Reproductive Success of Intra-specific Hybridization between Two Strains of Clarias gariepinus from Katsina-ala and Gboko, North East, Nigeria

The intra-specific hybridization investigation was carried out at the Federal University Wukari, Fisheries and Aquaculture research farm. Clarias gariepinus broodstock was obtained from Katsina-Ala and Gboko in order to investigate the reproductive success among the inbred and crossbred individuals. Data on reproductive success (fertilization, hatchability, and survival), and the frequency of shooters were acquired. The result showed that the crossbreds of ♂G x ♀K had a greater percentage fertilization of 66.3% than ♂K x ♀G (62.03%). Inbred of ♂K x ♀K and ♂G x ♀G showed higher hatchability of 80.24% and 73.47%, respectively, whereas their crosses showed no significant difference. Because there is no statistically significant difference in survival at initial feeding between inbred and crossbred, the inbred performed better at the advanced fry stage. The frequency of shooters was higher in inbred of ♂G x ♀G with 4% and crossbred of ♂K x ♀G with 3.6%, while the inbred of ♂K x ♀K has a lower value of 3.4% and crossbred of ♂G x ♀K with 3.0%. Katsina-Ala (♂K x ♀K) inbred produced the best results. As a result, broodstock selection and management are critical in avoiding the prevalence of unfavorable traits in C. gariepinus for Aquaculture.