Assessment of the Nutritional Composition and Condition Factor of Wild and Cultured African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

Introduction

Fish is one of the potential sources of animal protein and other micronutrients in the Africa and globally, which dictate the nutritional quality of various societies (1). However, the nutrient profile analysis of one fish species may be significantly different across species, seasons, and environmental conditions, which determines the overall nutritive value that a fish species imparts to a consumer (2). The African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) is one of the widely distributed and commercially important fishes in Nigerian inland water bodies. C. gariepinus is primarily a freshwater species, which is very tolerant of a wide range of environmental factors, such as hypoxic conditions, high turbidity, and temperature (8°C to 35°C), with an optimal growth being observed between 28°C and 30°C (3). It is highly regarded in its palatable taste and economic cost, and it supports subsistence and commercial fisheries, becoming the most prevalent in the production of aquaculture nationally (4). The species may grow a total length of 170 cm and weigh around 60 kg, and reported lifespans of the species are up to 15 years (5). The Total length (TL) of wild adults is usually 90cm-150cm, and the farmed ones reach marketable size of 1-1.5kg in 6-12 months of good management regimes (6).

Proximate composition (moisture, lipid, protein, and ash content) along with the carbohydrate content as the difference determines the dietary value of the species (7). This composition is affected by many intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as size, sexual maturity, temperature, salinity, physical activity, ration size, feeding frequency, starvation interspersed intervals, types, and quantity of dietary constituents (8). Although the protein and ash concentration changes are relatively less fluctuated when compared to lipid contents, they are highly determined by the species and genetics and body size (8,9). Furthermore, proximate composition can be disturbed by environmental stressors and water quality, impacting nutrient accrual and fish overall health (10).

The condition factor of fish is a key biological indicator, which provides information on the health of individual and populations, and is a central tool to conserve and manage natural resources (11). It serves as a proxy of the physiological state of the species, which has an impact on the growth, reproduction, and survival pathways (12). Traditionally, the condition factor has been used as an indicator of growth vigor and feeding intensity (13); loss of it has been associated with incremental length gains (14) and it regulates the reproductive cycles of fish populations (15). This factor, in terms of functionality, combines the signs of energy reserves and their ability to withstand environmental challenges, including pollution or water with poor quality (16). Besides, when comparing condition factor across either habitats or time series, one can detect ecological degradation or resource limitation (17). In aquaculture, the state of persistently high condition factors among stock cohorts indicates effective feeding regimes and general welfare, thus improving the survival and yield performance (18). A high-condition factor of fish in aquaculture practice can be used to signify effective feeding regimes and healthy well-being in general, which could lead to improved survival and yield scores (18).

The aim of the study was to compare the proximate nitrogen and condition factor of male and female Clarias gariepinus in a captured and cultured sample with each other in order to give the knowledge about the management of sustainable aquaculture, feed formulation and fish processing methods.

Despite several comparative studies on proximate composition and condition factor of Clarias gariepinus in other regions of Nigeria and Africa, there remains a notable gap in data specific to Dutsin-Ma, Katsina state. This study provides the comparative assessment of nutritional composition and condition factor between wild (Zobe Dam) and cultured (Ni’ima Farm) Clarias gariepinus populations in Katsina State, contributing baseline data to support local sustainable aquaculture development, feed formulation, and regional fisheries management.

Materials and Methods

Sample collection

Forty samples of Clarias gariepinus were collected in Zobe Dam (Figure 1) and Ni’ima fish farm which is situated along Dutsi-ma/Kankara road, Katsina state, Nigeria. The sample consisted of twenty captured and twenty cultured specimens consisting of ten males and ten females respectively. The sample size of 40 fish (20 wild and 20 cultured, with equal sex representation) was selected based on feasibility within available resources and laboratory capacity, while ensuring adequate representation of both sexes and sources for detecting meaningful differences in condition factor and proximate parameters, consistent with similar comparative fish nutrition studies. Samples were collected during the dry season (April) to minimize seasonal variability in nutritional profiles. The cultured fish at Ni’ima Farm were reared in concrete ponds under intensive conditions, fed commercial pelleted feed (35-40% crude protein) twice daily to apparent satiation, with water quality maintained at temperature 27-30°C, dissolved oxygen >4 mg/L, and pH 6.8-7.5. All sampled fish were adults of marketable size (≈120–200 g), 8–12 months old for cultured specimens.

Results

The findings of the statistical analysis are interpreted and presented in the tables below.

Discussion

In Condition factor, using an established measure of the relationship between the body weight and the length, the condition factor (K), is used to indicate the well-being of the fish. The results showed that the different environments (wild and culture) of study were suitable for Clarias gariepinus growth, as condition factor values exceeded 1 in both sources. Wild fish showed much higher values of both males (1.71 ± 0.03) and females (1.69 ± 0.04) than their cultured counterparts (1.52 ± 0.05 and 1.56 ± 0.02, respectively). This indicates greater robustness, energy reserves (e.g., lipid storage), and overall physiological health in wild habitats, likely due to diverse natural foraging, reduced stocking density, and lower chronic stressors compared to intensive farming conditions (e.g., potential overcrowding, uniform feeds, or water quality fluctuations). These reserves enhance survival during periods of food scarcity or environmental stress, which is advantageous for wild populations but highlights a potential limitation in cultured systems where growth may prioritize rapid weight gain over balanced condition. This is in line with Oyebola et al. (2022) (21), which presented condition factors between 0.72 and 1.02 in mixed-strain populations of C. gariepinus from Benin Republic (West Africa), and explained the variation by environmental factors and possible introgression effects. Likewise, Ojelade et al. (2022) (22) found that the condition factor of C. gariepinus was higher in the environmentally enriched cultured (substratum-enriched tanks with high K values) than in the wild, suggesting that the most favorable aquaculture environment led to better physiological welfare, though wild habitats in the present study appeared more favorable overall. The quality of the feed, age, natural foraging in the wild and formulated feeds in the culture, and stressors in the habitat may be different (21). Recent literature shows that there are little or no regular sex differences in C. gariepinus condition factor, and environmental factors commonly dominate sexual dimorphism (23).

In proximate composition, the relationship between captured (wild) and cultured Clarias gariepinus in terms of proximate composition revealed nutritional similarity. There was no significant difference in the most of the parameters, except the ash content, as the cultured fish was significantly higher compared to the captured fish. This higher ash level likely results from mineral enrichment in commercial feeds or pond water, improving the bioavailability of essential minerals (e.g., Ca, Mg, K, Na) and supporting better bone development and metabolic health in farmed fish. The results agree with the conclusions of Hammed et al. (2022) (24) who reported similar differences in proximate composition between wild and cultured C. gariepinus with higher moisture level and variable protein and fat content despite the range of protein percentages are 38.61 to 50.03% across species and samples. Additionally, Oghenochuko et al. (2022) (25) noted greater crude protein (54.98%) and ether extract (34.17%) in the wild samples as compared to their cultured counterparts, which could be due to natural and controlled feeding conditions. On the other hand, other studies have also indicated better protein ratio in cultured fishes due to the balanced formulated food but the increased ash in our cultured group is associated with the mineral fortification effects (24).

Statistically, no significant differences were found between sexes in proximate parameters. The males also had slightly higher crude protein and oil than females, though females had slightly higher dry matter, crude fiber, ash, and nitrogen-free extract. Such low differences provide evidence of small sex-based nutrient allocation in C. gariepinus, which could be due to reproductive demands in females which do not significantly influence the muscle structure in this sample. This agrees with Sobczak et al. (2022) (26) who found no sex-effect on the majority of biometric traits in C. gariepinus hybrids, though females were sometimes found to have a higher fillet weight and protein/fat content. Namaga et al. (2020) found that juvenile female C. gariepinus had a higher crude protein in female than male in captured samples, although sex differences were not consistent. Recent findings indicate that environmental and dietary factors often dominate over sex in proximate profiles for this species (26).

Conclusion

This study shows that the cultured fish had more ash content, likely from mineral-enriched feeds, while the wild fish had more lipid and nitrogen-free extract from natural foraging. The condition factor of the wild fish was high, which implies an overall well-being and energy reservation in the natural habitats. The male fish had slight advantages in protein and lipids over the females. In practice, these results support comparable nutritional value between sources, supporting sustainable use of both in food systems. To maximize cultured catfish production, feed formulation should be aimed at lipid and mineral balance, and management practices (e.g., enrichment) could improve condition factor, growth efficiency, and overall aquaculture viability in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria.