering ?100 wild inputs domiciled at NIOMR for the purpose of producing captive bred silver catfish hatchlings for research into their growth rates in different culture environments, survival percentages and feed conversion. The whole chain of events beginning with the collection of sexually mature and ready-to-spawn pairs of the silver catfish using passive gear to grow-out rearing systems adoptable in Nigeria has been harnessed. The protocol thus described may serve as a model ready for replication and development of fresh and brackish water aquaculture.
Keywords: Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus, Silver catfish, Domestication, Propagation, Culture