A Survey on African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Feeding and Production in Laos

A formal survey was carried out to collect information concerning African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) production systems practiced at small, medium and large farms in three districts, selected as representatives for a rain-fed, wetland and irrigated areas. In addition, feedstuffs used were collected for chemical analysis. Catfish pond areas per farm ranged from 100-3,200 m² in the rain-fed, 160-2,800 m² in the wetland and 120-5,000 m² in the irrigated areas. Catfish yield per six months and ha pond area was in the range 1.7 to 3.0 ton fresh weight with no major difference between areas. However, including all data the fish yield (t ha^-1 6 months^-1) was correlated (R² = 0.53; P 0.0001) to the fish pond area (m²). A total of thirteen feedstuffs, including both conventional and unconventional, were identified as being frequently used for catfish feeding. The use of feedstuffs varied between different agro-ecological areas and between farms of different size within each area. There were large differences in the overall diet content of major nutrients. However, in general, the diets were low in crude protein (150-220 g kg^-1 DM) and had to low protein to energy ratio. In conclusion, the results from the present study indicates that there appears to be a considerable potential to improve the production of catfish in Laos by introducing better feeding strategies and improving management practices.